MORRISTOWN - It's not as if Bruce Meringolo has been planning a mayoral run for the last year.

No, not at all. He didn't even file a nominating petition by the late March deadline.

Between then and the June 10 primary, however, Meringolo said he got some calls from fellow Republicans - they wanted him to run for mayor.

A write-in campaign was organized and Meringolo, who once served on the governing body in Long Hill Township, was indeed nominated in the primary to run this fall.

And on Wednesday night, Meringolo and his team of three council candidates gathered in a local bar for a campaign kickoff.

"There's no competition," Meringolo told a crowd that included most of the all-Republican Morris County commissioners. "We need some dialogue. We need the voters to have a choice."

There's nothing unusual about such comments. All challengers talk about giving voters a "choice."

But when you strip away the cynicism, there is some truth here. Competitive elections are good for democracy.

Republicans in Morristown - a Democratic stronghold in a Republican county - have been dormant of late.

But this year, as noted, the GOP is running a full ticket.

You have Meringolo for mayor and council hopefuls Andrew DeLaney,  A.J. Oliver and Celeste Kaitsa.

DeLaney is the son of the late John "Jay" DeLaney Jr., a former mayor.

DeLaney said of his father:

"He showed how Morristown should be led."

Oliver is a former Democrat. He left the party a few years ago because he felt his pro-life views on abortion were not respected.

GOP leaders are excited about the challenge in Morristown - that's why the commissioners showed up for the kickoff.

But they have no illusions. All who spoke talked about a tough race and the need for supporters to work hard.

Last year for instance, Kamala Harris beat Donald Trump in Morristown by almost 2-1.

And you have to figure that Democratic turnout in Morristown will be just as good this year with the local congresswoman, Mikie Sherrill, running for governor. Sherrill has carried Morris County every time she's run for Congress.

Locally, Democratic Mayor Tim Dougherty is seeking his fifth term.

The Democratic council candidates are Toshiba Foster, David Silva and Nathan Umbriac.

Complicating things - at least for Meringolo - is the presence of a third mayoral candidate. That would be Andrea Lekberg, who is running as an independent. So, the anti-Dougherty vote will be split.

In a brief interview, Meringolo, who ran unsuccessfully for a council seat in 2023, said he was concerned about a rising budget and PILOT agreements. He also said he wants the town to do more to ensure pedestrian safety on its always-congested streets.