Democrat Paul Drake joins committee
By:Roger Alvarado
Decamp Drive resident Bob Wagner was unanimously elected to serve as Hillsborough’s mayor this year during Tuesday’s reorganization meeting.
Township Committee members also chose Simonson Lake resident Carl Suraci, 38, who in 2003 was elected along with Mr. Wagner, to be this year’s deputy mayor.
Under the committee form of government, the committee selects the mayor at the annual reorganization meeting each January. Last year, committee members vowed to rotate the mayor’s seat in a break from township tradition.
Outgoing Mayor Steven Sireci wasted little time in ending the night’s drama on whether or not the pledge would be fulfilled.
"It is my pleasure to nominate a fine gentleman and a man that I think will do a find job leading the committee this year," Dr. Sireci said. "I have gotten to know him well over the last year and his name is Bob Wagner."
Mr. Wagner, 40, has lived in Hillsborough for 11 years. He is a supervisor for Magellan Health Services in Parsipanny. Mr. Wagner was elected to the Township Committee in November 2003 and was appointed deputy mayor in 2004 when Republicans held a 5-0 majority.
"I am so honored by the vote of confidence in selecting me as mayor of Hillsborough this year," Mayor Wagner said.
Mayor Wagner briefly thanked his wife, Sue, son, Connor, and sister, Kathy, for their support before pausing to acknowledge the 150,000 people who have lost their lives and the many victims that have suffered as a result of the Dec. 26 tsunami that devastated Southeast Asia.
"A little more than a week ago we witnessed one of the most horrific tragedies that anyone has ever seen in their lifetime," Mayor Wagner said. "It dwarfs our everyday problems."
Mayor Wagner called on township residents to do what they can to help out in the relief effort.
Mayor Wagner then went on to thank Dr. Sireci and presented him with a commemorative gavel honoring his year of serving as the township’s mayor in 2004. He outlined his goals for the new year.
"The philosophy of putting the taxpayers first will continue in 2005," Mayor Wagner said. "As is the norm from Trenton this is going to be a tough budget year. We are going to be forced to make hard decisions, but we will make them with the interests of the taxpayers in mind."
Mayor Wagner also said that open space and farmland preservation would continue to be a major priority.
"I look forward to a decision to move the mercury out of Hillsborough," Mayor Wagner said. "We need to see the federal government take action now this is an issue that has dragged on way too long in Hillsborough."
Mayor Wagner said he looked forward to the completion of the second phase of the township’s Master Plan.
"The Master Plan will be a specific road map of what our town center will look like," Mayor Wagner said. "We will explore every option to ensure that we have a first-class town center. It’s going to be an exciting opportunity for us to improve the quality of life in Hillsborough."
Mayor Wagner predicted that a Parks and Recreation Master Plan would be the "signature issue" of this year’s committee.
Mayor Wagner pointed out the various potential recreational sites in the township, including the Belle Mead GSA depot, could prove to be a "tremendous large scale recreational site" for the township.
To that end, Mayor Wagner said that this year’s committee would work diligently to come up with a plan that will in the long run centralize the township’s parks and recreations programs.
"Our parks and recreation programs need to successfully serve everyone," Mayor Wagner said. "The key to that success is the right kind of planning. It is my hope that the Parks and Recreation Master Plan will be a signature issue of this Township Committee.
Deputy Mayor Suraci during his remarks, lauded the 2004 committee for "accomplishing a lot" despite the fact that three of its members were serving just their first year on the committee.
He included the committee’s ability to receive direct assurances from Congressman Mike Ferguson that the mercury currently stored in the township will be moved out by sometime in 2006; the rezoning of the Doris Duke Estate, which will pave the way for the estate to become a major cultural and arts center; assurances from the state Department of Transportation that the Route 206 bypass will be built; and the committee’s ability to pass a budget with no tax increase among them.
During Tuesday’s meeting, newly elected Committeeman Paul Drake, the committee’s lone Democrat, was sworn in along with Committeeman Anthony Ferrera, who was elected to a one-year term in November.
Mr. Drake of Balmoral Court works as a professional planner and has been a Hillsborough resident for 13 years. He chaired the township Zoning Board of Adjustment in 2004 and has previously sat on the township Planning Board.
Despite being outnumbered 4-1, Mr. Drake pledged to be part of a "team" working for the "betterment of this community."
"Campaigns are about politics," Mr. Drake said. "Good government is about putting the community first."
Mr. Drake, who along with Dr. Sireci, will sit on the committee’s Finance Committee, pledged to involve the public in a series of forums designed to gain their input prior to holding any public hearings on this year’s municipal budget.
He also said he would explore grants and other ways of funding for the township, including shared services contracts, which would help it offset expenses.
Mr. Ferrera of Hoagland Cour, thanked Hillsborough residents for their support and for giving him the opportunity to continue the work he started over his first seven months on the committee.
He, as did Mayor Wagner and the other members of the committee, pledged to put aside partisan differences and work in a bipartisan fashion with Mr. Drake in 2005.
"We all live in Hillsborough and we want the best things for the town," Mr. Ferrera said. "This is a good group and I look forward to an exciting time."
Despite the spirit of bipartisanship that persisted throughout the night, audience members were noticeably surprised when Mr. Drake cast a dissenting vote against the list of the committee’s 2005 appointments.
"I believe we (Hillsborough’s Democratic Party) submitted 60 names of qualified people willing to serve and just two appear to have made it onto the list," Mr. Drake said after the meeting.
Mr. Drake went on to say that he was not disputing the qualifications of those chosen, but was rather disappointed by the decision to include so few of the names submitted by his party.
The committee was unanimous in passing formal resolutions appointing the various township officers and mayoral appointments for 2005.
"I think we have a really dynamic team," Mayor Wagner said after the meeting. "There is a great amount of experience up there with Steven (Sireci), who has been with the committee the past two years, and the three of us who have one year under our belts.
"Paul (Drake)will bring a lot to the committee and I think we will mesh together," Mayor Wagner said. "I think that the bickering between the Democrats and Republicans will be very little this year because of the group that we will have up there."
The committee will meet again Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. in the municipal courtroom.

