Jefferson Township Mayor Candidate Interviews
Hear directly from Christian Barranco. In this two-part interview, Christian answers residents’ questions about what he would do as Mayor — from taxes and overdevelopment to transparency and putting Jefferson families first. Click a video below to watch his answers.
Jefferson Town Council Candidate Interviews
TAPinto Jefferson sat down with both Save Jefferson council candidates ahead of the June 2 primary. Read where Sheila and Dottie stand on the issues, what they’d bring to council, and why they’re running.
A seven-year Jefferson Township teacher and 26-year local business owner, Sheila talks about reining in rising taxes and tapping into ecotourism to bring revenue into town.
Read on TAPinto →A 41-year Jefferson resident with more than two decades in the legal field, Dottie shares why she chose Jefferson, what she’s watched change, and the perspective she’d bring to council.
Read on TAPinto →Jefferson Township Administration’s Hypocrisy Knows No Bounds
In a new piece published by Morris Focus, Christian Barranco calls out the current administration over the Jefferson Place development on Route 15 — a PILOT tax arrangement he says directs payments to the town and county while sending nothing to Jefferson’s schools for 25 years, even as the township faces a lawsuit under New Jersey’s Affordable Housing Law.
Read Christian’s full piece at Morris Focus →Jefferson Township Paid More Than $544,000 to Atlantic Communications Over Three Years
Morris Focus reports that Jefferson Township paid Atlantic Communications more than $544,000 over three years: 189 invoices totaling $186,076.25 in 2023, 148 invoices totaling $193,571.69 in 2024, and 162 invoices totaling $165,267.41 in 2025. The findings follow the Save Jefferson team's call for transparency regarding the township's financial relationships with this vendor.
Read More at Morris Focus →Jefferson Residents Deserve Answers: Save Jefferson Team Calls for Transparency, Accountability, and a Direct Debate
Recent reporting in "Jefferson Township Under Scrutiny as Questions Go Unanswered" raised serious, documented questions about Eric F. Wilsusen's long-standing financial relationships with a township vendor, and about the township's refusal to release basic records that residents have every right to see. The Save Jefferson team, Christian Barranco, Sheila Brown, and Dottie Santasieri, believe those questions deserve straight answers.
According to filings with the Ocean County Clerk and the New Jersey Division of Revenue, Mayor Wilsusen, Police Chief Paul Castimore, and Atlantic Communications owner Gary Davieau jointly purchased property in Little Egg Harbor in 2006. In 2015, Eric Wilsusen was added, by amendment, to a company named PES LLC with the wives of Mr. Davieau and Chief Castimore. That company owned a commercial property at 664 Route 15 South, the same building where Atlantic Communications, a township vendor, operated as a tenant.
On March 23, 2026, an open public records request was filed for township invoices paid to Atlantic Communications from 2023 through 2026. The legal response deadline has now passed twice, and the records remain unreleased.
There may be reasonable explanations for each of these facts, and we welcome them. But the answer to a transparency question cannot be delayed any longer. We are calling on Eric Wilsusen to release every invoice, purchase order, and disclosure related to Atlantic Communications within seven days, and to recuse himself from any township decision involving a vendor in which he or his business partners hold a direct or indirect financial interest, per our municipal code. We are also urging the Township Council to authorize an independent review of contracts awarded to vendors connected to township officials over the past ten years.
This is not an isolated concern. It fits a broader pattern of how this administration communicates with residents. Eric has been posting campaign content on a Facebook page titled "Eric Wilsusen, Mayor of Jefferson Twp NJ," categorized by Facebook as a "Government Official" page and listing mayor@jeffersontownship.net as the contact, which is his official government email address. A line in the bio notes the page is "created & managed" by Eric Wilsusen personally, but the overall impression residents are meant to take away is that of an official government page. Paired with ignored records requests, that is not the conduct of an administration that trusts residents with the full picture.
These decisions do not only affect the Mayor. He has aligned himself publicly with a sitting state senator and several Morris County elected officials, and every unanswered records request and carefully worded communication puts their reputations on the line alongside his own. Those officials should ask themselves whether they want their names attached to a pattern of conduct that Jefferson residents are increasingly being asked to question.
Christian Barranco extends an open invitation to Mayor Wilsusen: meet face to face. Debate the record, the budget, the taxes, and the transparency of Jefferson Township in front of the voters who will decide this primary on June 2nd. Residents deserve to hear both candidates answer for their positions directly in public, on the record, and without fine print.
Letter to the Editor: Where Are the Jefferson Township Meeting Minutes?
A Morris Focus letter to the editor questions the Jefferson Township administration's transparency, asking why meeting minutes have not been made available to the public in a timely manner.
Read More at Morris Focus →Letter to the Editor: State and County Elected Officials Endorse Local Primary
A Morris Focus letter to the editor responds to state and county elected officials choosing sides in the Jefferson Township Republican primary, raising questions about whether elected representatives are truly serving all of their constituents.
Read More at Morris Focus →A Jefferson Resident Speaks Out on Senator Bucco Campaigning for Eric Wilsusen
Apparently, some elected officials who represent Jefferson don't feel that the residents can make their own decision on who we should vote for during a Republican Primary! It's been almost eight years since the voters of Jefferson have had choices and some higher elected officials have now decided to interrupt the process?
Exercising the right to vote is both a privilege and a civic responsibility, essential for maintaining a healthy democracy and ensuring that government remains responsive to the needs of the people.
Senator Bucco's decision to campaign for Eric Wilsusen raises a simple question: does he represent all of Jefferson Township, or just those already in office? A State Senator's role is to serve every constituent regardless of local political rivalries. By taking sides in this Primary, Senator Bucco is telling half of Jefferson that their voices don't matter.
The residents of Jefferson deserve better from their State Senator.
Barranco Will Run for Mayor of Jefferson
The New Jersey Globe covers Christian Barranco's entry into the Jefferson Township mayoral race, citing rising taxes and unchecked spending growth under the current administration.
Read More at NJ Globe →Save Jefferson Campaign Video
Watch the Save Jefferson campaign video featured on TAPinto Jefferson, covering the race for mayor and council in Jefferson Township.
Read More at TAPinto Jefferson →Letter to the Editor: Jefferson Administration Adds Insult to Injury
A Morris Focus letter to the editor takes aim at the Jefferson Township administration, arguing that recent actions by local officials have compounded the frustrations of residents already dealing with rising taxes and declining services.
Read More at Morris Focus →Letter to the Editor: Morris Focus
A Jefferson Township resident writes to the Morris Focus about the state of local government and the need for change in Jefferson Township.
Read More at Morris Focus →