Amanda Santos, a longtime Lawrence Township resident and vice president of the local school board, has been appointed to fill a vacant seat on the Lawrence Township Council following the resignation of Councilman John Ryan.
Santos was unanimously selected by the Township Council at its May 6 meeting. She was one of three nominees considered for the position, which Ryan vacated on April 15.
Ryan resigned from the Council effective immediately on April 15 by a hand-delivered his letter to Municipal Attorney Arthur Sypek Jr..
Ryan was appointed to fill out an unexpired term in October 2019, and was elected to his first full four-year term in November 2019. He was re-elected to a second four-year term in 2023. His term was set to expire in December 2027. Ryan served as Lawrence Township mayor in 2022 and 2023.
Following her appointment, Santos resigned from the Board of Education in accordance with state law, which bars individuals from simultaneously serving on a school board and a municipal governing body.
Mercer County Clerk Paula Sollami Covello administered the oath of office and Councilman Christopher Bobbitt held the Bible during the swearing-in ceremony.
Santos has lived in Lawrence Township since 2017. She joined the Lawrence Township Public Schools Board of Education in 2021 by appointment and was elected to a full three-year term in November 2022.
She had served as the board’s vice president since 2023. Her term was originally set to end in January 2026.
A graduate of Rider University, Santos holds a bachelor’s degree in music and a master’s degree in vocal pedagogy. She is on track to earn a second master’s degree in political science with a concentration in public policy from Rider in December 2025.
Professionally, Santos works for the New Jersey Department of the Treasury. She is also a part-time small business owner, operating a private music studio.
Santos and her husband, Daniel, have three children. In addition to her work on the school board, Santos is active in several community groups. She has been a member of Lawrence Neighbors Together, the Lawrence Pride Alliance, and Mercer County Moms Demand Action. She has also participated in local music recitals and community theater productions.
Lawrence school district officials must now begin advertising the school board vacancy created by Santos’ resignation and appoint a replacement.
“(I was) Honored to play a small role in the swearing in of my newest colleague on Township Council, Amanda Santos,” Bobbitt said in a post on Facebook.
“I enjoy understanding the history of Lawrence Township Council, so I commented last night that we had three women, Mayor [Patricia] Farmer and Councilwomen [Cathleen] Perry and Santos, sitting on the dais and that the moment should be recognized,” he said.
According to Bobbit it’s the first time that three women from the Democratic party have served together, but it’s not the first time Lawrence has had a female majority.
From 1986 to 1989, Gloria Teti, Gretel Gatterdam and Carol Harle were the three Republican Councilwomen for Lawrence. In 1984, Gatterdam was Lawrence’s first woman mayor.
