An avid marathon runner, the mayor participated in his first marathon since his diagnosis on Oct. 18.
Franklin Township mayor Christopher Kelly (Photo courtesy of Christopher Kelly campaign)FRANKLIN -- Franklin Township mayor Christopher Kelly is running for re-election but he has already won the biggest race of his life, beating cancer.
Kelly, an avid runner and participant in Iron Man contests, was diagnosed with stage four non-Hodgkin lymphoma in June. On Oct. 18, he ran in the Atlantic City Marathon, his first since his diagnosis. His cancer is in remission.
"At the very end of the race, there were tears in my eyes," said Kelly, who underwent his last chemotherapy treatment on Sept. 18, a day before his birthday. "I realized I was finish with the treatment. It was over. Being well enough to run in this marathon was a goal. There was a huge sense of relief. I was happy and proud. It was a very emotional moment.
"So many people have supported me, my wife, Debbie, good friends Mike and Julie Burke, the community. It was really amazing. I wanted to be open about my cancer. I wanted to help remove the stigma of cancer. It's not a death sentence."
Kelly, a Republican, is running against Democrat Philip "Phil" Kramer in this heavily-Democratic township. He finished the final year of the term of three-term mayor Brian Levine, who is now a freeholder.
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Kelly, 44, said he was "shocked" when he was initially diagnosed. He had been feeling sluggish and went to the doctors.
"In the beginning, I had a little bit of the 'why me' but it didn't last long," said Kelly. "I didn't want to feel sorry for myself. A lot of cancer patients have it worse than me. I had a very treatable form of cancer."
Dr. Edward Licitra, a personal friend of Kelly's, treated him at Regional Cancer Care Associates in Somerset. His treatment consisted of six rounds of chemotherapy over 18 weeks, from June 5- Sept 18. He lost his hair. He had his passion for running and physical fitness taken away.
Kelly is focusing on his campaign now. He wants to make Franklin a more business-friendly town, he said. Right now, new businesses wanting to come to the town must acquire a series of permits from different agencies that can take months and months, he said. He wants to streamline that progress and rezone the town to help attract businesses.
Chris Kelly running the Atlantic City Marathon "We need to think outside the box in finding ways to attract businesses," said Kelly. "We have too many empty businesses in Franklin."
Kelly said he also wants to hire more police, be more fiscally responsible and return ethics to the Township Council. He called for the resignation Councilman Rajiv Prasad, who accused opponents of the proposed Catalpa Park of being racists, saying they're against the park because it includes cricket fields, a sport played primarily by those of Indian descent.
"I maintain that Councilman Prasad isn't fit to serve our community," Kelly said.
In addition to the mayoral race, three four-year terms on the Township Council are up for election on Tuesday.
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Incumbent Democrats Prasad, Shanel Robinson and Kimberly Francois are on the ticket with Kramer, who beat Michael Williams in the Democratic primary.
Kelly is on the ticket with Republican hopefuls Raleigh Steinhauer, Scott Siegel and Catherine Barrier.
In the Atlantic City Marathon, Kelly ran to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training and raised nearly $14,000. He finished in a time of 3:54:40. He had a post-chemo follow up PET scan on Oct. 26 and there was no sign of active cancer growth.
"I feel pretty good," Kelly said. "I get a little tired at times but just the thought of knowing I don't have another chemo treatment looming makes me feel much better."
Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@njadvancemedia.com.Follow him on Twitter @DHutch_SL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
