Mayor Dennis Sullivan
Dennis
served on the Somerville Borough Council from 1995 to 2003 and from 2005 to
2018 before being elected Mayor in November of 2018. He has served as Council
President, Planning Board representative, Finance Chairman and liaison to
Public Works, Code Enforcement, Police Department, the Somerville Public
Library and the Somerville Board of Education.
Born and
raised in Staten Island, Dennis graduated from Regis High School in Manhattan
and from Staten Island Community College. He then moved to Albany, Georgia to
join the 1970 National Teacher Corps Program as one of only ninety-nine interns
nationwide. After graduating from Albany State College, Dennis returned home to
attend Rutgers University as a graduate fellow in the School of Education,
earning a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood and Special Education. He came to
Somerville in 1973 as a special needs teacher at Van Derveer School, and also
worked at Lafayette School, Central School and Somerville High School before
retiring in 2008.
Deeply
rooted in community volunteerism, Dennis has been a Little League umpire,
founder of a local chess club, and a loyal supporter of the Friends of the
Library, Wallace House and Old Dutch Parsonage, and the Somerville High School
Music Boosters. Married to Margaret W. Sullivan, Ph. D., Dennis’ daughters
Heather and Meredith are proud graduates of Somerville High School and public
high school teachers in New Jersey. His grandchildren Adam, Julie, Emily and
George fill up his hours not spent at Borough Hall or at public meetings and
events.
Dennis
understands that the key to keeping Somerville clean, safe and affordable is
generating new revenue to maintain and improve essential services while
increasing property values. When asked about his goals for Somerville’s future,
Dennis says: “Somerville gave Marge and I the opportunity to raise our family
in a community where people genuinely care about one another and their town. I
will continue to work hard to keep Somerville a warm and nurturing place where
families can live, work, play, learn and love.”