By Andrew Martins, Managing Editor
This November, voters in Hillsborough Township will make a number of decisions at the polls, with not just the presidential election taking place, but also state and local contests.
On Nov. 8, residents will get a chance to choose who will join the Township Committee for the next three years: either incumbent Republican Frank DelCore or Democrat Laurie Poppe.
In order to provide the candidates an equitable platform to discuss their plans for the future of the township, they were each given the same questions and the same amount of space for their responses. This article draws from those written responses.
Citing the “beautiful rural aspects of the community,” as well as the quality of the township’s school system, Mr. DelCore said he moved to Hillsborough in 2001 with his wife, Renee, and his two daughters, Rebecca and Kristin. Since then, he said his daughters have gone through the Hillsborough Township Public School system.
Now 50, the sitting committeeman and township mayor said he has had a public service track record that goes back to 2004.
“I have tried to teach my daughters that giving back to the community is incredibly important and I believe that lesson would be best learned if I led by example,” he said.
Since then, Mr. DelCore has served on “several local volunteer boards,” including the Recreation Commission and the Planning Board. He has been serving on the Township Committee for the last nine years and has served as the mayor four times.
Though the incumbent has had a longer track record for public service, Ms. Poppe has been a Hillsborough resident longer, having moved to the community 27 years ago.
Like her opponent, Ms. Poppe sent her daughter through the Hillsborough school district. During that time, she said she regularly volunteered at her daughter’s school every Monday, offering to do “all the copying for the week for every teacher in her grade.”
“Having school experience, I know this allowed the teachers room to focus on the class,” she said.
Ms. Poppe also served as president of the Mid-Jersey Collaborative Alliance; was co-chair of the Young Lawyers Division of Somerset County; worked as a law clerk to judges Ann Bartlett, Thomas Dilts and Julie Marino; and founded and presided over the MOMS Club of Hillsborough/Montgomery.
“I believe you get out of a community what you put in. If you see an issue, participate to resolve it,” she said. “I have always looked for ways to move things forward, find sensible solutions and strove to make good things even better. As a member of the committee I would work with my fellow committee people to achieve these goals, making decisions based on facts, not politics.”
For Mr. DelCore, the decision to run to retain his seat on the committee stems largely from the “One of the Best Places to live in America” distinctions bestowed upon the township by Money Magazine over the last three years and the need to “give back.”
“I believe that giving back to the community is important and that public service is noble, provided that decisions are made for the right reasons,” he said. “My actions in office have always been guided by one principle — what is in the best interest in Hillsborough.”
In that pursuit, he said he was proud that the township was able to repel a proposal for a power plant. He also cited his work with Congressman Leonard Lance to remove a federal stockpile of mercury “before the fire hit our town, averting what could have been a catastrophe for our community.”
Ms. Poppe, on the other hand, said the February fire was an unmitigated disaster for her opponent, citing instances where officials allegedly did not act on expert information and did not provide information in a timely manner.
“In 2004, the Chief Fire Marshall informed the township that the VA Depot was a significant fire hazard. Nearly seven years later, another notice was sent yet nothing was done,” she said. “We watched as a fire burned for days, putting citizens and firefighters at risk. My opponent did nothing to mitigate this catastrophe waiting to happen. It is imperative that information flows, that citizens are informed and critical issues addressed.”
In addition, Ms. Poppe said she decided to run against Mr. DelCore specifically because of the Money Magazine designation.
“Hillsborough is at a crossroad in a number of areas. Businesses are leaving, roads are in decline and infrastructure is decaying. We have been resting on our laurels for too long instead of thinking about how we will be an even better place to live in the future,” she said. “While towns like Somerville have, through bi-partisan efforts, become a vibrant destination, we have a stalled by-pass, no town center, a traffic nightmare on (Route) 206 everyday and plans that languish.”
Along with those issues, Ms. Poppe said the key issues the township will face in the near future will be the need to “invest our resources wisely, involve the community and recommit our efforts to planning for our future.”
She said she plans to do so by creating a series of “moderated sessions” to gather information from “all stakeholders regularly, including our businesses, residents and even those who pass through our town, to come to a consensus on how best to move forward.”
When asked what he saw as the most pressing matter for Hillsborough residents, Mr. DelCore said one word: “taxes.”
“Managing the municipal budget is a challenging task each year given rising costs, contractual obligations, state mandates and infrastructure needs,” he said. “Since the first time I ran … I have pledged to be a financial watchdog over township finances. I believe that job one for any elected official is to provide effective fiscal stewardship over taxpayer dollars and I strongly believe that I have delivered on my pledge of fiscal responsibility.” Citing his time on the township’s finance committee before joining the governing body, Mr. DelCore said he has worked to keep an eye on municipal spending.
“Through 2015, Hillsborough was spending less for municipal services than in 2008 — that is the result of managing our township like a business and helped deliver this year’s budget with a zero percent tax increase for municipal government,” he said. “Effective local government must begin with achieving and maintaining financial health.”
In order to ensure that the budget stays within the state mandated 2 percent cap, Mr. DelCore said he plans to lean on his MBA to “maintain a business-like approach” to government while continuing an “aggressive open space acquisition program.” He also plans to seek out other cost-saving measures, such as the recently approved “establishment of shared services agreements with Montgomery and Manville to provide court services.”
Though Mr. DelCore said he found it difficult to compare himself to his opponent due to her lack of experience as an elected official, Ms. Poppe said she felt her skill set would set her aside from the mayor.
“My opponent has a financial background. As an attorney, therapist and social worker I have been trained to listen, understand and find solutions,” she said. “It is time to bring a different skill set to the committee and I will do so. There is a need for a fresh voice. Voters can be assured I will be their voice.”
Regardless of their differences, both candidates said they hoped to serve the taxpayers and residents of Hillsborough.
“We are fortunate in Hillsborough to have very dedicated group of volunteers that serve as firefighters in our fire companies, that give their time to participate in township boards and commissions, and that work with our kids as sports coaches and mentors,” Mr. DelCore said. “I believe the character of our community was on full display during the warehouse fire we experienced in February,” he said. “I was truly struck by number of people who reached out wanting to know how they could help in any way — by providing food, drink or a place to warm for the emergency responders who were putting their lives on the line battling the fire. The response was overwhelming and sincere.
“I would be honored to continue to represent Hillsborough on the Township Committee,” Mr. DelCore said.
For Ms. Poppe, “Living in Hillsborough for 27 years, I have a desire to make it an even better place to live, work and raise a family for all residents. We have so much potential, we are ideally located in a remarkable part of New Jersey, we have wonderful venues such as Duke Farm and the natural beauty of our farmland and the Sourland Mountains.
“With a forthright approach to governing, a fresh voice and a commitment to making decisions based on facts, not politics, Hillsborough will prosper in the year to come.
“This is why I want to serve,” Ms. Poppe said.
Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 8.
