Singular or plural?

Political campaigns often take unforeseen detours. One is already veering Middlesex Borough off the expected 2026 election path.

Two Democratic Borough Council candidates have filed petitions to be on the 2026 ballot, seeking to defeat a pair of Republican incumbents. It remains to be seen, however, if the two Dems will be running mates or campaign separately due to differing political philosophies.

A potential divide between the two Democratic council candidates – Vincent Rouse Sr. and Vinne Lella Jr. – is exemplified by a campaign event planned for this Saturday, April 18.

An afternoon meet and greet with Rouse is set for Tim Kerwin’s Tavern and is open to the public. The event is advertised as an “informal community conversation and connection,” in a post on the Middlesex Borough Democrats’ Facebook page.

There’s nothing unusual about a meet and greet. This one carries an attention-grabbing graphic, including Rouse’s photo, that reads “Meet and Greet Our Candidate.”

Singular, as in one candidate, even though there are two Democrats running for council. “Hear Vincent’s vision for Middlesex and his priorities,” the graphic notes.

No mention of a second candidate. No photo of Lella. There’s not a trace of his candidacy.

“I did not know anything about it,” Lella told Inside – Middlesex on Friday, April 10 when asked about his absence from the Meet and Greet promotion.

Lella wrote about a philosophical difference with others in the local Democratic Party in a Facebook post a few weeks ago. He was commenting on a No Kings rally jointly sponsored by the Middlesex Borough and Dunellen Democratic organizations that was held on Saturday, March 28.

No Kings rallies have been held three times nationally in the last 10 months, an attempt to galvanize opposition to the policies and actions of Republican President Donald Trump. While Rouse was one of the Middlesex event’s speakers, Lella stayed home.

Trump’s policies, Rouse said at the No Kings event, are negatively impacting families and communities. “We are not staying silent in moments like this,” Rouse said. “We believe the power is with the people.”

Lella offered a different take in his Facebook comments. “This election should be about taxes and services and bringing balance to an all-Republican council,” Lella wrote. “I won’t allow myself to get caught up in national politics as in my opinion it has nothing to do with governing Middlesex Borough.

While Lella would keep national politics out of a municipal election, that rationale seemingly differs from the leadership of the Middlesex and Dunellen Democratic parties. The two Dem organizations tried to drum up interest in the local election through the No Kings event, that focused on dissatisfaction some voters feel with decision-making in Washington, D.C.

It appears there’s still time for Lella and the local party leadership to have a meeting of the minds. The Middlesex Borough Democratic Organization meets tonight, Monday, April 13. Lella has been invited to attend, according to Middlesex Borough Democratic Chairwoman Monica Townsend.

In comments on Sunday, April 12, Townsend noted that Lella has not been active with the party in recent years. That being the case, others are not familiar with his views.

“Vinnie Lella will be attending our Dems meeting on April 13,” Townsend wrote in an email. “We encourage him to use that opportunity to share his vision for Middlesex and discuss how his goals align with those of our party. Since I have served as chair, this will be the first time he has attended a Democratic meeting or supported any of our community-focused events. So, we’re looking forward to having him discuss his plans for Middlesex Borough.”

Both Lella and Rouse have run for council unsuccessfully in the past. Rouse missed winning a council seat in 2025 by less than 60 votes. Lella finished third in a four-way election in 2022. Republicans Jeremiah Carnes and Robert Dessino won council terms that year. Lella finished roughly 550 votes behind Carnes, the second-place finisher.

No Middlesex Democratic candidate has won a municipal election since 2016, as Republicans currently hold the mayoralty and all six council seats. Rouse and Lella are attempting to unseat Council President MIchael Conahan and Councilman Kevin Dotey.

In the wake of the 2019 indictment of Mayor Ron DiMura, a core group of other Democrats have attempted to rebuild the party and increase its visibility. That has included food collections and inviting candidates for higher offices to speak at monthly meetings.

Photos of those events are sometimes posted on social media. Lella has not been among the Democrats pictured.

Perhaps Lella sees a different path to a potential November victory in Middlesex, where Trump has been the top vote-getter in the past three presidential elections. It might be preferable to not mention the president, rather than to hammer him.

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