Learn more about the Morris County Democratic Committee Leadership Team.
- Mike DeLamater
Vice-Chair - Darcy Draeger
Secretary - Cara Parmigiani
Operations Chair - Michael Thompson
Treasurer - Tawanna Cotten
Executive Board + - Andy Meissner
Executive Board + - Jason Navarino
Executive Board + - Sandra Wittner
Executive Board +
Mike DeLamater
Vice-Chair
Mike DeLamater of Morristown brings deep knowledge of running campaigns, starting when he coordinated campaigns for local candidates in his hometown of Paramus and then ran for a seat on the Paramus Council in 2013. He worked in the office of Assembly members Connie Wagner, Tim Eustace, and Joe Lagana in District 38. Mike then served as a Deputy Chief of Staff for Governor Murphy, and during the COVID pandemic, he partnered with and supported local, county and federal officials. He was the Political Director for Murphy’s re-election campaign and now runs a Morristown-based consulting business.
Darcy Draeger
Secretary
Darcy Draeger of Chester is a former business analyst and project manager with two decades of experience in strategic planning. Her area of specialization is regulatory analysis and implementation, and risk mitigation. Darcy spent the majority of her career at UBS AG, where she was a Director in Global Equity Research. She graduated from Indiana University, Bloomington, with a double major in Journalism and Political Science. In 2017, Darcy re-established the Chester Township Democratic Committee, and served as its first Municipal Chair; she is currently its District 1 Chair. She ran for town council (2018), and for State Assembly in the 25th District (2019, 2020).
Cara Parmigiani
Operations Chair
Cara Parmigiani of Morris Plains is the founder of the Morris County Democratic LGBTQA+ Caucus. She earned her law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law and is admitted to the Bars of the States of New Jersey and New York. As a general practitioner/litigator in her own firm, she solves a wide variety of problems every day to assist adults and children through our legal system. In particular, she has provided pro bono legal assistance for women in arranged marriages, as well as represented vulnerable populations of patients in psychiatric facilities. She co-founded Morris County Pride, a continuing organization that promotes visibility and acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community. She is also an exhibiting graphic artist and writer. Cara ran for Morris County Commissioner in 2019 and for Morris Plains Council in 2020.
Michael Thompson
Treasurer
Michael Thompson is an attorney from Mendham Township where he lives with his wife and 14-year-old son. He practices tax, trusts and estates with Coughlin Midlige & Garland LLP in Morristown. Michael received his undergraduate degree in Political Science from Rutgers College, his law degree from Rutgers University Law School–Camden, and his LL.M. (Taxation) from New York University Law School. He is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association (Elder Law and Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Sections), the New York State Bar Association and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. Michael currently serves on the Supreme Court of New Jersey, Office of Attorney Ethics, District XB Ethics Committee. Michael is a member of the Board of Head Start Community Program of Morris County and is the president of the Rotary Club of the Mendhams. In 2019, Michael ran as the Democratic nominee for Surrogate of Morris County.
Tawanna Cotten
Executive Board +
Tawanna Cotten of Morristown won her first election in 2019 and serves as the 2nd Ward Councilwoman. On the council, she is focused on being a neighborhood voice for residents. She is the liaison to Morristown’s Shade Tree Commission. Prior to her successful election, she was past President of the Resident Advisory Board of the Morristown Housing Authority; was a Street Captain for the Morristown United for Healthy Living Coalition; and served for many years with the Community Health Day Steering Committee. Tawanna works in the Morris School District as an Assistant Behavioral Specialist and received an Associates Degree from The County College of Morris in Liberal Arts. When she is not working, Tawanna loves gardening at the Grow it Green Community Garden. She is the mother of Jaylond and Adrianna.
Andy Meissner
Executive Board +
Andy Meissner of Mount Olive is passionate about bringing people together to support the community, good causes, excellent candidates and each other. He and his wife Christine have lived in Mount Olive since 1984, raised a daughter and son in Mount Olive and are now proud grandparents. Andy is retired after working at AT&T for 35 years in leadership positions in Marketing, Program Management and Information Systems. Andy currently serves as Chair of the Mount Olive Democrats, working with an amazing team of Executive Board members, district leaders and volunteers. He is proud of the many food drives, clean-up days, volunteer activities and events that have brought the team and community together. Andy is a volunteer at the Lord’s Pantry in Hackettstown, plays violin in the Stone Soup Symphony Orchestra, is an avid cyclist and kayaker, and has recently achieved fluency in Spanish. He prides himself on keeping a positive attitude and being eager to learn new things and is excited at the opportunity to contribute and work with everyone to support the growth and success of democrats in Morris County.
Jason Navarino
Executive Board +
Jason Navarino of Morris Township will be instrumental in matters related to the MCDC governing bylaws and documents. He is a partner in Riker Danzig’s Tax and Corporate Group and counsels nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations with respect to tax, corporate, employment and intellectual property matters. Jason received his J.D. degree from Yale Law School in 2007, where he was Senior Editor of the Yale Law Journal and Director of the Community and Economic Development Clinic and its Small Business Legal Services program. He received his undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, from the School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University in 2004. Jason completed his LL.M. degree in Tax Law at New York University School of Law in 2013. Jason served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Barry T. Albin, Supreme Court of New Jersey. Prior to joining Riker Danzig, he was an associate at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP and is admitted to practice law in New Jersey and New York.
Sandra Wittner
Executive Board +
Sandra Wittner brings a wealth of experience and motivation to the Morris County Democratic Committee executive board. Sandra Wittner has been representing Dover’s first ward on the town council since 2019. She is focused on providing transparent and responsive representation for the entire Dover community. As a lead anesthesia technician for Atlantic Health, Sandra worked on the front lines throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Sandra is mother to two young, energetic boys, Lucas and Oliver.