MONTVILLE - Tom Mazzaccaro and Jim Sandham have been around for a while.

They say that's good, not bad.

Mazzaccaro, who spent 15 years chairing the planning board, and Sandham, a former mayor, are seeking two township committee nominations in the June 10 GOP primary. Two committee members are not running again.

Also running is the team of Daria Senaldi and Chris Fano, who have been endorsed by the local Republican committee.

This sets up an interesting treat for political junkies. An intra-party contest between two newcomers and a pair of veteran officials.

In any clash of this type, the seasoned pros can take satisfaction in how the township has developed.

Once a farming community, the township, which includes the sections of Pine Brook and Towaco, is now an affluent, suburban community catering to many professionals. A very visible change for those driving along Route 46 was the disappearance of a sprawling auto junkyard on the east end of town. Talk about an eyesore. The township remains solidly Republican.

Mazzaccaro and Sandham gathered Tuesday night for a fundraiser at the nearby Knoll Country Club in Lake Hiawatha.

Guest speaker was Bruce Driver, a township resident and one time defenseman with the New Jersey Devils.

Driver, who was on the Devils' 1995 Stanley Cup championship team, stressed the loyalty of Mazzaccaro and Sandham.

"For these two gentlemen here ... their loyalty lies in Montville and they've shown it year after year," Driver said

Not surprisingly perhaps, those attending were some of the town's longtime prominent citizens, including Charles Grau, who served for many years on the local school board, and Joseph O'Dowd, whose family operated a well-known dairy.

Paul DeGroot, who ran for Congress in 2022 was there, as was local Assemblyman Jay Webber, who said he was just saying hello to a few people.

There are normally not a lot of issues in such races. After all, everyone here is a Republican.

Mazzaccaro and Sandham say their experience and knowledge will help them handle such things as affordable housing mandates, a perennial problem for suburban New Jersey.

One response is to buy as much land as possible to stop development. On the other hand, they want to use any additional revenue from such projects for road maintenance and enhanced emergency services.

Sandham said the best ones to handle these issues are the "two guys with years of experience." He said he doesn't know what his opponents think.

That was not a throwaway line.

Candidates Senaldi and Fano have, up to now, not responded to press inquiries. They also declined a League of Women Voters' invite to debate.