Amie Rukenstein, Hopewell Township
I went to school with Michael Ruger in Malvern, Pennsylvania, from third grade to eighth grade, when my family moved to New Jersey. We had a lot of classes together and I always thought very highly of his gentleness, intelligence, and sense of humor. You forget a lot of people when you move in eighth grade, but I always remembered Michael and wondered what he did with his life.
Flash forward 35 years and my daughter Sara has become friends with a kid in her class at Hopewell Valley Central High School named Teddy Ruger. Hmm, I thought, Ruger is not a real common name. “Hey, Sara, ask Teddy what his Dad’s name is and where he went to elementary school.” Long story short, it is my old classmate now living down the road from me.
We spoke on the phone and I was delighted to see that the nice little kid had grown up to be a really great, thoughtful man, concerned about the community and his family’s place in it. He told me that his wife, Theresa, grew up in Hopewell and they were grateful to be raising their family here and that he was hoping to find some way to be of service to the township.
I was completely tickled when Michael one day knocked on my door while canvassing the neighborhood during the beginning of his and his running mate Kristen McLaughlin’s campaign for Township Committee. No one, in my 14 years of living here, has ever knocked on my door while canvassing my neighborhood. I became interested in the McLaughlin/Ruger platform and found that it gibes with my own concerns for the township.
Both Kristen and Michael are smart and effective leaders in their fields. Their concerns mirror those of the rest of us: containing spending in the township, supporting our Board of Education, controlling growth while meeting our legal obligations for affordable housing, fighting hard against the pipeline, building that senior center that has been so desperately needed for many years.
They listen to the public’s concerns and respond appropriately. I urge you to vote for Kristen and Michael on Nov. 8!
Amie Rukenstein
Hopewell Township
