Dems Announce Eileen Ludden to Run For Mayor

The Summit Municipal Democratic Committee nominated Eileen Forman Ludden for Mayor of Summit, and A. Dennis White for the Ward 2 Common Council seat, joining candidates .

“In order for Eileen and Dennis to actually be on the ballot for the November 8 General Election, we need registered Democrats and independent voters to vote in next week's Primary Election on Tuesday, June 7, and write in Eileen’s and Dennis' names as candidates," Paul Dillon, Democratic Committee chairman and campaign manager for the ticket, said in a press release. “It’s very important to write in both candidates’ full formal names:  Eileen Forman Ludden (voters in Wards 1 and 2) and Andrew Dennis White (voters in Ward 2).” 

Write-in instructions are provided in the voting booth, and voters can also ask official poll workers for assistance.  The names of Susan Hairston and Sandy Bloom will be printed on the ballot, based on petitions filed earlier.

Ludden, the Democratic candidate for Mayor, is a business communications and marketing consultant. Now serving her second term on the Advisory Board for the City of Summit’s Department of Community Programs, Ludden is also a founding member and President of TryCan, an organization that promotes and funds programming for special needs children by training peers to be mentors in sports, recreational, social, and educational programs. Ludden has been named Citizen of the Year by the New Jersey Psychological Association and received Summit’s MLK Keeper of the Dream Award, as well as awards from the Department of Community Affairs, Bureau of Recreation for Persons with Disabilities, and the New Jersey Recreation and Parks Association. She holds degrees from The George Washington University and the University of Texas, where she was a PhD. candidate in consumer behavior and corporate communication.  She and her husband Charles, an executive with a large consulting firm, have two school-age children.

Andrew Dennis White, the Ward 2 Common Council candidate, has lived in Summit for 18 years and is president of a major charitable foundation for a Fortune-50 global financial-services firm, where he manages all foundation and corporate contributions, company volunteer activities, and also directs social investment activities.  Earlier White was in the firm’s Investment Department, in a structured-finance group that originated investments for the firm’s portfolio, including renewable energy and affordable housing transactions. He is vice-chair of the board of Living Cities, Inc., and a Commissioner of Summit’s Public Housing Authority.  With his wife Ellen Boylan, who recently retired as an attorney and is now studying horticulture, White has three daughters; for many years he coached his daughters’ teams for the Summit Soccer Club and the Summit Recreation Center.  He holds a BA and MBA in Finance from Rutgers University. 

 “There are many reasons to be proud of all four members of this ticket – a group of truly dedicated Summit residents who represent the excellence and diversity that makes our community so strong and so unique,” said Mayor Jordan Glatt in a press release. “They have no agenda other than to do their very best for all of Summit’s residents, in particular by strengthening communication between Council, our citizens, regional communities, and county and state governments. I look forward to a positive campaign that explores the real issues and concerns that we must face together to keep Summit strong.”