Christine McGrath
Commissioner At Large
Meet Christine
Elected Leader - Grassroots Organizer - Advocate
Christine McGrath is running for Essex County Commissioner at Large to bring energetic, transparent, and effective leadership to the county level. With more than seven years of proven results on the Verona Town Council and more than a decade of community organizing, Christine has shown that when you listen to residents, you can turn ideas into action.
Christine believes that Essex County government must work for every family, in every town. She is ready to put her 25 years of professional communications experience and her record of public service to work for you.
Vision for Essex County
As your County Commissioner, Christine will serve as the bridge between local voices and county action. Her priorities include:
Affordability: Ensuring fiscal oversight that protects taxpayers during challenging economic cycles.
Public Safety & Infrastructure: Strengthening collaboration between county and local governments to keep our neighborhoods safe and our roads and parks thriving.
Resident-First Leadership: Bringing her signature proactive communication to the County Board to ensure you always know how your tax dollars are being spent.
Proven Local Results
Since 2019, Christine has served on the Verona Town Council, where she earned a reputation as a champion for transparency and cooperative government that supports all members of the community.
Fiscal Accountability: Managed complex municipal budgets while prioritizing affordability for residents.
Listening to Residents: Launched the town’s first monthly e-newsletter and pioneered new ways for residents to provide feedback on council ordinances before they are passed.
Modernizing Infrastructure: Led the successful advocacy effort to modernize our recreational spaces to serve the entire community, including with ADA accessibility.
A Decade of Advocacy
Christine’s commitment to service started long before she held office. As a community leader, she has worked to strengthen the fabric of our neighborhoods:
Fighting Hunger: Co-founded Verona Fights Hunger Week, an annual tradition that provides critical support to food-insecure families in our region. Served on the board of Human Needs Food Pantry of Montclair for seven years providing food security throughout Essex County.
Public Safety for Families: Served for five years as co-lead for Moms Demand Action in Essex County, and has been designated a “Gun Sense Candidate” in each of her three elections.
Community Connection: Built local networks for parents and spearheaded projects as president of the Junior Woman’s Club and Friends of the Verona Public Library to ensure our community remains a great place to live and raise a family. Led the successful community advocacy effort to renovate the Verona Public Library to make it a central community hub.
Committed to the Democratic Party and Democratic Values
As chair of the Verona Democratic Committee in 2025, Christine led the way to improve pluralities more than 2.5 times and delivered a 20 point plurality for Mikie Sherill. In 2024, she served as a member of the NJ Delegation on the Platform Committee for the Democratic National Convention.
Rooted in Our Community
Christine and her husband, Jess, moved to the area in 2010, choosing Essex County for its safe neighborhoods, walkable downtowns, and excellent schools. They are the proud parents of two sons who attended Verona public schools.
Christine is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and has an MBA from Stern School of Business at New York University. She is a 2025 graduate of Emerge - NJ.
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