EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK
By: Ruth Luse
A very long era comes officially to a halt on Jan. 8 when the state Assembly and Senate hold swearing-in ceremonies for those elected to posts on Nov. 6.
For Hopewell Valley, this will be a particularly momentous day because it will mean the end of its political association with Hunterdon County a relationship that goes back as far as I can remember.
With redistricting, Hopewell Valley is now part of the 15th Legislative District, which allies it solely with Mercer. As part of District 23 and those preceding it, the Valley was affiliated with Hunterdon County and whatever other ones and parts of ones happened to be associates of Hunterdon’s at the time. Legislative district configurations changed from time to time over the years particularly after census counts were taken.
As most Valley residents know, Hopewell Valley has been represented at the state level by Sen. William E. Schluter of Pennington and Assembly members Leonard Lance and Connie Myers. As of Jan. 8, Hopewell Valley will have Shirley Turner as its state senator and Reed Gusciora and Bonnie Watson Coleman in the Assembly. With this change, Hopewell Valley’s representatives now will be Democrats. Up until now, most were Republicans … for many, many years.
It is time now to say a great many thank-yous to Mr. Schulter, Mr. Lance and Ms. Myers for their work on behalf of Hopewell Valley over the years.
But, above all, we say thanks to Mr. Schluter, whose career in politics began nearly four decades ago with service on Pennington Borough Council, a position his wife, Nancy, also held for a time a few years later.
Mr. Schulter, who received a degree in economics from Princeton University, has correctly described himself as a "full-time legislator." He served on Pennington Borough Council from 1963-69. He was a member of the state Senate from 1972-74 and from 1991-2001 a position he lost as the result of Pennington’s becoming part of the 15th District. He also served in the General Assembly from 1968-72 and from 1987-90. Mr. Schluter ran as an independent in the November 2001 gubernatorial race, which was taken by Democrat, Gov.-elect James McGreevey, who will take the oath of office Jan. 15.
Over the 35 years I have been with the HVN, I got to know most of those who served our community in the state Senate and Assembly. Some, obviously, I knew better than others. I have particularly fond memories of one gentleman from Flemington, who for years had a lot to say about what went on in Hunterdon and his legislative district. That man was the late Walter "Moose" Foran, who, like Mr. Schluter, served in both Senate and Assembly.
Mr. Foran was 100 percent Republican, as most leaders in the district were for many years. Mr. Foran had a copy of the HVN’s Nov. 5, 1981 page one on his office wall for a time. A huge headline (created with old wood type) said: "No Democrats Left." The story that went with it began: "As of 4:30 p.m. yesterday, Thomas Kean (GOP) was the unofficial governor-elect of New Jersey with all 21 counties reporting. James Florio (Democrat) was losing by a slight margin in one of the closest races ever."
Under the headline were photos of local winners, all Republicans: Tom Deering of Hopewell, Ray Cox of Hopewell, Caroline Woodward of Hopewell Township, James Freda of Hopewell Township, Nancy Schluter of Pennington and Paul Scheirer of Pennington.
On the Senate level, it said, "Walter Foran is unbeatable … he’s high voter-getter everywhere." On the Assembly level, veteran Assemblyman Karl Weidel (a Pennington resident) "has done it again. He ran almost as well as Foran." Mr. Weidel’s runningmate, Dick Zimmer (who years later went on to become a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and to run for the U.S. Senate) also fared well, taking the seat that had been held by a Democrat of all things Barbara McConnell.
Actually, Mr. Foran’s favorite headline was slightly incorrect, but it was meant to describe the situation in the Valley and on the legislative level. Mercer County offices had been won by Democrats.
Mr. Weidel was the first person to call the HVN regularly about the horrors of driving Route 31. Mr. Schluter took up the cause in earnest not many years after, and not long ago, with the help of Gov. Christie Todd Whitman and his colleagues, was able to get legislation on the books that did something about it and other roads in this region. Mr. Schluter also was the one who first warned local officials and the HVN about the problems the opening of I-287’s northern link some years ago now would create for roadways in Hopewell Valley and Hunterdon/Mercer region.
Other fond memories of our decades of association with Hunterdon take me back to the mid-1970s when a Hunterdon taxpayers group and a Hopewell Township committeeman, the late Christopher Bannister, were seriously having talks about Hunterdon’s annexation of Hopewell Valley. Hunterdon had no bonded debt at the time. Mercer did. To those talking about leaving Mercer and going with Hunterdon, the idea of being with a county with characteristics similar to those of Hopewell Valley seemed not only sensible but very pleasant the marriage of one farm-like area to another. After all, Hopewell Valley once had been part of Hunterdon County. Several factors would have made this liaison difficult, if not impossible. First of all, the plan had to get the blessing of the Legislature something many felt would not happen, because Mercer needed Hopewell Valley’s tax dollars more than Hunterdon did, etc.
Those who took this proposal seriously would have been dismayed to see Hopewell Valley lose its Hunterdon connection altogether, as it will Jan. 8.
But, the 20th century is over and the second year of the 21st is upon us. The headline, "No Democrats Left," which described the political climate 20 years ago, could conceivably change locally in a matter of years and become "No Republicans Left." At the end of the 20th century, Democrats already had taken over the majority of seats on both Pennington and Hopewell Township governing bodies. Hopewell Council has an even split. Democrat Rush Holt, a township resident, is our representative in Washington, D.C. And next week, Hopewell Valley will have three Democrats working on its and much of Mercer’s behalf in the state Legislature. The tide has turned for the Hopewell Valley region.
Time marches on, as it must. It leaves many of us with wonderful memories of the past that probably are better than they should be, if truly measured against reality, and of the people connected to those memories.
Now it is up to our current and future leaders to create memories for this and future generations. May they do the job as well as their predecessors Republicans and Democrats alike.
Again, thanks, Bill Schluter, for your dedication to public service and for all you have done for your town and your state. We appreciate it and we know most of those in Hopewell Valley and District 23 who know you do as well. We wish you the best in your current and future endeavors. We are sure whatever you do, you will do it well.