MORRISTOWN - The many candidates trying to replace Mikie Sherrill in Congress need to move quickly - the deadline for filing nominating petitions is Dec. 1.

For one candidate - Donald Cresitello, the town's former mayor, - that's too quick.

Cresitello has filed suit seeking to extend the current deadline, which he says favors one candidate - Brendan Gill of Essex County.

The suit in state Superior Court, Morristown, notes that Gill has been endorsed by Gov. Phil Murphy, who set the election timetable. The suit says that the Dec. 1 petition deadline benefits Gill, who announced his candidacy and received the governor's endorsement prior to Murphy announcing the schedule.

Besides the Dec. 1 deadline, the governor said the primary in CD-11, which covers parts of Essex, Morris and Passaic counties, will take place Feb. 5 and the general election April 16.

Cresitello's point is buttressed by the Thanksgiving weekend, which he says is an awfully tough time to get petition signatures - 500 are needed to get on the ballot. And the deadline is the Monday after the long holiday weekend.

Putting the suit aside, Cresitello's entrance into the race is news in itself.

Talk about a colorful political career.

Cresitello served two different stints as mayor of Morristown as a Democrat. But he also briefly switched parties and ran unsuccessfully for mayor and Morris County freeholder as a Republican. Moreover, in 2008, he challenged Sen. Frank Lautenberg in the Democratic primary.

Most recently, Cresitello tried to run for mayor again, but never made it to the ballot when a judge ruled he was not a bona-fide Morristown resident.

Members of the House do not have to live in the district in which they run, so residency is not an issue here.

With characteristic confidence, Cresitello said in a phone interview that he is the most qualified candidate in the field, relying on his many years of government experience and the work he's done in building low income housing. Besides his political activities, Cresitello is active in the construction field.

Other prominent figures in the race are Gill, an Essex County Commissioner, former Rep. Thomas Malinowski (from CD-7) and two office holders from Cresitello's home county of Morris - Councilman Juston Strickland of Chatham and Deputy Mayor Jeff Grayzel of Morris Township.

Some see Gill as the favorite because he comes from Democratic-heavy Essex and has been endorsed by many party leaders.

Not so Cresitello.

He says he was in Montclair (Gill's hometown) the other night getting petition signatures and that many people didn't even know who Gill was.