MOL! VIC DE LUCA NEEDS YOUR VOTE NOW MORE THAN EVER!
You are proudly announcing the bias in your show? I'm not a Maplewood voter, but this doesn't make me want to listen.
DanDietrich said:
You are proudly announcing the bias in your show? I'm not a Maplewood voter, but this doesn't make me want to listen.
100%
Lee and Ian (the Chair of the Maplewood Democratic Committee) are 100% endorsing John Sullivan and Mayor Vic DeLuca.
I think there are about three regular posters who are still Maplewood residents.
Ian is one of the insiders. He, along with Vic and several other insiders, have controlled Maplewood politics for over two decades.
mrincredible said:
I think there are about three regular posters who are still Maplewood residents.
That may apply more to "Politics" than to the main page, which also shows on the MOL home page.
yahooyahoo said:
Ian is one of the insiders. He, along with Vic and several other insiders, have controlled Maplewood politics for over two decades.
Two decades ago, Vic DeLuca won the nomination (to return to the Township Committee after he had lost the nomination a couple of years before) against one of the "endorsed" candidates - Ian Grodman. That year, Vic and Fred Profeta ran as a "team".
In other words, "control" in Maplewood politics has veered among various people over that time.
Some old reporting from 2018 to illustrate - What Does The Mayoral Surprise Mean For Maplewood? | SOMA, NJ News TAPinto | TAPinto
nohero said:
yahooyahoo said:
Ian is one of the insiders. He, along with Vic and several other insiders, have controlled Maplewood politics for over two decades.
Two decades ago, Vic DeLuca won the nomination (to return to the Township Committee after he had lost the nomination a couple of years before) against one of the "endorsed" candidates - Ian Grodman. That year, Vic and Fred Profeta ran as a "team".
In other words, "control" in Maplewood politics has veered among various people over that time.
Some old reporting from 2018 to illustrate - What Does The Mayoral Surprise Mean For Maplewood? | SOMA, NJ News TAPinto | TAPinto
The "various people" you refer to are all part of the same cohort. Vic, Jerry, Ian, Nancy, Kathy, Fred, etc.
yahooyahoo said:
nohero said:
yahooyahoo said:
Ian is one of the insiders. He, along with Vic and several other insiders, have controlled Maplewood politics for over two decades.
Two decades ago, Vic DeLuca won the nomination (to return to the Township Committee after he had lost the nomination a couple of years before) against one of the "endorsed" candidates - Ian Grodman. That year, Vic and Fred Profeta ran as a "team".
In other words, "control" in Maplewood politics has veered among various people over that time.
Some old reporting from 2018 to illustrate - What Does The Mayoral Surprise Mean For Maplewood? | SOMA, NJ News TAPinto | TAPinto
The "various people" you refer to are all part of the same cohort. Vic, Jerry, Ian, Nancy, Kathy, Fred, etc.
Yes, the "cohort" of people involved in local politics, but not always supporting each other. That was the only thing I was pointing out.
And the "cohort" keeps getting new members, some of whom also don't agree with everyone in the "cohort".
Not a Maplewoodian here but I do agree that you need fresh blood after one cabal has run the government for a long time. I looked at the supposedly evil interloper's web site and he seems pretty decent.
Don't know a lot about Vic but he said something at a rally once that made me wince, and I don't think you should get a room in the library named after you, or any other public memorial, while you're alive. It's Trumpian.
nohero said:
Yes, the "cohort" of people involved in local politics, but not always supporting each other. That was the only thing I was pointing out.
And the "cohort" keeps getting new members, some of whom also don't agree with everyone in the "cohort".
bub said:
Not a Maplewoodian here but I do agree that you need fresh blood after one cabal has run the government for a long time. I looked at the supposedly evil interloper's web site and he seems pretty decent.
It's not much of a "cabal", which was my only point. Even Mr. Ceperley notes that he was on the Maplewood Democratic Committee (a.k.a., "the cabal").
Martin Ceperley Announces Campaign for Maplewood Township Committee - The Village Green
nohero said:
It's not much of a "cabal", which was my only point. Even Mr. Ceperley notes that he was on the Maplewood Democratic Committee (a.k.a., "the cabal").
Martin Ceperley Announces Campaign for Maplewood Township Committee - The Village Green
same tired accusations year after year that ignore how many new people have been elected to the TC over the past decade. By next January three of the five members will be in their first terms. And if anyone thinks those members were somehow hand-picked by a "cabal", they are woefully misinformed.
full disclosure: I am an outgoing member of the MDC.
ml1 said:
nohero said:
It's not much of a "cabal", which was my only point. Even Mr. Ceperley notes that he was on the Maplewood Democratic Committee (a.k.a., "the cabal").
Martin Ceperley Announces Campaign for Maplewood Township Committee - The Village Green
same tired accusations year after year that ignore how many new people have been elected to the TC over the past decade. By next January three of the five members will be in their first terms. And if anyone thinks those members were somehow hand-picked by a "cabal", they are woefully misinformed.
full disclosure: I am an outgoing member of the MDC.
By endorsing candidates, the MDC influences the TC elections every year.
yahooyahoo said:
ml1 said:
nohero said:
It's not much of a "cabal", which was my only point. Even Mr. Ceperley notes that he was on the Maplewood Democratic Committee (a.k.a., "the cabal").
Martin Ceperley Announces Campaign for Maplewood Township Committee - The Village Green
same tired accusations year after year that ignore how many new people have been elected to the TC over the past decade. By next January three of the five members will be in their first terms. And if anyone thinks those members were somehow hand-picked by a "cabal", they are woefully misinformed.
full disclosure: I am an outgoing member of the MDC.
By endorsing candidates, the MDC influences the TC elections every year.
do you know how few people even express interest in getting an endorsement?
besides that, do you even know who's on the MDC? How often new people join? How often the officers change?
do you think all the MDC members fall in lockstep with your "cohort" (one of whom is deceased, but when he was a member, regularly disagreed with the other members of that "cohort".
I can tell your mind is set on this and you're not even going to reconsider your position. But as an "insider" myself I know you are very wrong.
The larger issue in Maplewood is there is no opposition to the Democrats. The GOP brand is so toxic it will be decades before anyone can run a credible campaign here as a Republican.
yahooyahoo said:
Ian is one of the insiders. He, along with Vic and several other insiders, have controlled Maplewood politics for over two decades.
--- and have things improved over the two decades or gotten worse? If worse, how many of those changes our out of control of the local government? I.E. affordable housing?
ml1 said:
yahooyahoo said:
ml1 said:
nohero said:
It's not much of a "cabal", which was my only point. Even Mr. Ceperley notes that he was on the Maplewood Democratic Committee (a.k.a., "the cabal").
Martin Ceperley Announces Campaign for Maplewood Township Committee - The Village Green
same tired accusations year after year that ignore how many new people have been elected to the TC over the past decade. By next January three of the five members will be in their first terms. And if anyone thinks those members were somehow hand-picked by a "cabal", they are woefully misinformed.
full disclosure: I am an outgoing member of the MDC.
By endorsing candidates, the MDC influences the TC elections every year.
do you know how few people even express interest in getting an endorsement?
besides that, do you even know who's on the MDC? How often new people join? How often the officers change?
do you think all the MDC members fall in lockstep with your "cohort" (one of whom is deceased, but when he was a member, regularly disagreed with the other members of that "cohort".
I can tell your mind is set on this and you're not even going to reconsider your position. But as an "insider" myself I know you are very wrong.
The larger issue in Maplewood is there is no opposition to the Democrats. The GOP brand is so toxic it will be decades before anyone can run a credible campaign here as a Republican.
To answer your questions:
1) Yes, I generally know how many people seek an endorsement. 2) Yes, I know who's on the MDC. It's good to see we are getting away from married couples representing their district (even though there is still at least one couple on the MDC). 3) I follow district leader elections, so yes. 4) Some officers change frequently, but Ian Grodman has remained the Chair for many, many years. The fact he doesn't step aside speaks volumes. 5) Yes, some MDC members follow the lead of various MDC power players. The names I listed in my cohort have had significant influence among the MDC members in the past, present, and will in the future.
yahooyahoo said:
ml1 said:
yahooyahoo said:
ml1 said:
nohero said:
It's not much of a "cabal", which was my only point. Even Mr. Ceperley notes that he was on the Maplewood Democratic Committee (a.k.a., "the cabal").
Martin Ceperley Announces Campaign for Maplewood Township Committee - The Village Green
same tired accusations year after year that ignore how many new people have been elected to the TC over the past decade. By next January three of the five members will be in their first terms. And if anyone thinks those members were somehow hand-picked by a "cabal", they are woefully misinformed.
full disclosure: I am an outgoing member of the MDC.
By endorsing candidates, the MDC influences the TC elections every year.
do you know how few people even express interest in getting an endorsement?
besides that, do you even know who's on the MDC? How often new people join? How often the officers change?
do you think all the MDC members fall in lockstep with your "cohort" (one of whom is deceased, but when he was a member, regularly disagreed with the other members of that "cohort".
I can tell your mind is set on this and you're not even going to reconsider your position. But as an "insider" myself I know you are very wrong.
The larger issue in Maplewood is there is no opposition to the Democrats. The GOP brand is so toxic it will be decades before anyone can run a credible campaign here as a Republican.
To answer your questions:
1) Yes, I generally know how many people seek an endorsement. 2) Yes, I know who's on the MDC. It's good to see we are getting away from married couples representing their district (even though there is still at least one couple on the MDC). 3) I follow district leader elections, so yes. 4) Some officers change frequently, but Ian Grodman has remained the Chair for many, many years. The fact he doesn't step aside speaks volumes. 5) Yes, some MDC members follow the lead of various MDC power players. The names I listed in my cohort have had significant influence among the MDC members in the past, present, and will in the future.
your last sentence just isn't so. In large part because the people you listed are generally not a unified group.
Your notion that a small group of people are in unison and pulling all the strings is just not true.
Formerlyjerseyjack said:
yahooyahoo said:
Ian is one of the insiders. He, along with Vic and several other insiders, have controlled Maplewood politics for over two decades.
--- and have things improved over the two decades or gotten worse? If worse, how many of those changes our out of control of the local government? I.E. affordable housing?
that's probably one of the reasons there isn't a huge clamor for TC members to be voted out. Local government has been doing a pretty good job IMHO over the past 20 years or so.
That and a lot of people aren't interested in a generally thankless job that pays only a pittance, and requires tons of hours of commitmen. And often makes a person a target of criticism and sometimes even baseless allegations.
ml1 said:
yahooyahoo said:
ml1 said:
yahooyahoo said:
ml1 said:
nohero said:
It's not much of a "cabal", which was my only point. Even Mr. Ceperley notes that he was on the Maplewood Democratic Committee (a.k.a., "the cabal").
Martin Ceperley Announces Campaign for Maplewood Township Committee - The Village Green
same tired accusations year after year that ignore how many new people have been elected to the TC over the past decade. By next January three of the five members will be in their first terms. And if anyone thinks those members were somehow hand-picked by a "cabal", they are woefully misinformed.
full disclosure: I am an outgoing member of the MDC.
By endorsing candidates, the MDC influences the TC elections every year.
do you know how few people even express interest in getting an endorsement?
besides that, do you even know who's on the MDC? How often new people join? How often the officers change?
do you think all the MDC members fall in lockstep with your "cohort" (one of whom is deceased, but when he was a member, regularly disagreed with the other members of that "cohort".
I can tell your mind is set on this and you're not even going to reconsider your position. But as an "insider" myself I know you are very wrong.
The larger issue in Maplewood is there is no opposition to the Democrats. The GOP brand is so toxic it will be decades before anyone can run a credible campaign here as a Republican.
To answer your questions:
1) Yes, I generally know how many people seek an endorsement. 2) Yes, I know who's on the MDC. It's good to see we are getting away from married couples representing their district (even though there is still at least one couple on the MDC). 3) I follow district leader elections, so yes. 4) Some officers change frequently, but Ian Grodman has remained the Chair for many, many years. The fact he doesn't step aside speaks volumes. 5) Yes, some MDC members follow the lead of various MDC power players. The names I listed in my cohort have had significant influence among the MDC members in the past, present, and will in the future.your last sentence just isn't so. In large part because the people you listed are generally not a unified group.
Your notion that a small group of people are in unison and pulling all the strings is just not true.
When was the last time the MDC did not endorse a sitting TC member that was running for re-election?
yahooyahoo said:
When was the last time the MDC did not endorse a sitting TC member that was running for re-election?
which incumbent do you think was not deserving of an endorsement?
I voted to endorse all of them during my time on the committee because I thought they were doing a good job, not because a "cabal" put pressure on me.
Every first time candidate postures as the outsider coming to sweep out the rot and bring "change." It's part of the tomfoolery of elections.
Can anyone note a meaningful difference of opinion on a topic or 2 of any of the current board or candidates?
notupset said:
Can anyone note a meaningful difference of opinion on a topic or 2 of any of the current board or candidates?
I think it boils down to whether you want the same ideas and opinions or new ideas and fresh opinions. All three candidates are pretty much in the same spot on the political spectrum.
notupset said:
Can anyone note a meaningful difference of opinion on a topic or 2 of any of the current board or candidates?
Artificial turf.
Very curious development....
The Township of Maplewood decided to move a few districts to a new polling location in the Vic De Luca Room in the Maplewood Library when Vic De Luca just happens to be on the ballot and just happens to be mayor.
Why didn't they move the polling locations last fall or earlier this spring for the special elections?
yahooyahoo said:
Why didn't they move the polling locations last fall or earlier this spring for the special elections?
De Luca gave this timeline in a press release, courtesy of Village Green:
The idea to move the polling places to the library came up nearly a year ago. On July 16, 2025, the Library Board of Trustees unanimously approved a request from the Township to use the community room as a polling place. Once that approval was in place, a request was made to Essex County to make the move starting in June 2026.
On January 14, 2026, Essex County officials toured the library site and said they would recommend moving the polling place from town hall. It was agreed at that time, 4 months ago, that the name of the community room would be covered. On April 7, 2026, the Township Clerk announced at a public meeting that voting for Districts 1, 3 and 6 would be in the Maplewood Library starting in June 2026. On April 21st, at another public meeting, the Clerk repeated the change in the polling place.
The minutes from that July 16 library board meeting confirm the action. (It was not technically a unanimous vote, because one trustee was absent. And the reason it was 8-0 is that De Luca did not recuse himself.)
DaveSchmidt said:
yahooyahoo said:
Why didn't they move the polling locations last fall or earlier this spring for the special elections?
De Luca gave this timeline in a press release, courtesy of Village Green:
The idea to move the polling places to the library came up nearly a year ago. On July 16, 2025, the Library Board of Trustees unanimously approved a request from the Township to use the community room as a polling place. Once that approval was in place, a request was made to Essex County to make the move starting in June 2026.
On January 14, 2026, Essex County officials toured the library site and said they would recommend moving the polling place from town hall. It was agreed at that time, 4 months ago, that the name of the community room would be covered. On April 7, 2026, the Township Clerk announced at a public meeting that voting for Districts 1, 3 and 6 would be in the Maplewood Library starting in June 2026. On April 21st, at another public meeting, the Clerk repeated the change in the polling place.The minutes from that July 16 library board meeting confirm the action. (It was not technically a unanimous vote, because one trustee was absent. And the reason it was 8-0 is that De Luca did not recuse himself.)
Oh, you mean facts? 
Not for nothing, but it's not hard to find Vic DeLuca's name at the Municipal Building, either.
DaveSchmidt said:
yahooyahoo said:
Why didn't they move the polling locations last fall or earlier this spring for the special elections?
De Luca gave this timeline in a press release, courtesy of Village Green:
The idea to move the polling places to the library came up nearly a year ago. On July 16, 2025, the Library Board of Trustees unanimously approved a request from the Township to use the community room as a polling place. Once that approval was in place, a request was made to Essex County to make the move starting in June 2026.
On January 14, 2026, Essex County officials toured the library site and said they would recommend moving the polling place from town hall. It was agreed at that time, 4 months ago, that the name of the community room would be covered. On April 7, 2026, the Township Clerk announced at a public meeting that voting for Districts 1, 3 and 6 would be in the Maplewood Library starting in June 2026. On April 21st, at another public meeting, the Clerk repeated the change in the polling place.The minutes from that July 16 library board meeting confirm the action. (It was not technically a unanimous vote, because one trustee was absent. And the reason it was 8-0 is that De Luca did not recuse himself.)
For the record, I like Vic and I think he's done a good job for Maplewood.
That's why I'm very surprised that (1) he did not recuse himself from the vote to move the polling place to the Community Room and (2) he did not insist the location change be delayed until after the 2026 election cycle to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest.
Here's the full statement Vic posted online.
De Luca statement on Maplewood Township moving three polling locations to the Vic De Luca Community Room at the Maplewood Memorial Library The Ceperley campaign’s assertions are nonsense.
The Maplewood Library is a much better polling site than town hall because it is accessible to all from each of the three entrances. At town hall, two of the three entrances require climbing stairs. I take great pride in keeping Maplewood a welcoming and inclusive community. Access to cast a vote should be easy and not require special entrances.
The idea to move the polling places to the library came up nearly a year ago. On July 16, 2025, the Library Board of Trustees unanimously approved a request from the Township to use the community room as a polling place. Once that approval was in place, a request was made to Essex County to make the move starting in June 2026.
On January 14, 2026, Essex County officials toured the library site and said they would recommend moving the polling place from town hall. It was agreed at that time, 4 months ago, that the name of the community room would be covered. On April 7, 2026, the Township Clerk announced at a public meeting that voting for Districts 1, 3 and 6 would be in the Maplewood Library starting in June 2026. On April 21st, at another public meeting, the Clerk repeated the change in the polling place.
I am proud of the new library and my role in making it a reality. I thank the Library Foundation and Library Board of Trustees for their generosity in naming the community room in my honor.
I wholeheartedly support covering my name on the community room wall from now through election day. I also agree that there should be no mention of the De Luca room on the sample ballots or other election materials
While I’m talking to residents about traffic concerns, bike lanes, plans to build parks and playgrounds, and the upcoming budget challenges facing the school district, Ceperley is making things up. Martin is missing the boat on the important issues facing our community.
Both Ceperley and John Sullivan expressed concerns about the switch of venues in official statements.
However, Vic only mentions Ceperley in his statement.
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Hello MOL!
Once upon a time, MOL led the way. It was the local social media giant in so many ways. It's where we all got to know Mayor Vic De Luca better, Jerry Ryan, Ellen Davenport, Ian Grodman and so many other important Democratic leaders of Maplewood who helped turn this community into something we're all proud of. They did it through positivity, strength and determination. Well, our friend, Vic (and John Sullivan) are battling a spanking new candidate named Martin Ceperley who launched his campaign with a laundry list of complaints including his belief that it's time for the old-timers such as his opponents and the Maplewood Democratic Committee to hit the road. Out with the old and in with new, if you will. He also misrepresented his status as an "outsider" candidate by claiming he wasn't given a chance to receive an endorsement from the MDC. Just one of his many untrue claims. Tune in to The Lee & Ian Show where the hosts including Ian, the Chair of the Maplewood Democratic Committee point out fact from fiction.