Brian Hughes was elected as Mercer County Executive in November 2003 and will have completed 20 years at the end of this term. He is not running for re-election.
While Executive Brian Hughes can probably share a long list of assorted achievements accomplished throughout the county, Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space will honor him on Oct. 8 with their Gleeson Award for the ecological gains Hopewell Valley has experienced during his tenure.
Under Hughes’ leadership, Mercer County has strongly contributed to improving the health and wellness of our community. This Nature in the Valley column has frequently shared research about the health benefits of green spaces and nature.
Couple that with the fact that New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the country, and the urgency to limit development and protect open space becomes readily apparent.
Since his earliest days in office, Hughes has taken action and committed funding to ensure that our area is replete with preserved land. One of his first victories was Mercer County’s successful ballot initiative to preserve and protect open space to ensure natural resources and local agriculture will always have a place in Mercer County.
While the initial fund was used for land acquisition and preservation, in November 2021, Mercer County voters overwhelmingly approved a referendum that Executive Hughes proposed to permit the reallocation of the County’s Open Space Trust Fund — placing a greater emphasis on stewardship, park development and historic preservation.
In addition, the county has supported trails and plans so residents can access our green spaces. The Mercer County Bicycle Master Plan identifies and prioritizes bicycle improvements for every county highway. Implementation will give constituents of all ages a safer multimodal transportation option.
When Mercer County purchased the Hopewell Valley Golf Club in 2020, they not only furthered their commitment to protect Mercer County open space by purchasing the 186-acre, 18-hole course, but also provided a new active recreation destination in a section of the county known for its passive parks, such as St. Michael’s Preserve and Baldpate Mountain.
Local leaders throughout the Valley were happy to weigh in for this column. There was a recurring theme of Hughes’s ability to partner with municipalities toward a greater good.
As its longest serving Mayor, Vanessa Sandom is the Hopewell Township elected official who collaborated most extensively with Hughes. “As you might expect, over the years, the township and county faced some challenges. But in the end, we were able to work together to resolve our differences in ways that benefitted us both,” said Sandom, “Today, under his leadership, Hopewell Township enjoys the most preserved open space in Mercer County.”
Current Hopewell Township Mayor Michael Ruger added, “Thanks to our preservation partners in Mercer County and at the state, 43% of Hopewell Township is now preserved open space, farmland, and outdoor recreation space.”
Hopewell Borough Mayor Paul Anzano, who also completes 20 years at the end of this term, shared: “Brian worked collaboratively with local government and brough people together to solve problems. He approached the Borough with the same effort and determination to do the right thing regardless of politics and our diminutive size as probably the smallest (by population) municipality in the County.” Anzano added, “I especially appreciated his foresight in his efforts to create the 400-acre Saint Michael’s preserve – a true and permanent benefit for everyone.”
Similarly, nonprofit leaders amplified those thoughts.
Linda Mead, D&R Greenway President and CEO has worked with Brian since he started as the Mercer County Executive. She was quite grateful for all that they’d accomplished: “Brian Hughes has been a champion of people and place — creating open spaces for all people throughout Mercer County. Under his leadership, we worked with his team to establish the Tulpehaking Nature Center in the Abbott Marshlands.
He led successful voter initiatives to support land preservation that included Greenway Meadows in Princeton, and our Sourlands Woosamonsa, and St.Michaels Farm Preserve in Hopewell. Together we established Capital City Farm in Trenton. Brian’s legacy will live on forever in the lands that residents enjoy every day.”
As executive director of The Watershed Institute since 2005, Jim Waltman has had opportunities to work with Hughes on key environmental agenda items. “Brian Hughes has been a champion of open space and a great partner of the Watershed. He leaves a strong legacy of land and water protection.”
David Sandahl, Board of Trustees Chair for the Lawrence Hopewell Trail Corporation, shared: “The Lawrence Hopewell Trail largely owes its existence to the unwavering early support of Brian Hughes. At a time when skepticism prevailed, Brian stepped up to champion the LHT, making pivotal investments in Mercer Meadows Park. These investments in the LHT helped make the trail a cherished community asset, bringing joy to thousands of residents and visitors annually.”
Jay Watson has known Brian in various roles at the state and at nonprofits. “All of us, the Green Acres Program, the Farmland Preservation Program, municipalities and nonprofits have been fortunate to have Brian’s leadership in our open space preservation efforts over many years. Whether working to cobble together multiple partners to preserve large tracts of land in suburban and rural parts of Mercer; or to preserve the small 2-acre parcel in Trenton next to the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen to create Capital City Farm, he saw the value in it all” said Watson, currently, co-executive director of NJ Conservation Foundation.
“All one has to do is ride around the county and see the incredible trails, open space and recreation areas to understand, what a remarkable champion we have had in our landscape” he said.
Finally, as the Executive Director of Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space, I will share that the decision to honor Brian Hughes with our premier award was made by a unanimous vote of our board of trustees to recognize the support and value Brian Hughes and Mercer County have made not only to our community but also to FoHVOS as an organization.
FoHVOS staff partner with all levels of both Mercer County planning as well as the Mercer County Park Commission. The theme for our event is “Connecting For a Cooler Future,” and nowhere is that concept more true than the connections we’ve made with our county partners on preservation, land stewardship, advocacy, and more. That’s over and above providing our headquartered home atop the Ted Stiles Preserve at Baldpate Mountain.
In addition to presenting Brian Hughes with the Gleeson award, Capital Health will receive FoHVOS Friends Organizational Recognition and Leslie Floyd of Mercer County and Renee Jones of the NJDEP will be named Preservation Partners.
Their support helps us realize our mission to preserve land, protect natural resources, and inspire the next generation of conservationists.
For more information about the FoHVOS “Connecting For a Cooler Future” Event, visit fohvos.org.
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