The township appointed a new mayor on Tuesday, following the recent death of Mayor Frank Gambatese.
SOUTH BRUNSWICK -- The township council appointed Christopher J. Killmurray as acting mayor on Tuesday following the death of the town's longest serving mayor, Frank Gambatese, last month.
Killmurray, a 54-year-old Democratic councilman, will serve in the role until the November election.
As for the council seat that he is vacating, the Democrats will have 15 days to come up with three candidates to fill that spot. The council will then choose from those three to fill the seat.
Both the unexpired terms for mayor and Killmurray's vacant seat will be on the November ballot and then again during the regularly scheduled election in 2018. All township council seats are currently held by Democrats.
Killmurray, a resident of the Dayton section of the township, thanked his fellow council members for their confidence in him.
"I will need it," he said, later adding, "I'm going to do the best I can."
Following a brief illness, Gambatese died last month at the age of 81, leaving behind an accomplished legacy as the town's longtime leader.
After Killmurray's appointment, Councilwoman Josephine Hochman said, "I sort of feel he's still here making sure the work goes on."
Councilman Charlie Carley said, "You have big shoes to fill, but I know you're up to the job."
Killmurray, a graduate of Rutgers University's Camden School of Law, works as an attorney in New Brunswick, handling primarily civil litigation, according to his firm's website.
He is a member of the township library's board of trustees, is a longtime member of the Woodbridge Irish-American Association, has done legal work for the Central Jersey Boy Scouts and is a member of the VFW Post 9111 in Kendall Park.
Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.