MORRISTOWN - In 2021, Democrat Tim Dougherty was unopposed for mayor.

Now he's running again for his fifth term and he has not one, but two, opponents.

It's hard to know what changed politically in town over the last four years, but it's hard to ignore reality.

Morristown is solidly Democratic. Not only that, with two candidates presumably splitting the anti-Dougherty vote, the mayor would appear to be in great shape.

The Republican candidate is Bruce Meringolo, who got on the ballot as write-in. Republicans are also running council candidates in what the GOP sees as its rebirth in Morristown.

Andrew DeLaney, one of those council candidates, is the son of John "Jay" DeLaney Jr., the town's last Republican mayor.

Into this mix steps Andrea Lekberg, who owns The Artist Baker on Cattano Avenue. She is running for mayor as an independent and just revealed her platform. She now sits on the town planning board.

A proposal that may immediately appeal to town residents is "free parking" for those living in town. How realistic that would be is the question.

Continuing with parking, Lekberg wants a third-party audit of the town Parking Authority. Anyone who visits Morristown, or lives there, knows that parking, or lack thereof, is a big issue.

There is a tendency for all candidates challenging incumbents to embrace transparency - their underlying point being it's not happening now.

To that end, Lekberg proposes "open houses" for residents, and educating the public on available positions and the workings of town boards and committees. She also pledges to hold regular office hours.

Morristown is a historic town and Lekberg wants to focus on preservation, and as she says, tell the town's story "from the lands of the Lenape to M Station," - a redevelopment project.
She also speaks of building a community center and expanding parks and public spaces.

Lekberg is not short on confidence, which is a good trait for any candidate.

Her website, a bit boldly, has a countdown clock to when she is elected mayor.

It's now at 82 days.