“Two Boro Boys for Hillsborough” Tomson and Lipani chosen as Mayor, Deputy Mayor for 2020
The Hillsborough Township Committee held its annual reorganization meeting on Thursday, January 2, 2020. Five-time Hillsborough Mayor Frank DelCore was sworn in for his fifth three-year term on the committee. Last year’s Deputy Mayor, Doug Tomson, was selected to be Mayor for 2020, and Shawn Lipani, in his second year on the committee, was selected to be Deputy Mayor.
This marks DelCore’s thirteenth year on the Township Committee. He is the longest-serving of the five members currently on the committee. He started in 2008 after winning his first election in November 2007.
Republican State Senator Kip Bateman (LD-16) administered the oath of office to DelCore, who was joined at the meeting by his wife Renee and daughters Rebecca (a junior at the University of Delaware) and Kristin (a senior at Hillsborough High School).
Bateman also administered the oath of office to Tomson, who was with his wife Rachel, twin daughters Hailey and Hannah (students at Hillsborough Elementary School) and daughter Sara (a sophomore at Gettysburg College) at the meeting. The twins wore matching dresses, while Tomson himself wore a red tie with elephants on it to symbolize the Republican Party.
Lipani’s oath was given by former Assemblyman and 2017 gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli (R, LD-16), a resident of Hillsborough. He is widely speculated to run again for governor in 2021, with an announcement supposedly coming sometime this year. Along with his father, Lipani’s wife Tara and daughter Anastazia stood beside him as he was sworn in.
All four Republicans on the Township Committee, Tomson, Lipani, DelCore, and Gloria McCauley, voted “yes” for Tomson and Lipani for Mayor and Deputy Mayor, respectively. Olivia Holmes, the only Democrat on the committee, abstained from both votes, although she did vote “yes” last year during those same votes to select last year’s mayor and deputy mayor (DelCore and Tomson).
Outgoing mayor DelCore nominated Tomson, calling him a “good friend and longtime colleague”.
Also at the meeting, a gift was presented to the outgoing mayor, which according to Tomson, has been done since the 2005 reorganization meeting, when Bob Wagner started the tradition. This year’s gift, given by Tomson to DelCore, was a gavel.
Wagner, a former committeeman and mayor who now is the head of Parks & Recreation in Hillsborough, was recognized at the start of the meeting by Township Clerk Pamela Borek along with the other former and current elected officials who served Hillsborough. In attendance were former township committeeman Paul Drake (D), former township committeewoman Helen Haines (R), former township committeeman Carl Suraci (R), former mayor and Somerset County Freeholder Ken Scherer (R), former County Freeholder Peter Palmer (R), current County Freeholder Brian Gallagher (R), and the new Somerset County Sheriff, Darrin Russo (D). Joan Biondi, the widow of the late mayor and Assemblyman Peter Biondi (R), was also at the meeting.
Democratic Assemblymen Andrew Zwicker and Roy Freiman (LD-16) arrived later and were seen at the gathering after the meeting where cake was served. Two cakes were made by local business Super Sundaes, one which said “Congratulations Mayor Tomson” and another which said “Happy Birthday, Doug”, because January 2nd was also Tomson’s birthday.
Lipani stated in his remarks at the meeting that it was “hard to believe two kids that grew up in Hillsborough, walking the halls of the high school and the middle school, fellow Duke alumni, Little League kids, are up here as mayor and deputy mayor. (sic)”