Editor’s note: Each year, the Hillsborough Beacon asks candidates for the Township Committee to share their views and ideas with readers. This year, voters will fill two, tree-year seats on the committee Nov. 7. . Democrats Karen Gaffney and Christian Mastondrea are running against incumbent Republicans Carl Suraci and Bob Wagner.
Tell us about yourself your work, family and community experience. How will your background help you serve the community while on the Township Committee?
Karen Gaffney
I grew up in Hillsborough and attended public school from kindergarten at Woodfern through to the high school’s graduating class of 1990. My parents still live here. My husband also grew up here, and his family still lives here. I am deeply invested in this town.
I went away for college and graduate school, but unlike most of my peers, I came back. I’m new to politics, and I think that’s an advantage right now, bringing a fresh perspective to a generally stale political climate.
I’ve seen the changes Hillsborough has gone through over the past few decades, some changes for the better and some changes for the worse, and because I grew up here, I have a deep personal commitment to this township’s future.
I am an assistant professor of English at Raritan Valley Community College. Because I work for the community college that serves our county, I have renewed connections to Hillsborough. At school, I advise the Social Justice Club, which focuses on raising awareness and fostering discussion about a variety of current social and political issues.
Hillsborough residents have been involved in the club. This club allows me to further my commitment to the community as well as to progressive politics.
Finally, I grew up in the Neshanic section of Hillsborough, on Zion Road. I feel a particular connection to the Sourland Mountain region, and I know from experience that the Sourlands are a beautiful place with a rich natural and historical heritage that must be protected.
Christian Mastondrea
I moved to Hillsborough with my wife four years ago. I was born and raised in Hackettstown and I am a 1990 graduate of Warren Hills High School. I graduated from Elmira College, summa cum laude, in 1994 with a B.A. in Political Science and International Studies. I was elected to Phi Beta Kappa my senior year. I then received my law decree from the College of William and Mary School of Law in 1997. Thereafter, I attended the University of Edinburgh earning an LL.M. in European Union Law and Policy in 1998. I am admitted to practice law in New York and New Jersey.
I returned to New Jersey to begin my career in law. I am currently a Senior Associate with the firm of Eichen, Levinson and Crutchlow working as a litigation attorney handling complex civil matters.
I have represented a wide array of clients including individual plaintiffs, corporations, large hospitals and health care systems, doctors, and municipalities. I am familiar with the laws controlling local government operation and I have been involved in all phases of contract formation and multi-million dollar settlement negotiations.
From this mixture of education and real world experience I will be able to bring a fresh view to our Township Committee. I understand not only what the town’s legal obligations are to groups such as developers, but also what their obligations are to us.
I will aggressively use my educational and professional experience to advance a platform of controlled growth, increased efficiency while seeking to maximize revenue collection from a source other than property tax.
Carl Suraci
I and my family have lived in Hillsborough since 1994. I graduated from Rutgers University with a Mechanical Engineering degree, and from Fairleigh Dickinson University with an M.B.A.
Currently, I work in Regulatory Compliance for Becton, Dickinson and Co., a medical technology company. I maintain a professional affiliation with the American Society for Quality (ASQ) as a Certified Quality Engineer (CQE).
I was elected to the Township Committee in 2003. I served as deputy mayor in 2005, and currently serve as the mayor, in which capacity I have a seat on the Planning Board. During my term as a township committeeman, I have been the budget chairman, police commissioner and a member of the personnel committee.
Prior to my election, it was my privilege to serve on the township Recreation Commission.
Bob Wagner
My name is Bob Wagner, I have lived in Hillsborough since 1993 with my wife, Sue, and my son, Connor, who is now 10 years old.
I work for Magellan Health Services in Parsippany as Supervisor of the Support Services Team. I have always believed strongly in community involvement, going back to high school, when I joined the Far Hills-Bedminster First Aid Squad as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). Once I returned from college I rejoined the Squad and served for a total of eight years working as an EMT before moving to Hillsborough.
I am currently a member of the Hillsborough/Manville Rotary Club, and a member of Hillsborough’s newly-formed Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), for which I have been doing extensive training.
I served on the township’s Recreation Commission before joining the Township Committee. Involvement with youth activities has been a passion of mine, and I believe such work not only helps our kids, but provides a role model for their future adult life.
I truly believe that my community involvement here and in the town I grew up in shows my commitment to community service, and specifically to Hillsborough and its residents.
I believe in the giving of one’s time and energy for the betterment of one’s community, as I have demonstrated in the past and the present, and look forward to continuing to demonstrate in a second term on Township Committee.

