Mayor Dennis Sullivan

Mayor Dennis Sullivan

dsullivan@somervillenj.org

Mayor Sullivan Headshot

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.”