Bridgewater General Election 2025: Allen Kurdyla

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Bridgewater's general election on Nov. 4 has six candidates running for seats on the Township Council.

Republican Allen Kurdyla is running for one of three, three-year open seats on the Township Council, along with Megan Moench and incumbent Filipe Pedroso.

Democrats Ridwana Isla, Andrew Bucko and Joan Geiger are running on the Democratic ticket.

Are you running for office in Bridgewater? Contact Alexis Tarrazi at alexis.tarrazi@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Bridgewater Patch.

Allen Kurdyla

Age: 77

Town of residence: Bridgewater, NJ

Position sought: Township Council

Party affiliation: Republican

Family: Married 55 Years

Education: Associate Degree Mechanical Technology

Occupation: Sr. VP of Business Development

Previous or current elected appointed office: Current Member Township Council

Campaign website: N/A

Why are you seeking re-election as a Councilmember in Bridgewater?

Joining the Finderne Fire Department gave me the ability to witness the changes in our town. I feel strongly that the experience of living here for over 57 years has given me a greater appreciation of what our Township was, what it is today and what needs to be done in the future. This experience has benefited my role as Councilman. Knowing the past and seeing the successes and failures of good intentions provides me the ability to share experience that I believe is extremely valuable for moving forward.

I am pleased to say that being in town has given me tremendous joy in watching my children grow and now watching my grandsons become a part of the sports legacy of our town.

The Council recently approved its fourth-round affordable housing plan that includes 421 housing units. What do you think of this plan?

The current State mandate for Affordable Housing is the worst piece of legislation to ever come out of Trenton. This vile mandate will affect every single item we are discussing, dense population, traffic, public safety, and infrastructure with negative impacts including the quality of life in Bridgewater. What has to be stated is that the governing bodies in Bridgewater have been supporting Affordable Housing since the COAH Round one was announced. Over the years, every project built has contributed to Bridgewater satisfying the goals of the program all the way to Round three, with the State of New Jersey approving our plan. The Round four assessment of 471 units has been appealed to and successfully reduced to 421 units, while I am pleased the number has been reduced, it represents units that we do not need. The fact remains that if we were to reject the plan with no action, we would be subjected to the State of New Jersey becoming the manager of housing in Bridgewater. I was totally taken back when one of our opponents in this year’s election petitioned the Council to
support High Density Housing. Currently we have developed a plan to take credits for housing units in town, along with reviewing properties that have the goal of minimizing impact on current neighborhoods.

The Council approved a budget in June with a 1.077 percent increase over last year. How do you feel about the Township's handling of the budget?

Each of us has seen our cost-of-living increase in recent years. It is no different for our Township Budget, the cost of goods along with employee contracts are areas that make budgeting seem unrealistic at times. Cutting costs without cutting services is the goal each year when the budget is introduced. Steps that have been taken are to use State Contracts, Co-Ops, along with shared services when available and sensible.

With regards to current projects, we have had enormous success in getting bid packages out early in the year for road projects. The bids received have allowed us to accelerate the road projects by having contractors submit bids with incredibly competitive pricing. Having said this, it also brings about the question of want versus need. The current budget process seems lengthy because it is. The Administration with Department heads prepares the budget that is submitted to the Council Budget
Committee for review. This is when the process starts, and the debate begins.

While no one wants to see our budgets increase, that is not realistic. Yes, we can reduce the budget, but at what cost is the reduction on services acceptable? It is my opinion that as our township grows in population the demand for services increases. From the time I first lived in Bridgewater our population has almost doubled from 26,000 to 47,000 residents. This fact demonstrates the need for increases related to public safety and infrastructure such as roads and sanitary sewers which are both on the current agenda for implementation.

The Camp Cromwell property has been a topic of discussion for years. How do you feel about the Council's handling and plan for the property?

Bridgewater Township chose to accept Camp Cromwell rather than having the property sold for development. The site represents tremendous recreation opportunities for outdoor activities. The facilities in many ways can provide space for housing township agencies such as Historical and Senior Activities. Currently work is being done to develop plans for the long-term use of the property. We are fortunate to have received a grant of four million dollars to maintain the site and create the plan to benefit residents of Bridgewater Township. In some discussions there is frustration of not having the camp currently up and running. I do believe that a slow and steady plan for the site will benefit Bridgewater Township for many years to come.

What other issues do you feel need to be tackled in the Township?

For the past four years our governing body has been working to complete the commitment made to repair all roads in Bridgewater based on a plan to rank the severity of repair needed based on ranking based on traffic load, condition of the road and also location. Regarding location, the idea is to work in multiple sections of the township each year so every section will see improvements. Keeping this commitment has not been easy due to budget concerns and the normal reaction of residents wanting their road done first. The project has two goals, the first being to address the quality of the road, the second being to lower the cost of road maintenance for decades to come.

In addition to roads, we also have an aging infrastructure for pump stations related to sanitary sewers. The current units have been in operation for close to sixty years, since installed our population has nearly doubled putting additional stress on the pumping stations. This work is a necessity, and I support our current efforts to not only repair but to upgrade our ability to keep running with increased capacity and reliability.

While roads and sewers are important, the Township Master Plan is also in the process of being updated. In the coming months there will be presentations for the public to provide input and thoughts regarding this significant document. The current work related to the Affordable Housing mandate certainly affects the development of the plan. My goal with the master Plan will be to focus on the impact on how development and redevelopment projects will affect our ratable base. I do feel that a strong commercial industrial base provides tremendous benefit for our residential base.

What sets you apart from the challenging candidates?

What sets me apart from the challenging candidates is amazingly simple and extraordinarily strong. I have never made a statement or promise in a campaign that I could not keep. My opinions and positions are typically conservative in nature, anchored with a belief that a governing body has one primary objective to provide services. To sum it up I would say “Promises Made, Promises Kept.”

Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself or your campaign?

Every political campaign is often called the silly season. During the campaign voters will be receiving information from all candidates’ reflection on accomplishments or future plans. As an incumbent my comments are part of the public record, our opponents with no record are making comments that quite frankly are not true. I am pleased to say that serving on the Bridgewater Township Council is an activity that allows me to contribute to the quality of life that each of us wants to have not only for our current time but for future generations of Bridgewater residents.