The re-election of incumbent Township Councilman John Ryan and the election of two newcomers to the Lawrence Township Council has been confirmed by Mercer County election officials, following the Nov. 7 general election.
Ryan and his running mates, Patricia Hendricks Farmer and Olympia I’Liou Perry – all Democrats – were unopposed in their quest for a four-year term on the Township Council.
Farmer was the top vote-getter with 4,978 votes, followed by Ryan with 4,937 votes and Perry with 4,886 votes.
The vote tallies were certified by Mercer County officials and released Nov. 22. The certified vote tallies included early voting, mail-in ballots, Election Day voting and provisional ballots.
Ryan, who is serving in the ceremonial role of mayor for 2022 and 2023, was seeking his second term on Township Council. He was appointed to fill out an unexpired term in 2019 and won election to a full term in 2020.
Ryan said he was running for a second, full term for the same reason that he ran for his first full term – “to keep Lawrence Township affordable while maintaining the level of infrastructure and services that make it a desirable place to live.”
“Keeping the town affordable and maintaining services is a matter of how municipal tax dollars are allocated in the municipal budget,” he said. “Reviewing the budget, line item by line item, would help to fight the rising costs of services in the township.”
In his second term, Ryan said he would like to improve how the township communicates with residents. An important first step has been live-streaming the Township Council meetings, but more can be done, he said.
Farmer said she wanted to serve on the Township Council because it is the next logical step in community involvement. She is completing a three-year term on the Lawrence Township Public Schools Board of Education and is the school board president.
During her term on Township Council, Farmer said she would like to promote community engagement and participation. She also would like to implement economic opportunities in the township.
Farmer said she would like to maintain healthy environments, such as parks and trails, and to introduce more opportunities for art and culture.
Perry said she wanted to run for Township Council because she wanted to protect the quality of life in Lawrence. She wants to work with the council and Municipal Manager Kevin Nerwinski to bring in affordable housing.
She also wants to maintain high quality services and reasonable property taxes. She said she would like to address “as best as possible” the issues facing the community. She would like to bring thriving businesses to Lawrence Township without sacrificing the environment.
Perry said she is committed to the challenge of working hard to ensure Lawrence Township residents are proud and happy to live in the town.
