MORRIS COUNTY — Now that the election season is over, Freeholder Heather Darling will assume the Surrogate position in Morris County effective January 1, 2020.

Meanwhile, Darling leaves behind a term on the county dais that will not expire until December 31, 2020. As a result, the seat must be filled by a Republican county convention, to be held at a date yet to be announced but must be held within 35 days after she is sworn in to her new position.

Former Morris County Freeholder John Cesaro lost his freeholder-re-election bid last year with running mate Aura Dunn of Mendham, announced he will seek to fill Heather Darlings term.

“I’ve been off the board for eleven months, so that’s not a long time. And I just enjoy serving the taxpayers of Morris County,” he said.

He said if appointed, he would “continue to make the county better, working to better protect the county’s park system, and keeping an eye on spending without reducing services.

“We always need to keep an eye on spending without cutting services,” he said.

Cesaro, a Parsippany attorney, sat on the freeholder board from 2012 to 2018; serving as the Deputy director in 2015. He also served as a Parsippany Councilman. His bid to represent the 26th Legislative District in the Assembly failed in the June 2017 primary. His bid to return to the freeholder board in 2018 also ended in that primary.

MORRIS COUNTY — Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany President Frank Cahill inducted Drew (Andrew) Blind as a new member of the club on Thursday, December 5.

Club President Frank Cahill presented Drew with his membership plaque and Sponsoring Member Barbara Freda placed the official Kiwanis membership pin on Drew.

Drew is the local franchise owner of Chick-fil-A Morris Plains.

Blind’s stand-alone Chick-fil-A location at 1711 Route 10 East is homecoming for the New Jersey native who relocated from the chain’s location inside Garden State Plaza in Paramus.

Blind, who grew up in Morris County, was excited to return to his hometown where numerous family members reside and where his Chick-fil-A career began. A Team Member at the chain’s location in Howell, Blind worked at Chick-fil-A as a teen and during breaks while attending college at Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania.

After graduating with a degree in business management, Blind and his wife, Colleen, moved to South Carolina where he worked on the leadership team at a Charleston Chick-fil-A restaurant until his wife’s career brought them back to Pennsylvania.

Blind knew early on that Chick-fil-A’s focus of freshly prepared food, genuine hospitality and having a positive impact on the communities it serves matched his entrepreneurial goals. Blind became director of operations at the chain’s location in Nazareth and began his pursuit of owning his own restaurant while also serving on corporate teams helping open new locations around the country. His dream of owning his own restaurant was realized when he was selected to operate Paramus location in 2015.

Frank Cahill said “We welcome Drew to this global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time.”

Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany is the largest Kiwanis Club in the State of New Jersey with 75 members. New members are always welcome. (Click here for more information on Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany). Kiwanis members dedicate more than 6 million volunteer hours and invest more than $100 million in service projects that strengthen communities and serve children every year. Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany ensures that all children have the opportunity to lead healthy, successful lives. They believe that by helping one child, you help the world.

Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany meets every Thursday at 7:15 a.m. at Empire Diner, 1315 Route 46. For more information on Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany click here.

MORRIS COUNTY — Dr. Anthony J. Iacono, president of County College of Morris (CCM), has received the Enterprise Organization of the Year Award from the Morris County Hispanic-American Chamber of Commerce (MCHACC) in recognition of his and the college’s support of the Hispanic-American community.

In presenting the award to Iacono, Esperanza Porras-Field said, “The Morris County Hispanic-American Chamber of Commerce recognizes you as a leader with a profound local impact on our business. Your strength of character, passion and commitment to service are admirable. You have been an outstanding representative of the mission of the MCHACC.” Porras-Field served as event chair for the 30th Anniversary MCHACC gala and award ceremony held December 5 at the Birchwood Manor in Whippany.

“It is such an honor to be recognized by the MCHAAC,” said Iacono. “As I like to note, County College of Morris does great things every day, but we do even greater things through the strength of our partnerships with organizations such as the MCHAAC, which is such a strong resource for the success of the Hispanic-American community.”

The mission of MCHAAC is to advance the interests of businesses and organizations that serve the U.S. Hispanic-American market.

Iacono became CCM’s third president in 2016. Since then, he has worked diligently to strengthen the college’s relationships in the community and with business and industry. One of his guiding principles is that “great community colleges are those which strengthen the local economy by helping to attract, retain and support businesses, along with providing a high-quality education that changes lives.”

In addition to building strong ties with the MCHAAC to support the Hispanic-American community, the college also recently was awarded an $110,000 grant from Impact 100 Garden State to launch the Dover College Promise. That project will prepare low-income students in Dover for college and provide them with scholarships to cover tuition at CCM. The population of Dover is 70 percent Hispanic or Latino. By increasing the number of students who earn college degrees, CCM and its project partners, The Educational Center of Dover, the Dover School District and business and community leaders, hope to further elevate the town as graduates become leaders in their community.

MORRIS COUNTY — Annual George and Martha Washington Tea will be held at Morristown National Historical Park on Sunday, December 8 at 3:00 p.m.

The Holiday Tea is the perfect way for you and your friends and family to start your holiday festivities. Delicious tea fare will be served including tea sandwiches, scones and desserts. The Tea takes place in the Great Hall of the Washington’s Headquarters Museum at Morristown National Historical Park at the conclusion of the 3-day “Holly Walk” at 7 historic sites in and around Morristown.

The Tea is appropriate for the whole family and will feature a talk by Mr. Nolan Asch on the subject of George Washington’s association with his Morristown aide-de-camp, Alexander Hamilton. Mr. Asch describes Washington and Hamilton as “the most important duo in American History”.

Sign up for tea, sandwiches and desserts and a lecture about George Washington and Alexander Hamilton- “the most important duo in history”-in the Great Hall at Washington’s Headquarters Museum, Morristown.

Morristown National Historical Park is located at 30 Washington Place, Morristown.

Click here to purchase tickets.

MORRIS COUNTY — The Morris Museum once again is hosting the Portfolio Class Exhibit featuring design and fine art pieces created by students at County College of Morris (CCM). This is the seventh year in a row that the museum is hosting the work of CCM students.

The exhibition, consisting of works created by students taking Portfolio classes through CCM’s Department of Art and Design, runs through December 12. A reception will be held the evening of the closing, December 12, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown.

“Portfolio courses at CCM help students to critique, improve and select their best work; create effective presentations; write documents for marketing their creative work to galleries, museums and prospective clients; and develop portfolios to gain entrance to four-year colleges and universities,” notes Todd L. W. Doney, CCM professor of visual arts. “Having their work on exhibit at the Morris Museum also is a wonderful opportunity for our students to showcase their work.”

The exhibition represents the summation of all of a student’s work from his or her creative studies at CCM. For information on the Department of Art and Design at CCM, click here.

MORRIS COUNTY — Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) voted for the Voting Rights Advancement Act (H.R. 4), critical legislation to restore the full strength of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA). The Supreme Court’s Shelby vs. Holder decision gutted the VRA’s ability to combat voter suppression and discrimination. Since the Shelby v. Holder decision, at least 23 states have enacted voter suppression laws, including voter purges, strict ID requirements, poll closures, and curtailing of early voting hours.

“Our democracy only works if all eligible citizens can vote and make their voices heard,”said Representative Sherrill. “This bill will strengthen voter protection laws and help ensure that every eligible voter in New Jersey, and across the nation, can participate in our democratic process. I am proud to be a co-sponsor and to join my colleagues in passing this critical legislation.”

The Voting Rights Advancement Act will strengthen voter protection laws by updating and restoring important elements of the VRA. Among its key provisions, the bill:

• Provides a new coverage formula that determines which jurisdictions are subject to preclearance, based on current conditions;
• Establishes “practice-based preclearance,” focusing administrative or judicial review narrowly on suspect practices that may have discriminatory intent or to have discriminatory effects, as demonstrated by a broad historical record.

The bill has the support of a wide range of nonpartisan organizations, including the American Association of University Women, League of Women Voters of the United States, National Education Association, NAACP, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights,  Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, and Native American Rights Fund.