Nancy Martin*(i) (Seeking mayoral term)
Martin, 49, has a husband, George, four children, Brandon, 29, Michael, 28, Jason, 25, and Amanda, 17, and two grandchildren. She is employed as a tax collector for the borough of Hightstown. She has a high school diploma and received her tax collector certification at Rutgers University, where she also completed eight finance courses. A resident of Helmetta for 28 years, Martin has served as mayor for the past four years. She has also served for four years on the Planning Board and Redevelopment Committee. Martin also has also served Middlesex County Children’s Services and Helmetta recreation.
Peter Karczewski*(i) (Seeking council term)
Karczewski, 40, has a wife, Maria, and two children, Richard, 7, and Steven, 5. He is employed as a service representative. He has a high school diploma, and has served on the Borough Council for three years. He has also served for three years on the Redevelopment Committee and the Middlesex County Urban Forestry Committee. He previously served for two years on the Helmetta Planning Board and four years with the Helmetta Fire Department.
* – denotes incumbents
John Caputo*(i)
(Seeking council term)
Caputo has a wife, Terry, along with four children and 11 grandchildren. He has resided in the borough for 10 years, and is retired. He currently serves as manager of Heather Glen Condos. He has served on the Helmetta Borough Council for two years and on the Recreation Committee for three years. He has been a member of the Holy Name Society for 14 years, and served in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1959 to 1965. What are Helmetta’s strongest and weakest points?
Nancy Martin
Helmetta is a small community, and we have the ability to know our residents. You have a feeling of family when you attend any of our town-sponsored events, and our recreation program has been growing over the years. Our weakest quality is the lack of commercial tax ratables.
Peter Karczewski
A strong point is that we are a small community, enabling a large part of the borough’s residents to know one another, which is essential to a real sense of community. A weak point is that we are a small community, which limits our resources and makes us more dependent on others.
John Caputo
My saying is, “Living is better when you live in Helmetta.” We are a small community and everyone has the opportunity to know the residents in the town. Being a member of the Recreation Committee, I see the community coming together, and it’s a great feeling. A weak point is we are limited on tax ratables that would help offset our school taxes.
What qualities do you bring to the governing body?
Nancy Martin
Helmetta is a small community, and we have the ability to know our residents. You have a feeling of family when you attend any of our town-sponsored events, and our recreation program has been growing over the years. Our weakest quality is the lack of commercial tax ratables.
Peter Karczewski A strong point is that we are a small community, enabling a large part of the borough’s residents to know one another, which is essential to a real sense of community. A weak point is that we are a small community, which limits our resources and makes us more dependent on others.
John Caputo
My saying is, “Living is better when you live in Helmetta.” We are a small community and everyone has the opportunity to know the residents in the town. Being a member of the Recreation Committee, I see the community coming together, and it’s a great feeling. A weak point is we are limited on tax ratables that would help offset our school taxes.
What goals would you like to achieve in the coming years?
Nancy Martin
The completion of the Helme snuff mill property as an age-restricted community; a community center for our residents; expansion of our recreation and community programs; and municipal tax rate stabilization.
Peter Karczewski
I would like the redevelopment of Heritage at Helmetta to be well on its way to completion in the next few years, and I would also like the borough to be in a better position to be more self-sufficient. I believe the redevelopment will put us in a better position to attain this goal.
John Caputo
Completion of the Helme snuff mill property to help stabilize our municipal taxes. Continue seeing the growth of our community events, and making our government run efficiently.