Dennis P. O’Neill elected mayor of Medford Lakes; Cranston chosen deputy mayor, council keeps committee chairs

The Borough Council of Medford Lakes elected Dennis P. O’Neill as mayor and Thomas J. Cranston as deputy mayor during a special re-organization meeting on July 1, 2026, after certifying the May 12 municipal election results and swearing in newly elected council members.

Clerk Mark J. McIntosh read the Open Public Meetings Act notice and certified the May 12, 2026 municipal election results before administering oaths to Councilmen-elect Dennis P. O’Neill and Thomas J. Cranston. Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:81-7, councilmembers cast secret written ballots to select the borough’s mayor and deputy mayor; Clerk McIntosh announced that O’Neill was elected mayor and Cranston deputy mayor and each was sworn in.

Deputy Mayor Cranston moved introduction of Resolution 61-26 to confirm the mayoral election, seconded by Mayor O’Neill; council adopted the resolution. Cranston then moved introduction of Resolution 62-26, seconded by Mayor O’Neill, to confirm the deputy mayoral election; that resolution was also adopted. By motion and vote the council adopted Resolution 63-26, introduced by Cranston and seconded by O’Neill, which organizes council into departmental standing committees and designates chair and deputy chair assignments. The resolution included a stipulation that committee chairs remain the same as in the previous term.

Resolution 63-26 assigns Thomas J. Cranston as chair and William R. Fields as deputy chair of the Administration Committee; Matthew R. Bailey as chair and Dennis P. O’Neill as deputy chair of Public Works; William R. Fields as chair and Thomas J. Cranston as deputy chair for Public Safety, Health and Welfare regarding police and the local board of health; Dennis P. O’Neill as chair and Gerald Yowell as deputy chair for Colony Relations; and Gerald Yowell as chair and Matthew R. Bailey as deputy chair for Fire and Emergency Management. The resolution reiterates that chairpersons act in an advisory capacity subject to the council’s control and supervision.

During the public comment period, Dale Keagy, president of the Medford Lakes Colony and a borough resident, offered congratulations to Mayor O’Neill and Deputy Mayor Cranston and said he “supports the selections Council has made and the resolutions certifying the decision.” No other members of the public spoke.

The meeting concluded with a motion to adjourn by Deputy Mayor Cranston, seconded by Mayor O’Neill. The council voted to adjourn; Councilmen Fields and Yowell were recorded absent.