Ciattarelli Names Morris County Sheriff as Running Mate for Lt. Gov.

On Jul 23, 2025

At Johnnie’s Tavern in Boonton this morning, Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli picked Morris County Sheriff Jim Gannon as his running mate for Lieutenant Governor.

Gannon, 64, is the 77th sheriff of Morris County. He was elected to his first, three-year term as sheriff in 2016, and was sworn in on January 2, 2017. He was re-elected to his third term in 2023 and currently is in the seventh year of his position.

As sheriff, Gannon partnered with non-profit entities to develop the life-saving program Hope One, a mobile substance use and mental health disorder outreach that stops in communities to provide free Narcan training and Naloxone kits, and access to addiction recovery and mental health programs.

In 2017, Gannon opened the “Hope Wing” at the Morris County Correctional Facility which assists inmates with substance use disorders and helps them repair relationships, manage anger, spiritually grow and access education.

In partnership with the Morris County Police Chiefs’ Association, Gannon, in 2018, founded the RSVP-3 program that has trained law enforcement officers, educators and mental health experts on how to gauge potential threats to school safety. The RSVP-3 program led to the creation of a mobile phone app that students, or anyone, can use to report concerning behavior that potentially could result in violence.

Gannon grew up in Boonton Township in an Irish and Polish Catholic family with two brothers and one sister. His passion for law enforcement came from his father, who was a New York City Police Detective. Gannon graduated from Boonton High School where he played sports and was a member of the Boonton Township Fire Service.

He earned his Associate’s Degree in Law Enforcement from County College of Morris, and then his Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice Administration from William Paterson University. After graduation, Gannon became a patrolman in Boonton Township, and then Boonton, followed by service as Deputy Chief of Investigations at the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, the FBI’s elite Joint Terrorism Task Force and Morris County-based Novartis Pharmaceuticals, where he retired as the Global Head of Security Risk.

Along the way, Gannon graduated from the FBI National Academy, earned a Certificate in Supervisory Management from Rutgers and a Masters of Administrative Science from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Gannon also served as Commander of the FuncoLand Homicide Task Force and the Walter Contreras Homicide Task Force, formed the Morris County Cold Case Unit, co-authored the “Morris County Counter-Terrorism Task Force Manual,” and has lectured and trained fellow professionals, and conducted investigations, in places like Russia, Ukraine, South Africa, Hungary, Thailand and Uzbekistan.

Gannon was married to his wife, Lisa, for 26 years before losing her in 2010 after a battle against Multiple Sclerosis. The couple had one daughter, Kate who, along with her husband Matt, are parents to son Luca and daughter Ella. Gannon is a lifelong resident of Morris County.

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