Mercer Executive Dan Benson Delivers ‘State of the County’ Address

MERCER COUNTY, NJ – County Executive Dan Benson on Tuesday delivered the ‘State of the County’ address at a meeting of the Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber.

Speaking to an audience of nearly 200, Benson reflected on a year of progress, highlighting his administration’s work fixing the county’s finances, expanding community services, promoting economic development, and breaking ground on several important infrastructure projects.

“When I was elected as County Executive, I made a promise to our community: to build a county government that works for everyone,” Benson began. “As we look back on the past twelve months, I’m proud of how we’ve followed through on that promise—with real progress toward our shared vision of Mercer County’s future.”

“When we took office in January, we knew that our county government faced some serious challenges,” Benson said. “It quickly became clear that these problems were in many ways much bigger than anticipated.”

The biggest challenge for the administration was financial, including the $11 million in over-expenditures from the previous administration, overdue audits to complete, and expired collective bargaining agreements.

“We knew we had to quickly make some tough calls to get our house back in order,” Benson said. He said the administration implemented new financial controls, completed audits for 2022 and 2023, negotiated and settled seven labor contracts, and worked with the Board of County Commissioners to adopt a 2024 budget which would begin stabilizing county finances.

The County Executive went on to discuss how Mercer has expanded community services, providing 100,000 meals to seniors, rolling out a new grant to support recreation for seniors and young people with disabilities, launching a first-in-the-state respite program, and supporting the construction of affordable housing.

Addressing economic development, Benson highlighted Mercer’s Zero-Interest Loan program to small businesses, the expansion of the Route 130 Connection Bus, and increased outreach to minority-owned businesses.

He shared that his administration is prioritizing public safety and disaster preparedness, with an updated Emergency Master Plan, planned upgrades to the county’s 911 system, and a shared services agreement ensuring comprehensive Hazmat coverage across Mercer.

Looking to the future, Benson provided updates on the county’s ambitious plans for infrastructure investment, outlining millions of dollars in grants and funding for flagship projects, including the new fire station and terminal at Trenton-Mercer Airport, major renovations at the Trenton Thunder ballpark, the redevelopment of the South Broad Street Corridor, and rebuilding the aging Lincoln Avenue Bridge in Trenton.

“Union workers power these projects and so many more,” Benson said, highlighting that “we’re proud to have signed Project Labor Agreements for the airport and Lincoln Avenue Bridge projects, with another one in the works for the ballpark.”

His administration is also in the midst of modernizing and reorganizing county government, improving communication between departments, opening contracts to a transparent fair-and-open bidding process, and taking steps to improve the diversity of county vendors through the set-aside for women, minority, and veteran-owned businesses.

“We’re always looking for new opportunities for cooperation, whether through a renewed emphasis on shared service agreements, or by using county assets to fill a need in municipal government,” he said.

“Our administration had a full plate this year, and even with our many obstacles, we have accomplished a lot for Mercer,” Benson concluded. “There will be more tough decisions ahead. But we’re on the right track. Together, we will make Mercer County government something we can be proud of. We will make county government work for everyone.”

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