MONTVILLE - Democrats have made some incursions into Republican Morris County, winning seats in a string of towns along the old Route 24 corridor from the Chathams west to Mendham Township.

But not in this township on the north side of Route 46. It remains solidly Republican, which makes this year's GOP primary somewhat intriguing.

Two township committee seats are up and the incumbents are not running.

So the race is a contest between two veteran municipal officials and two relative newcomers. The primary winners are probably assured of success in November.

In what may seem contrary to standard political thinking, the township's Republican organization is backing the pair of newcomers - Daria Senaldi and Chris Fano.

Their opponents are Jim Sandham, a former committeeman, and Tom Mazzaccaro  who, among other things, chaired the town planning board for 15 years.

"I feel like I'm a policeman, I can look around and see what's wrong," said Mazzaccaro in a recent chat at the local VFW hall - he is a Navy veteran.

Mazzaccaro is in his eighties, so his "look" goes back a while.

As planning board chair, he oversaw the development of what was once a very rural community. He was also active with the township MUA (municipal utilities authority), an under the radar, but important, job. It's tough to go without water and sewers.

He said he thinks his experience in Montville gives him "more to offer" residents than his opponents.

Sandham spent 12 years on the committee and on his campaign website, takes credit for slashing township debt, "saving" the old town hall by turning it into board of education offices and eliminating health benefits for township committee members.

Regarding the candidates endorsed by the local Republican Committee, party chair Christine Fano (no relation to the candidate) said:

“We are excited to back Daria and Chris as they represent the strong leadership, dedication, and values that Montville residents expect and deserve. We look forward to a successful campaign as we head toward the June 10 primary.”

Added Frank Cooney, the vice chair and a current committeeman, “Daria and Chris have the vision and commitment to keep Montville moving in the right direction. We are confident in their ability to serve our community and uphold the principles of our party.”

Neither candidate responded to requests for comment.

Christine Fano said they were busy combining door-to-door campaigning with professional and family obligations.

Issues in a primary - any primary - are often hard to ascertain. More times than not, they turn on personalities and alliances.

This one offers an interesting generational choice.

That said, one bewildering issue surfaced more than a year ago when the township committee sued its own board of adjustment over its approval of a development project. Given the fact the committee appoints board members, the township essentially sued itself.

You figure someone in the campaign will bring that up.