New county executive to be sworn in today but the pageantry will quickly shift to making some tough choices.
By: Jennifer Potash
As Mercer County Executive-elect Brian Hughes prepares for the pageantry of his swearing-in ceremony today, the celebratory mood is tempered by looming problems facing his administration.
"Our transition team identified two key areas management and maintenance," Mr. Hughes said in a telephone interview on Tuesday.
His administration which is still being formed wants "to give people a reason to believe in county government" and provide regional services and not act as a developer of entertainment venues, said Mr. Hughes, a Princeton Township resident.
The Mercer County Criminal Courthouse in Trenton, which has not been properly maintained, will need to be replaced, he said, and will cost an estimated $35 million to $45 million.
"That’s a big-ticket item," he said.
Other county facilities continue to lose money, Mr. Hughes said.
"The arena is still operating at about a $4 million deficit, the geriatric center still operates at about a $3.5 million deficit and those are issues we really are going to have to address," he said.
County government has also been clouded by possible ethical lapses the chief of staff to departing County Executive Robert Prunetti, a Republican, is under investigation and other controversies have swirled over the Mercer County Improvement Authority awarding a recycling contract, said Mr. Hughes, who is a Democrat.
Mr. Hughes wants a "new day" for ethical standards in county government.
"(It’s) going to be clear to the employees, the staff, the vendors, the professionals and everybody that wants to do business with Mercer County government … we’re going to operate at the absolutely highest ethical standards there can be and we’re going to be taking steps to ensure that," Mr. Hughes said.
Another critical area is the county road program and helping municipalities obtain needed funds from the state.
The state’s Transportation Trust Fund coffers are nearly depleted and the Legislature will not take up a gasoline tax increase in the lame-duck session. Mr. Hughes said he will press state officials for Mercer County’s fair share of transportation dollars.
"Our ability to maintain an effective road system is really dependent on that transportation trust fund," he said. "You do not have to go farther than riding down Mercer Street or some of the areas around Princeton … to know that we have some infrastructure problems."
But his outlook isn’t all "doom and gloom," Mr. Hughes said.
The county is ready to launch the "Mercer Is Beautiful" program to better promote open space and recreation opportunities, Mr. Hughes said.
And he wants to rebuild the relationship with the 13 municipalities that constitute Mercer County.
"I think certainly there is a new opportunity to work closely with the mayors of Mercer County and to really foster a collegial rapport with the mayors that hasn’t been there in the past," he said.
And Mr. Hughes, who served two terms on the Mercer County Board of Chosen Freeholders, said the mayors offer lots of valuable lessons.
"In Princeton, Borough Mayor Marvin Reed leaves his community a new library and a case study in perseverance," Mr. Hughes said. "And like it or not like it, (the library) is certainly something he believed in and went about providing the community."