Jackson native ready
to serve community
By Joyce Blay
Staff Writer
VERONICA YANKOWSKI Josh Reilly, pictured with his wife, Maggie, and son, Ben, is getting ready to take his seat on the Township Committee.
JACKSON — Any sports coach will tell you that winning isn’t everything, and given his own unique position, Josh Reilly might agree. The 31-year-old biologist won the greatest number of votes in last month’s race for a seat on the Township Committee, but when he is sworn in to office in January, Reilly will be the governing body’s only Republican member.
"It’s my obligation to help the other (committee) members see my perspective when I feel it is in the best interests of the people of Jackson," Reilly said. "I can be the voice of common sense and reason."
Reilly has been seeking to be that voice for many years.
"When I was 19, I ran for the Jackson school board while attending Cook College in New Brunswick as an undergraduate," said Reilly, who has lived in Jackson since the age of 1. "I didn’t win, but I continued to believe that I could effectively serve this community."
That opportunity did not arrive until over a decade later, but the early experience of running for office whetted the appetite of the ambitious young man, even as he continued his studies in marine biology, eventually graduating from Roger Williams University in Bristol, R.I., in 1994.
After graduation, Reilly joined the AmeriCorps program, and was assigned to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fish Hatchery and Technical Center in Dexter, N.M. He later attended the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff where he earned a master of science degree in aquaculture and fisheries biology. It was there that he met Maggie Queathem, a liberal arts major at the same school. They fell in love and married a year later on Oct. 31, 1998.
"We lived in Arkansas until Josh got an offer of a staff position as a biologist with the same U.S. agency he previously served as an AmeriCorps member," said Maggie Reilly, 24. "I hated living in New Mexico though, because it was so sparsely populated and there were so few couples our own age."
The newlyweds set their sights on a home in the New Jersey area and when an opportunity arose to move back to the northeast, they took it.
"We knew we wanted to come back here (to New Jersey) and since Maggie had visited here before and said she loved it, I took the job offer I got at the time," said Reilly.
Reilly now works at Hartz Mountain as a biologist in research and development, a position he has held for two years.
Although not a native New Jerseyan, Maggie Reilly quickly adapted to her new home, working first in day care at Children’s World in Jackson, then taking a position in the marketing department at Miele Corporation in Princeton until the birth of the couple’s son, Benjamin, 8 months.
On a rainy afternoon visit in late November to the Reillys’ home, a tapestry of brightly hued autumn leaves form a slick coating on the secluded side road leading to the rustic home where the Reillys live.
Born the day before the Jackson Township Regular Republican Organi-zation named Reilly a candidate for Town-ship Committee, Benjamin’s special birthday gave added meaning to the couple’s role as first-time parents, according to Reilly.
"He kept me aware of what was important," the committeeman-elect said. "He’s my future, just as children are everyone’s future. We all have to remember that."
Ben, as his parents call him, is a cheerful, inquisitive infant who delights in adventurously crawling across the clean white-tiled kitchen floor of the 75-year-old house where the Reillys live. Although his son is still too young to explore the world outside his home by himself, Reilly can remember back to a time when he himself played in this section of Jackson, too.
"I used to play on this road, so I have fond memories of it," he said. "I always wanted to live here."
When the Reillys returned to New Jersey, those memories played an important role in deciding where to live. Reilly knew he wanted to raise his own family on the same street where he loved to play as a youngster.
"This was the only house that was up for sale at the time, so we bought it," said Maggie Reilly.
The Reillys share their home with an assortment of pets that include Paddington, an orange tomcat; Lola, a shy calico cat; and Millie, a caramel-colored mixed breed dog.
"She’s like Heinz 57," Maggie Reilly said with amusement.
Reilly also keeps a tropical fish tank in the family kitchen, which is a source of pride to his wife, as well as a colorful decorative touch in their home.
"Josh bred those angel fish," she said.
A committed conservationist, Reilly does not see the protection of the environment or endangered species as an issue that should divide people along political lines.
"I feel that both Republicans and Democrats, no matter what their politics, have an obligation to conserve and manage responsibly our natural resources. (That is why) as a committeeman-elect, my biggest concern is the issue of Towne Centre," said Reilly.
He referred to the redesigned development that has been the subject of debate in Jackson since its developer, Mitch Leigh, first submitted plans to the town earlier this year calling for 5,400 homes, a commercial sector and an artists’ village to replace an approved application for 1,640 homes that was granted more than a decade ago.
"Mel Schubert and I ran on a platform calling for a public referendum on Towne Centre. I am against it as it is currently proposed because I don’t think Jackson has the necessary police force, fire fighting equipment and personnel, water or sewage removal services for this redesigned development. This is a crucial issue and I want to gauge everyone’s opinion in town on it rather than having endless meetings that only solicit the opinions of a few residents," Reilly said.
Schubert, who was Reilly’s running mate on the GOP ticket, did not win a seat on the committee. Jackson voters re-elected Democrat Michael Broderick with Reilly.
He is equally passionate about his civic responsibility as a member of the Township Committee and his desire to perform his new duties as well as he can.
"I’ve always been careful not to bite off more than I can chew," he said. "I’ve already reorganized my free time so that I can devote my attention to municipal matters."
To that end, Reilly said he would be taking courses at Rutgers University that are offered to municipal officials.
"Some people do not avail themselves of these courses, but I believe it’s important to learn as much as I can to make myself a better public servant," he said.