Two of West Windsor’s own local politicians are interested in moving up to bigger political office — the state Assembly.
Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh and Councilman George Borek are among the Democratic candidates interested in the open Assembly seat in the 14th District, which serves parts of Mercer and Middlesex counties.
The candidates — also reportedly including Mercer County Freeholders John Cimino and Dan Benson — are vying for the seat that will be vacated by Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein, of Plainsboro, who was elected on November 2 to the state Senate. She defeated interim state Senator Tom Goodwin to serve the remaining year of Bill Baroni’s term.
The Democratic committee members in the district will select Greenstein’s successor, who will then have to run for election next year to retain the seat.
Hsueh has been the mayor in West Windsor for 10 years and has worked for the state Department of Environmental Protection.
“I believe that we will be able to move forward with a legislative agenda that reflects the values we share as Democrats and build a momentum of tangible accomplishments,” Hsueh said in a letter to Democratic leaders in the 14th District. “I feel that my career has fully prepared me to run for this office.”
He pointed to his 28 years with the DEP and his 24-year teaching career as an adjunct professor at Rutgers, as well as his eight years on the Township Council and his mayoral tenure as examples.
Borek said he had notified Democratic leaders of his interest in the seat when Greenstein first announced her candidacy for Senate. “I had made notice then that if Linda prevailed, I was interested in pursuing the vacant seat,” he said. “This has been on my radar screen back to when [Senator Bill] Baroni resigned.”
Borek, a firefighter in Jersey City, said he has always had an interest in public service and feels he is a good fit for the position. “As you’ve seen me here in the township, I’m a person of the middle ground, trying to bring people together on decisions,” he said. “I’m not controversial in any manner.”
The decision is expected to be made by Democratic leaders by December 1, when Greenstein is sworn into her post.
