Voters in the Hopewell Valley will choose a total of six council and committee members on Election Day, Nov. 8, but only in Hopewell Township is the race actually contested, with two Republicans and two Democrats battling for two seats on township committee.
In Pennington, Democrats Charles “Chico” Marciante and Beverly Mills are running unopposed. Both are current members of borough council. Mills was selected by council in a unanimous vote this month to fill the unexpired term of James Davy, who had resigned.
In Hopewell Borough, incumbent Democrats David Mackie and Chris Fossel are also running unopposed.
In Hopewell Township, Republicans John Hart and Todd Brant are being challenged by Democrats Kristin McLaughlin and Michael Ruger.
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman is running against Republican challenger Steven J. Uccio in the House, and you may have also heard that this is a presidential election year. We’re not sure who is running.
Dems challenging GOP in township
Republican incumbents John Hart and Todd Brant are running this year for Hopewell Township Committee against challengers Kristin McLaughlin and Michael Ruger. Committee members Kevin Kuchinski (mayor), Vanessa Sandom (deputy mayor) and Julie Blake, all Democrats, are not up for re-election.
The Hopewell Express sent questionnaires to all four candidates, who replied via email. Brief biographies and their answers to our questions follow.
Incumbent Republican Todd Brant, 48, is director of decision science and analytics for Bayer. He lives in the northeastern portion of the township. He has lived in Hopewell for 11 years, having moved here from Stamford, Connecticut. Prior to living in Stamford, he and his wife lived in Toronto for three years.
Brant graduated from Old Lyme High School in Old Lyme, Connecticut. He has a bachelor of science degree from Clarkson University and a masters in business administration from Auburn University. He is married to wife Paula and has three children: Carly (13), Piper (11) and Ethan (9).
He is a member of Pennington Presbyterian Church and an HVSA Div 3 girls soccer coach, and a member of the Hopewell Valley Republican Association. He is a past board member and treasurer for Pennington Presbyterian Nursery School and has coached basketball and tee ball. Brant has been a member of the Hopewell Township Committee since 2014 and the Republican County Committee since 2010. He ran unsuccessfully for township committee in 2011.
Incumbent Republican John Hart, 62, is a 10th-generation farmer and the owner of Rosedale Mills Country Store, John Hart Farms and Hart Stables. He lives on Titus Mill Road, and has lived in Hopewell for most of his life. He graduated from Lawrence High School and earned a degree in business agriculture from McNeese State University. All of his children—Tracy, Taralynn and Ben—and grandchildren—River, Brooke, Katelyn and Violet—have attended Hopewell Valley schools.
He is a member of the Stony Brook Watershed Association, the New Jersey Farm Bureau, and SoCo Animal Rescue. He is a past member of the Mercer County Agriculture Development Board, the Hopewell Fire Department, the Hopewell EMT, Organized Hopewell Pop Warner and has coached in Hopewell Pop Warner and Hopewell Valley Little League.
Hart has been on the Hopewell Township Committee since 2013. Hart was also a committeeman from 1994 to 2000, serving as mayor from 1996 to 1998. He was a member of the township planning board from 1997 to 2013. He is the committee’s liaison to the agriculture, affordable housing, deer management and public works committees.
Democrat Kristin McLaughlin, 50, has been a stay-at-home mom for 22 years. She is a trustee at The Chapin School and co-chair of the Sustainability Committee. She is also co-president of the PTO at her daughter’s high school. She has been an assistant teacher at the Ethical Culture School in New York.
A township resident since 2008, McLaughlin lives in the Willow Creek neighborhood. She was born in Prairie Village, Kansas, graduating from Shawnee Mission East High School before earning a bachelors degree in Scandinavian studies from Harvard College and a master’s degree in elementary education from the Teachers College at Columbia University. Before moving to Hopewell, she lived in New York City, Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, Salt Lake City and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
She has been married to husband Michael J. McLaughlin since 1991. Michael grew up on Stony Brook Road. They have three daughters: Megan (22), Amelia (18) and Carolyn (15).
Democrat Michael Ruger, 53, is vice president of government affairs at Comcast in Philadelphia. Prior to joining Comcast, he worked at the Federal Communications Commission, where he worked on regulatory policies for television, radio, and cable, and also served as a press spokesperson. He later worked with a large national law firm as a senior associate specializing in communications.
Ruger has been a township resident for 18 years and lives in the Harbourton section of the township in the house his wife, Tracy, grew up in. He grew up in Willistown Township, Pennsylvania, and lived in the Washington area before moving to Hopewell. He graduated from Great Valley Senior High School in Malvern, Pennsylvania and has a bachelors degree in political science and psychology from Penn State and a law degree from Georgetown University. Ruger has three children: Teddy (18) and twins Billy and Bobby (11).
Ruger is vice president of the Board of Directors of the Juvenile Law Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and volunteers with the Nassau Hockey League. He also volunteer with the Penn State Department of Political Science, offering students advice on resumes and job searches. Ruger ran for a seat on the Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education in 2013.
What was the one thing that, more than anything else, really moved you to make the commitment to run for public office?
Brant: I initially ran three years ago to protect our township from high density development, specifically against the Democrat led committee pushing for 365 houses at Pennytown. The need to protect our township remains my main concern, as there are individuals in our community who continue to push high density development in areas such as the west side of Scotch Road, which I am against.
If my opponents are elected, Democrats will have 100 percent control, and will be able to set the budget, make all fiscal and environmental decisions with no checks and balances, including rezoning for development.
Hart: This past summer my young granddaughter and I were horseback riding when she stopped, slid off her saddle, and began searching in the dirt. She held up what appeared to be an unusual stone, but I recognized it as a worn Musket Ball. “But how did it get here?” I recounted our family’s history when almost 250 years ago our ancestor, John Hart, fought in the Revolutionary War, and defended this land from the British and Hessian troops. I explained that the first John Hart signed the Declaration of Independence. When she grew up, it would be her duty to follow the family tradition by entering Hopewell politics to keep the community’s values safe from trickery.
Her beautiful smile and winning determination helped me decide to run again for Hopewell Township Committee. While Hopewell’s strengths can always be found in the history of past accomplishments, our future will be made by the example we set for our children.
McLaughlin: Taxes. We pay too much of our earnings to taxes. Our township must examine every expenditure to ensure that our tax dollars are spent wisely. We also have a responsibility to honor our rural heritage and must continue to fight for our open space.
We must attract small businesses to relieve some tax burden from homeowners. Without strong, committed leadership, progress stalls—as it has on the senior center and the resumption of bulky waste pickup.
Public service requires passion for the community and commitment to serving the residents. I believe that while experience can be valuable, fresh eyes and ideas can offer a new perspective on old problems. I have fresh eyes and am passionate about building a strong Hopewell Township for our children.
Ruger: I want to serve Hopewell Township because this is now my home, is where Tracy grew up, and is the only home my children have known. I want to help make our community the best place it can be.
While there is much that is right with Hopewell Township, there are some things that have to be addressed. We need to resume bulky waste pickup, we need to move forward on a community and senior center, and we need to fight the PennEast pipeline without compromise. These issues are important to me, and I want to help to address and resolve them. I do not know why my opponents have not done so during their terms.
What is the most pressing challenge facing Hopewell today, and what should be done to address it?
Brant: In addition to protecting Hopewell Township from high-density development, high taxes are the most pressing challenge facing Hopewell residents today. To minimize the future tax burden on our residents, we need to be vigilant and lower our debt. We currently pay $150,000 per month ($1,770,000 per year) just to cover the interest for previous purchases, thereby limiting our ability to provide needed services to our residents.
While the Township Committee, which I am part of, has focused on reducing debt and made progress, I believe more can be done. I will continue to be an outspoken advocate for us to be more prudent and fiscally responsible.
Hart: There are any number of vitally important public issues that will dramatically impact the future of Hopewell Township. We must stop the Penn East Pipeline, and stop the mega-development on Scotch Road. The pipeline undeniably creates the risk of deadly gas leak-related explosions and unhealthy contaminations; if the Scotch Road mega-development proceeds as the Democrats plan, our open space will be covered in concrete.
We must never allow financially driven outside interests to destroy the intentions and welfare of our community. We must never allow unwanted intrusion into Hopewell to occur without a very tough fight against it. Together, we must make a fierce, concerted effort to stop this outrageous wiping away of the principles and open space that our community holds dear.
McLaughlin: We must fight to ensure that our quality of life here in Hopewell Township is available to our children and then to theirs. To do that, we have to make sure that our budget is carefully managed and planned. We must thoughtfully assess any additional development so that our roads and schools do not become overburdened.
We must include the needs of all of our residents in that plan so that our older residents can stay and young families can build lives here. With the township’s master plan as a guide, we can build on the strong tradition of community that we all value.
Ruger: We need to ensure that our budget is kept in check. Otherwise, young families may not want to move to Hopewell Township, and senior citizens may find the township too expensive to stay.
If elected, I will look closely at our budget to see how we can operate more efficiently. After all, it is not the township’s money that is being spent—it is residents’ money. I know how important it is to make sure that we receive maximum value from every dollar that we spend. I also know that saying, “That’s how we have always done it,” is an excuse, not an answer.
I will review the budget not as a member of a political party with an ideological agenda, but as a resident who wants to see taxes as low as possible while understanding that the township provides needed services to the community.
Why do you believe that you are the right person to take Hopewell Township forward?
Brant: My business background leads me to constantly challenge the status quo, and drive for solutions that balance short term needs while advancing the long term objective. While serving on the Township Committee for the past three years, I have learned a great deal about the very difficult task of navigating Hopewell Township’s municipal budgets. I have focused on reducing our debt and on challenging the status quo to create a sustainable fiscal management policy. For example, I challenged us to examine our processes to gain new revenue sources via state and federal grants, worked to create a capital asset management plan, and urged us to create a longer term strategic plan.
While progress has been made, there is more work to be done before a truly sustainable fiscal management policy is realized and we return Hopewell to being an affordable place to live and raise our families.
Hart: Mayor Vanessa Sandom led a Hopewell Township Committee meeting in a wicked December snowstorm to vote on the purchase of Pennytown. I was the only audience member, and expressed concern that the property was grossly overpriced.
Mayor Sandom and the Democrat led Township Committee silenced all debate. There was no interest in dialogue. They purchased Pennytown at the peak of the Real Estate Market for $6.3 million, millions more than its value. Eight years later the property sits vacant, plowed deep with debt and appreciating costs. Hopewell taxpayers are burdened with the purchase debt and interest payments.
This was my turning point. I realized the opinions of the intelligent and hard working residents of the Valley were being stifled and dismissed by the Democrat majority.
I vow never to marginalize the opinions of Hopewell’s citizens, as mine were that night. I see my role as an advocate for the citizens of the Valley, giving careful consideration to your valuable recommendations and insights.
McLaughlin: As a parent, and active volunteer, I spend my time listening to the needs of individuals and balancing them with the needs of the whole. I work with tight budgets and plan for the future. I lead by example to bring about consensus. I have heard our residents clear expectations for their leaders. They expect Committee members to respect the work that goes into their tax payments by spending them carefully. They want the services they’ve relied upon, like bulky waste pick up, to be offered in a way that does not raise their taxes. I believe that the best results come when thoughtful, creative people challenge themselves to look with fresh eyes at our problems. The past can offer a roadmap, but often, the future demands new routes. Hopewell Township has a unique past, and a bright future, if our challenges are met with thoughtful leadership.
Ruger: Our opponents said they made three promises to the Township three years ago—reduce debt, improve transparency and communications with all residents, and focus on rebuilding our community spirit. Well, the only reason spending has been kept in check is they are not in control of the budget. When they were in the majority, property taxes increased by 5.8% in 2015 and 7.4% in 2014. I have seen no movement in improving transparency and communications. Who among us has a better idea of what is going on in the Township Building today than three years ago? And as for rebuilding community spirit, one step in that direction would be working towards a new community and senior center. Our opponents have taken no action.
On the other hand, I have spent the summer and fall listening to residents throughout Hopewell Township. I have heard residents express their concerns about the PennEast pipeline, taxes, and municipal services. I will take what I have heard and work to implement solutions to address their concerns. As for my opponents, they made three promises and they struck out on each one. In my view, three strikes and you are out.
Kristin McLaughlin,
