Bridgewater Township Council General Election 2025: Joan Geiger

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

Democrat Joan Geiger is running for one of three, three-year open seats on the Township Council, along with Ridwana Isla and Andrew Bucko.

Incumbents Allen Kurdyla and Filipe Pedroso, along with newcomer Meghan Moench are running on the Republican 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.

Joan Geiger

Age: 67

Town of residence: Bridgewater

Position sought: Township Council

Party affiliation: Democratic

Family: Married with 2 young adult children

Education: BA Rutgers College; Juris Doctorate Seton Hall School of Law

Occupation: Mediator and Attorney

Previous or current elected appointed office: First time seeking public office

Campaign website: bigforbridgewater.com

Why are you seeking election as a Councilmember in Bridgewater?

On June 27, 2024, at the council meeting, the issue of compliance with the state's updated stormwater requirements came up. I was appalled when our current council members (2 of whom are up for reelection) were reluctant to comply. Knowing 4 people connected with Bridgewater drowned during Ida, houses caved in, and numerous basements flooded, I spoke up at the next meeting on July 11, 2024. The mayor assured me the town complied - He did not know there were updated requirements, and no councilman corrected him. I attend (or remotely view) our council meetings and find the 6 current elected officials act in unison, with little discussion, dissent, or transparency. As a mediator, I always consider different angles of any issue, and as an attorney, I understand the value of lively debate. Reasonable minds can differ, and one only learns from listening to opposing viewpoints. This is lacking in our current one-party system in Bridgewater. Also, I come from a family of WWII, Korean, and Vietnam vets, who risked their lives for us; the least I can do is serve in local government.

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

I am concerned. The current plan relies partly on plans by the Eden Woods developer that have languished for years. Additionally, the two councilmen running for reelection are on record as being opposed to affordable housing, as stated during council meetings on January 23 and September 18, 2025. Regardless, it is required by NJ law and has been a successful program for over 45 years, supported by both democratic and republican administrations. It allows teachers, nurses, and police officers to live here where many grew up and work. I favor complying with the law and avoiding the expensive lawsuits other towns have pursued. (FYI, the mayor's law firm represents most of the towns that have sued unsuccessfully to date.)

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?

An increase of only 1.077% refers to the tax rate, meaning that since home values have increased, the rate per $1000 value of your home has increased nominally. However, from the taxpayers' perspective, municipal taxes increased by over 20% in the last 4 years. See for yourself - compare what you paid 4 years ago to this year, and you will find a much higher increase. My running mate, Andrew Bucko, has diligently studied the past 6 years of budgets, since the current elected officials have been in power. He found we have 9 more high-paid administrators supervising 46 fewer rank-and-file employees, and our current council and mayor have a premium health plan that is better than the town employees! This will change when Bucko, Isla, and Geiger are elected. Also, our current elected officials have not passed a budget on time in 3 years. The 2025 budget was passed at the end of June.

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?

What handling? What plan? Since they have been in power for the past 6 years, the Camp remains closed and has deteriorated. The mayor is on record admitting as much with no correction from the council. With help from the county, they received a 4 million dollar appropriation over a year ago, during which time the property continued to deteriorate. As an avid hiker and outdoor lover, I would love to be part of the Bucko, Isla, and Geiger team that opens Camp Cromwell for all of us to enjoy.

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

While canvassing, I was surprised to learn that traffic issues concern many residents. I will work with our traffic control police officers and public works employees to see how we can improve conditions, especially in neighborhoods with small children and pets. Another major issue is redevelopment. On September 4, 2025, our council granted an estimated 45% tax reduction every year for the next 30 years to the developer of the Center for Excellence (formerly occupied by Sanofi). Bucko, Isla, and Geiger were at the meeting and spoke against this. I promise our residents we will not approve tax reductions in that range if elected. We will work to bring back pharmaceutical companies that create jobs rather than the traffic, noise, and pollution caused by the trucking, warehousing, and data centers our current representatives favor.

What sets you apart from the challenging candidates? Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself or your campaign?

What sets B.I.G. (Bucko, Isla, and Geiger ) apart are fresh perspectives, independent thinking, and diverse backgrounds. I am a mediator and an attorney and have dedicated my career to helping people resolve problems peacefully through creative thinking and compromise. I have served the citizens of the community in various non-profit capacities as the Past President of the county domestic violence agency (now known as Safe and Sound), current co-president of the Dombal-Vogel Foundation, an organization that provides grants to local non-profits, and I have served on numerous committees for the local bar and NJ Association of Professional Mediators. Last year, I was honored by the Simuel Whitfield Simmons Charity for my support. I have no aspirations beyond serving the residents of Bridgewater, have no connections with developers, and no need to use my position for monetization. Bucko is a telecommunications and data science expert, and Isla is a regulatory expert and senior executive in a pharmaceutical company who works with Senators and Congressional Representatives in DC on both sides of the aisle. Our opponents suffer from "groupthink" and insiderism. They are clones of our mayor. One is a current councilman approaching 80 years old who is running for his 5th term. He votes in unison with the other council members. Another is the mayor's sister, whose career is fundraising solely for her political party. Forgive me for questioning her ability to think and act independently. The third is running for his second term, and to his credit, he occasionally votes differently from his fellow councilmen. However, he generally sees only one side of an issue. For example, at the September 18, 2025, council meeting, he spoke passionately against political violence, and I agreed with most of his comments, except that he referred to the harm primarily as it pertained to his party, rather than both. B.I.G. are not clones of each other. It has been 37 years since a member of our party served on the council. We will bring fresh ideas, new approaches, and collaborative but different approaches to governing in our beloved town of Bridgewater.