Jefferson Township Republican Primary
Save Jefferson
Fiscal Discipline. Accountability. Real Results.
"Jefferson Needs Us, We Need You."
Fiscal Discipline. Accountability. Real Results.
"Jefferson Needs Us, We Need You."
"Our Township does not have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem."
Christian E. Barranco
The Save Jefferson team's 10-point plan to bring our local government in line with a sustainable future, so that we and our children can all live in a prosperous Jefferson Township.
It is the first step we will take to assess the full financial picture of our Township.
Immediately impose a cap on property tax increases while continuing to support and fund educators in the classroom. The current discretionary municipal budget, outside of education, is over $36 million. Beginning Day 1, every department head will document the work their staff perform for residents over two weeks so we can assess duplication and seek efficiencies, without needless waste.
We will use industry leading business technology to provide township resources and services more efficiently and with increased convenience to our community. This approach has proven successful in other northern NJ towns, and Jefferson deserves the same services, efficiently delivered.
All township purchases will be scrutinized, both for need and to ensure we are receiving the best prices that suppliers offer anywhere. Cutting expenses at the source will be our priority.
We will work for you. Every day. Unlike past administrations, we will publicize our Requests for Proposals (RFPs) in our meeting agendas and share itemized invoices and proposals so that each resident can easily see where every dollar goes. On Day One, we will reinstate the monthly Council workshop meetings as required by our Municipal Code.
We will pursue every federal, state, or county grant fund opportunity available to us. Christian's experience working alongside accomplished grant applicants in the Legislature gives us proven methods so our township benefits from these resources just like other towns that benefit far more than Jefferson does today.
At least quarterly, we will conduct town hall style meetings where residents and taxpayers can ask the Mayor and Council direct questions, continuing our commitment to transparency in how your town is being managed.
Commit to prioritizing improvements at Camp Jefferson for our youth and follow through on constructing a Teen Center at the Camp. The money has been included in the township budget for years, only to be dropped numerous times. Our teens deserve a safe and fun place to grow and socialize safely.
We will create and nurture partnerships with sporting and apparel organizations through sponsorships and talent outreach to ensure our schools can keep sports and extracurricular activities. We have brilliant athletes in this Town and our children deserve better.
As a State Assemblyman, Christian Barranco was very vocal in Trenton trying to crack the will of the majority Party that has consistently used the Highlands Act to minimize school aid to our suburbs. As a team, we will continue that fight together. Our present administration has not helped our cause: from 2020 to 2025 our ratable tax base increased by $79,267,340, an average of $15,853,468 per year through irregular assessments. This led to the Morris County Tax Board ordering an immediate Township-wide property revaluation. The ACME shopping center in Oak Ridge is also in a massive tax appeal with nearly half its commercial spaces vacant. No wonder we cannot attract commercial renters to our town.
Jefferson needs a change in leadership, desperately.
For the past 8 years our town has had taxes skyrocket and schools close. Residents are hurting, and the current administration has done nothing to help. These same people now claim they have a "new vision," but it is too little too late. It is time for someone with a real plan to take the reins and put our town back on track.
If you are fed up and want a change, vote on June 2nd to Save Jefferson!
Christian Barranco is a lifelong public servant, union electrician, and proud Jefferson Township resident. A member of IBEW Local 102 since 2003, Christian built his career managing complex industrial and energy infrastructure projects, learning firsthand what it means to manage budgets, lead teams, and deliver results.
After serving on the Pompton Lakes Borough Council, Christian was elected to the New Jersey State Assembly in 2021, defeating a five-term incumbent in the Republican primary. He served in Trenton for four years representing Jefferson, on the Transportation and Telecommunications & Utilities committees. He was the lone Hispanic member of the Assembly Republican Caucus.
Christian moved his family to Jefferson's Oak Ridge section in 2018, in search of the fiscal responsibility he believed Morris County stood for. Now he's running for mayor to deliver exactly that. He and his wife Pauline are raising their three children, Natalia, Simone, and Emilio, here in Jefferson.
Watch: During his time in the Assembly, Christian opposed Bill A6306, which directed $300 million in taxpayer funds to the billionaire owners of the Prudential Center, while Jefferson's schools were simultaneously losing $4 million from their budget. A union electrician who helped build that very arena, Christian spoke from the floor with conviction: "Why do they need our hay? We need hay for people that don't have any."
Click to watch on YouTube
Sheila Brown has called Jefferson Township home for over 30 years and raised three daughters here with her husband, Gregory. She started her career as an elementary school teacher before partnering with her husband to run their small business for over 25 years. She knows exactly what it takes to balance a budget, hold vendors accountable, manage payroll responsibly, and make tough decisions when money is tight.
Sheila brings the kind of real-world fiscal experience that Jefferson's town council has been missing. She is running because she believes the township's residents deserve representatives who understand the value of every dollar, and are willing to fight for it.
Sheila has spent many years volunteering in Jefferson. She was a leader of three Girl Scout Troops, and she volunteered with recreational sports and in the Jefferson schools. She is a proud former Junior Woman's Club president. She is actively involved in the annual Christmas in the Village, the museum garden club and church leadership. She is currently the vice president of the Jefferson Township Library Board Trustees, 2nd vice president of the Jefferson Township Historical Society, and a charter member of the Kiwanis Club of Jefferson Township.
For over 20 years, Dottie worked in the legal field, both in New York and New Jersey, in many different capacities. She started as a litigation secretary, and progressed to Manager of Automation in a large New York patent law firm. In New Jersey, Dottie was responsible for payroll, billing and vendors, as well as paralegal work, dealing with various Deputy Attorney Generals in the State of New Jersey.
Dottie raised her three children here in Jefferson and has called this Town home for over 40 years. Now, as a senior citizen on a fixed income, she is concerned that the rate of increase in property taxes could eventually drive her out of Jefferson. This is why Dottie is running for Town Council.
We need common sense adjustments to our municipal budget to bring our property taxes under control, without sacrificing the necessary services on which we rely.
The Save Jefferson team is hitting every neighborhood, listening to residents, and sharing a message of fiscal accountability and real reform. This is what democracy looks like.
Whether you want to volunteer, host a yard sign, or simply stay informed, we want to hear from you. Jefferson's future depends on engaged residents like you.
