Only four actually are involved in races on Nov. 8, election day
By Ruth Luse
Although there are nine candidates seeking seats on the Valley’s three municipal governing bodies, only four of them actually are involved in races on Nov. 8, election day.
Candidates for office in Pennington and Hopewell boroughs are running unopposed.
Only two of four individuals seeking the two open seats (three-year terms) on the Hopewell Township Committee will be elected Tuesday. The choices are (vote for two):
Robert Cacciabaudo (Republican) of Bear Tavern Road Mr. Cacciabaudo is married and the father of two sons, 3 and 5 respectively. He is a small business owner and entrepreneur. A 1977 graduate of Steinert High School, he attended Mercer County Community College, where he majored in business administration. He has served as a golf professional at Walt Disney World, Florida, and at Rolling Hills Country Club, Charlotte, N.C.
Arlene Kemp (incumbent Republican) of Pennington Road Ms. Kemp is the current mayor of Hopewell Township and was elected to the Township Committee in 2002. A professional engineer and professional planner, she formed and for 16 years has been president of her own civil engineering consulting firm, which specializes in bridge inspection. Additionally, she is the executive director of Hands on Helpers, Mercer County’s volunteer clearinghouse, an area nonprofit. She serve s on numerous boards and commissions, including the Bipartisan Coalition for Women’s Gubernatorial Appointments, the Governors Task Force on Truck Safety, the League of Municipalities Legislative Review Committee, the Department of Labor Women’s Leadership Conference, and the Mercer ARC (Association of Retarded Citizens). For more than 14 years, she was the municipal engineer for several communities, including Orange, South Orange, and East Orange, where she was responsible for infrastructure capital improvement projects. For eight years, she was the director of public works for the City of Orange, supervising a staff of 75, and having full responsibility for the water distribution and treatment systems, sewerage collection system, parks, streets, and vehicle and equipment maintenance. For three years, she was the assistant county engineer for Hudson County. She has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Oklahoma.
John Murphy (Democrat) of New Road Mr. Murphy has served on the Hopewell Township Planning Board for more than two years and also is involved with Hopewell Valley Regional School District activities. He is a business professional and attorney with over 20 years of experience helping governmental agencies and Fortune 500 companies improve their operational efficiency and financial stability. Currently he is a partner at Smart and Associates, LLP, a full service accounting and business advisory firm. Mr. Murphy received a bachelor’s degree from Fordham University and a juris doctor degree from New York Law School. He and his wife Jennifer have two children, Caelin, 7 and Riley, 4.
Vanessa Sandom (incumbent Democrat) of Harbourton Ridge Drive Ms. Sandom has been a member of the Hopewell Township Committee since 2001 and served as mayor in 2004. She has been a volunteer and community activist in Hopewell Township since moving here with her family 18 years ago. Her career experience includes 15 years as an executive with Fortune 100 companies including General Electric, Johnson & Johnson and Travelers Insurance. She received a bachelor’s degree with honors in philosophy from the University of Connecticut and a master’s degree in public and private management from Yale University. She and her husband Carl have two children, Alex, 16 and Ben, 13. For the past five summers, Ms. Sandom and her family have worked with Global Volunteers, an organization dedicated to achieving world peace through understanding. Recently she traveled to Sri Lanka to clean the coastline devastated by last year’s tsunami.
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PENNINGTON BOROUGH:
Two incumbents, both Democrats, are seeking re-election to two seats on Pennington Borough Council. They are running unopposed. A third incumbent, also a Democrat, is running unopposed to complete the unexpired term of Nancy Ross, who resigned.
James R. Lytle of Laning Avenue Mr. Lytle is a manager by occupation. He worked as operations director for the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association for 16 years. He has an associate degree in biology and a bachelor’s degree in wildlife management conservation. Mr. Lytle has served on Pennington Borough Council since 2000 and was council president in 2004. He served two years in the U.S. Army and four years with U.S. Peace Corps in Thailand. His favorite book is John Steinbeck’s "Grapes of Wrath." He enjoys American history (Civil War), photography and time with his family on "adventure" vacations. Mr. Lytle is married to Christy Stephenson and has two stepsons, Nathan and Jordan, and a grandson, Samuel.
Edwin Weed Tucker of Woolsey Court Mr. Tucker is seeking his second term on Pennington Borough Council. A former Pennington mayor, Mr. Tucker has lived in Pennington for about 44 years. Now retired, he has been a fundraising consultant and grant writer with The Canon Group and Edwin W. Tucker & Associates and Director of Corporations and Foundations/Corporate Communications for The Lawrenceville School’s $132 million capital campaign.
Mr. Tucker was executive secretary and general manager of the New Jersey Press Association and secretary of the New Jersey Press Foundation directing daily operations while also serving as lobbyist and chief spokesman for the statewide newspaper trade association. He rose through the ranks from reporter to second in command as assistant general manager, business manager, and associate editor of The Princeton Packet, Inc. group of weekly newspapers. He also was an adjunct instructor in journalism at Rutgers University.
After graduation from Hobart College, Mr. Tucker served as an Army newspaper editor in the United States and as an overseas correspondent in Korea with the U.S. Army.
Mr. Tucker has held leadership positions in many professional and civic organizations. He is a past president of Newspaper Association Managers, Inc., Hopewell Valley Jaycees, and the Hopewell Valley Democratic Club. He is also a past director of the National Newspaper Association, director of the Pennington Point Condominium Association, and a current member of the American Society of Association Executives, New Jersey Conference of Mayors, Friends of the Pennington Library, and the Society for the Preservation of English Language and Literature and the New Jersey and the Hopewell Valley Historical Society. Mr. Tucker also served on the Vestry of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church and as co-chairman of the Pennington Day Site Planning Committee for two years.
Mr. Tucker lives at Pennington Point with Beverly, his wife of 47 years. They have a grown son and two grandchildren.
Joe Lawver of Burd Street Mr. Lawver was appointed to Pennington Borough Council in 2005 and currently serves as the chairman of the Finance Committee and as liaison to the Economic Development Commission. He and his family moved to Pennington in 2002. He serves on the Children Advisory Committee at the Pennington Public Library, and volunteers at Toll Gate Grammar School and St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church. He also worked on the 2003 Pennington Day Committee. Ms. Lawver has been a stay-at-home dad since moving to Pennington. In the past, he worked as a product director for Verizon Wireless and GTE Wireless, and a development officer for Duke University and The Lawrenceville School. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and an master’s degree in business administration from The Goizuetta Business School at Emory University. He lives with his wife, Teri, and their two children, Delia and Rowland.
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HOPEWELL BOROUGH:
Two incumbents, both Republicans, are running seeking re-election to two seats (three-year terms) on Hopewell Borough Council. Running unopposed, they are:
Robert Lewis of West Broad Street Raised in Rocky Hill, Mr. Lewis attended the Montgomery School system. He has lived on West Broad Street in the borough for seven years. He is a computer network administrator by day and a musician by night. He is the father of four children (Michael, Amy, Lloyd and John) and has been married to Jan for over 16 years. Over the next three years, he said: "I will continue to work closely with my partners on the council to: focus on traffic, safety and the reduction of noise pollution issues; expand recreational opportunities and identify ways for the borough to attract visitors and shoppers to local establishments while maintaining the peaceful nature of the borough; and improve communication between the borough and its residents."
Schuyler Morehouse of East Prospect Street A longtime resident of Hopewell, Mr. Morehouse was born in Morristown. A process automation engineer, he is founder and owner of Morehouse Engineering, Inc. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, he served as a Hopewell Borough councilman during 1989-90. He also serves on the Hopewell Board of Fire Commissioners (chairman, 1992 to present), and as a member of the board for the Stony Brook Regional Sewerage Authority since 1999.
He said: "When we decided to live in Hopewell Borough in 1986, we also made a conscious decision to try to be part of the fabric of the village. Over the course of the last 20 years I have served in many volunteer roles in this community. I am currently in my third term on council having served one term in the 90s and now, another two terms since 2000. Before serving on council the first time I was appointed as the zoning officer.
" I have worked with the Park Commission to design and install the lower bridge in the park. My interest in the park remains keen as I often loan my time, tools, equipment, and family to assist with stream remediation work. I could go on and on. Suffice it to say, we love Hopewell Borough and do all we can to keep it the beautiful welcoming community it is.
"I feel it also is important to serve the community by doing volunteer work other than that related to the borough itself. I chose to locate my business in Hopewell to maximize my effective professional time and minimize time wasted commuting. This allows me more time with my family and for interests and hobbies. As an engineer I know the importance of mentoring and professional internship programs. I have worked with the FIRST robotics program with HVCHS for nine years including at least six years as a major team sponsor. I have also become a judge with the regional organization. My wonderful experiences with this program at the high school level led me to organize a middle school Lego design challenge and I have enjoyed managing and overseeing a growing competition in Somerset County for the last seven years or so.
"My primary areas of concern for the borough going forward are the issues surrounding the municipal building and our roads. Neither of these issues has an easy fix. We must assess the needs and determine the priorities. If we need to spend money we should spent the appropriate amount as wisely as possible so we only have to do it once. I plan to continue to work closely with my fellow Council members to make Hopewell Borough the best it can be."

