A baby-faced politician was named the mayor of a blue-collar township in New Jersey just one week after the two-term incumbent botched the response to a 14-alarm fire that forced a mass evacuation.
Frank Vélez, 24, who faced criticism for still living at home with his parents, crushed outgoing Belleville Mayor Michael Melham in the Tuesday night election.
Vélez, a councilman in the township and former staff assistant to late New Jersey Rep. Bill Pascrell, notched a 1,000-vote lead, spelling the end of Melham’s eight-year tenure.
Melham faced heaps of backlash in the wake of a 14-alarm fire at a mattress factory that swallowed a whole block on May 3.
In the immediate aftermath, Melham assured that “there was never any threat or concern to residents” — even though the police department was without power during the inferno and stray embers sparked fires at homes blocks away from the factory.
Between 40 and 50 departments responded to the local catastrophe, including some at least an hour away. But that also caused another issue: lower water pressure, as the emergency responders vied for supplies to help put out the blaze.
While no injuries were reported, locals started recanting their support for the mayor.
“In the hours and days following the fire, our community was left navigating uncertainty with little or no official instruction, resorting to group chats and scavenging social media for guidance or information, both of which should have been provided by the government that we entrust for such tasks,” parents and educators wrote in a joint letter obtained by ABC 7.
Vélez, meanwhile, had based the bulk of his campaign on improving the quality of life and community development — key issues that resonated with thousands impacted by the inferno.
Then, on May 8 — while residents were begging for a sense of direction — Melham reportedly dispatched an “attack mailer” to smear Vélez’s credentials.
The mailer purportedly targeted Vélez’s personal life and his “choice to live at home,” which the incoming mayor said he does to support his younger sister with special needs.
“We’re gonna say no to the petty attacks. We’re gonna say no to the slimy politics, and we’re gonna get back to basic respect in this town, because that’s what people want, and that’s what people deserve,” Vélez said.
And now, Vélez is set to be one of the youngest mayors in the country.
“I feel grateful. I am humbled, and I’m just … just so ready to get to work as the next mayor of Belleville. And I’m so grateful to everyone for support. This was a resounding victory,” Vélez told the outlet.
Vélez graduated from Fordham University with a bachelor’s degree in political science and government in December 2023, according to his LinkedIn.
He served as a trustee on the Belleville Board of Education while he was still in college and simultaneously managed social media for various local campaigns.
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