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BORDENTOWN TOWNSHIP: Democrat challengers showcase goals

By David Kilby, Special Writer
   BORDENTOWN — The race to Nov. 6, Election Day, is in full swing.
   Stephen Benowitz and Kershaw Weston have teamed up as the Democratic candidates to challenge Republican incumbents, Deputy Mayor Michael Dauber and Committeeman John Moynihan, in the race for Bordentown Township Committee’s two open seats.
   Mr. Benowitz, who is often at the township meetings, has lived in Bordentown since 1969, and was on the Bordentown Township Committee 34 years ago for one-term, as well as the Planning Board and the school board, he said.
   ”I feel people need better representation than what they get now,” Mr. Benowitz told the Register-News, adding he’s been campaigning since May and has been to all the houses in Bordentown.
   Mr. Benowitz, from Van Drive, has promised to visit 150 to 200 homes every two weeks throughout his term in office if he wins.
   ”Listening to what they have to say is the only way you can govern locally,” he said.
   As for his political opponents, Mr. Benowitz said that Republicans have controlled the Township Committee for the last 11 years.
   He said Republicans have claimed to lower taxes — but haven’t, noting, “in the last three years the municipal tax has increased by over one third.”
   If elected Mr. Benowitz said he would encourage more development, especially along Route 130 near Hamilton, to attract ratables.
   ”On (Route) 130 we have a great opportunity there,” Mr. Benowitz said. “The development seems to stop near Hamilton Township. We have to work with new business. We have to build our reputation and make sure we’re business-friendly so people do want to come here.”
   He also mentioned Bordentown-Hedding Road as a good place for warehouse development.
   ”Our reputation has to be impeccable. Otherwise businesses won’t want to come here. People have a sense of community, but it needs to be developed more,” Mr. Benowitz added.
   He also mentioned how the township has no business administrator.
   ”You now have three people, the chief of police, township clerk, and CFO taking on business administrator duties. Bordentown has always had an administrator.”
   Mr. Benowitz said a township of 13,000 residents can’t survive without a business administrator with a business background.
   ”It is in the budget, but they have made no overtures to hire one,” he added.
   Mr. Benowitz, 67, has one son and one daughter who attended school in Bordentown. He has three grandchildren and has been married to his wife Ella for 44 years. He is retired from his career as a school administrator at Burlington County Institute of Technology.
   He said his bottom line is “service to the people.”
   Mr. Weston has never held a political office, and never ran for one. However, he served in the military for almost 32 years.
   ”My primary focus while on active duty were organizations and committees associated with the bases to which I was assigned,” Mr. Weston said.
   Mr. Weston, from Dorset Court, said he has extensive experience in managing change and finding real solutions to existing situations.
   ”I had to move constantly and apply my abilities to solving and resolving various situations in different parts of this country,” Mr. Weston said, adding he had 10 different assignments in the United States and Japan while on duty.
   ”I did well and was recognized at each of my assignments for the excellent work I had done,” he said.
   Mr. Weston, 54, is married and has two step-children, ages 8 and 20, and two adult children, ages 35 and 32. He’s been married to his wife, Stacey Braxton-Weston, for 18 months. He was previously married for 31 years.
   He retired from the Air Force as a Lt. Col in 2008 and is now a substitute teacher for Bordentown schools. He also does taxes part-time at H&R Block during tax season.
   ”I believe I can make a difference,” he said. “I bring a no-nonsense, fact-based results-oriented approach to everything I do. I believe my ability to evaluate, listen and apply proven managerial principles will work well in moving Bordentown forward. There are ‘it’s always been done that way” situations that have existed for years in Bordentown. I definitely bring an unbiased, fresh approach to those and any other situations that could come up in Bordentown.”
   If elected Mr. Weston said that he and Mr. Benowitz will focus on “tax fairness.”
   ”We plan to encourage businesses to come into Bordentown and have more ratables to help share the tax burden,” Mr. Weston stated. “Also, as our expenses decrease, we will pass those savings on directly to the taxpayers via decreases in the municipal tax.”
   He also would consolidate similar services such as police, fire, and sanitation.
   ”A tough situation, but well worth exploring. At a recent fundraiser I met a firm representative that had done it in other townships,” Mr. Weston said. “We should at least get a proposal to see if anything this firm or any other firm presents, merits consideration.
   Like Mr. Benowitz, Mr. Weston said hiring a township administrator is also important.
   ”We need to hire someone whose primary responsibility is to manage and allocate resources for the township,” Mr. Weston said, “possibly someone from within the township or an executive from some other area. We should at least evaluate the possibilities and consider some options.
   Voting polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 6. Residents in Districts One and Seven will vote at the township hall at 1 Municipal Dr. Residents in Districts Four, Five and Eight will vote in the Senior Community Center near Township Hall. Residents in Districts Two and Three will vote in the Mission Firehouse on Groveville Road, and residents in District Six will vote in the Northern Community Park Pavilion on Groveville Road.
For more information on Election Day, call Township Hall at 609-298-2800.