Elected Committeemen Proud of 'Honest' Campaign

For Repbulican Bedminster Township Committee incumbent Steven Parker and his running mate Lawrence Jacobs, they are proud they ran a very honest campaign—and are equally pleased that that has landed them new terms on the committee, beginning January.

Parker was elected to his second term Tuesday, earning 2,080 votes, while Jacobs was elected to his first term with 2,082 votes.

Democratic opponents Gail Solomon-Canty and Sasha Wolf earned 1,398 votes and 1,446 votes, respectively.

"We are very pleased, and I think it's a testament to the position we expressed during our campaign," Jacobs said. "It was successful platforms for us."

"I am most proud that we stayed positive, and our message was what we planned to do," Parker said. "We didn't try to scare the voters, we told them what we wanted to do with and for the town. Our goal was to show what we would do when we got into office."

"I think that's how most campaigns should be," he added. "It's nice to know background, and one thing to say the opposition has bad ideas, but putting a positive idea out there is what I'm most proud of."

Jacobs said he is proud that the two were able to run an honest and truthful campaign based on listening to the issues expressed by the residents themselves.

"We got a chance to meet people, and they heard our issues and what our opinions are," he said. "We kept it honest and people responded to that."

"These positions are all volunteer positions," he added. "It's one thing to complain, it's another thing to volunteer."

Now, with the campaign officially over, Jacobs and Parker can look toward the issues that matter to them in Bedminster, preparing for their new terms.

And one of the most important thing to focus on, Jacobs said, is the budget.

"We are looking at ways to make local government maintain efficiencies, and for added measures to increase efficiency," he said. "We are looking for any opportunity to reduce spending and to maximize services, and make sure residents are sitting with a fair tax burden."

Parker said he also wants to put a strong emphasis on shared services, and the township is currently in talks with a nearby town for some significant options.

And of course right now, Parker said, is the focus on the township's state of emergency in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

"We have a lot of work to do in Bedminster," he said. "Right now, the biggest focus is that we are still in a state of emergency."

Jacobs said he is also planning to focus on efforts for open space preservation and maintenance.

"The public question was passed overwhelmingly on the application of open space funds for open space maintenance," he said. "I will believe this will be a tremendous benefit to the residents of Bedminster."

And Jacobs said he is pleased that there was not as much focus on the New Jersey Department of Transportation project on Route 206 that has already been shot down.

"As a member of the Land Use Board and as a volunteer, we were disappointed in our opponents for continuing to press the DOT project when they knew it was dead," he said. "[They were trying to] beat it back into life in an effort to instill fear, and I found that disingenuous."

As for the number of voters themselves, Jacobs said he believes the turnout was great, with about 56 percent of registered voters heading to the polls. Now, he said, they have to wait to hear about the mail-in ballots.

"I'm sure we'll get a few hundred or so mail-in ballots," he said. "I think by the time it is all said and done, there will be somewhere around 60 percent, which we think is pretty good."

And the experience of seeing everyone voting in the same place, Jacobs said, was also interesting.

"It was nice to see the whole town in one place together, as opposed to in many different polling places," he said.

Parker said he has not heard any complaints or concerns, and was actually told by one person that she thought sending everyone to the same location was a very good idea.

"It may be something to consider for the future," he said. "I am gratified that everything went smoothly."

Pulling that off, Parker said, took a lot of effort from the entire township and among municipal employees to put it together.

"But the resources were also centralized, so if there was a provisional ballot, problems were solved immediately," he said. "There are a lot of advantages there."

Although they do not know the number of mail-in and absentee ballots that still have to be counted, as well as the number of people who voted in Somerville before election day, Parker said he is proud of the process.

"I am gratified that with the hurricane and all other difficulties people had, everyone was able to get out and vote, and everything seemed to come together," he said.