When the polls open for primary elections on June 5, voters in Hillsborough will split themselves down party lines to choose who will represent their particular set of beliefs this November in the race for two committee seats.
Four residents will vie for the open spots on the governing body – two Democrats and two Republicans. The Democrats will have Dr. James Bergstrom and Jeffrey A. Wright Sr. on their ticket, while the Republicans will have Shawn Lipani and Ron Skobo on the ballot.
The two seats up for grabs are currently held by Republicans Greg Burchette and Carl Suraci. Since neither filed a petition to run this June, they will not be seeking re-election this November.
Hillsborough Township Republican Committee Chair Helen Haines described both Lipani and Skobo as “dynamic individuals” who have lived in the township for decades.
Lipani is a life-long Hillsborough resident and small business owner who currently serves as the Hillsborough Township Planning Board chairman. Over the years, he has also been a member of the Somerset County Planning Board, the Hillsborough Economic and Business Development Commission (EDBC), the Hillsborough Board of Adjustment, the Capital Planning Board, the Hillsborough Rotary Club, and the Youth Services Commission.
Lipani received a bachelor of science degree from the University of Rochester.
As a 45-year Hillsborough resident, Skobo has been active throughout the community. He has served as a former Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Captain of Detectives who has a master’s degree in criminal justice from Rutgers University. He is married with two children.
Described by fellow Republicans as an active volunteer around the community, Skobo has been a member of the Hillsborough Township Recreation Commission; the Board of Somerset Treatment Services; the Somerset County Youth Leadership; Somerville Elks Lodge #1068; the Rutgers University Alumni Association; Leadership Somerset; Hillsborough Township Cultural and Arts Commission; and Hillsborough Township Planning Board.
For the Democrats, both Bergstrom and Wright were described as “highly educated professionals with backgrounds that will serve the public well” who had the full support of both the Hillsborough Democratic Organization and the Hillsborough Democratic Alliance.
According to officials, Bergstrom has lived in the township for more than 30 years and has sent his three children to the Hillsborough Township Public School system. He graduated with a bachelor of science degree in chemistry from Elmhurst College and earned a doctorate in the same subject from Arizona State University. Since then, he has conducted research at the University of Nevada, Reno and at University of California, Los Angeles.
Bergstrom had a 20-year career at Merck and Co. working on discovering new drugs at the Merck Sharpe and Dohme Research Center in Rahway before becoming a director and medical/scientific writer for Mountain Stream Communications, LLC, a medical communications company he formed with his wife Dr. Lisa Bergstrom.
As a resident, Bergstrom has coached and umpired for Hillsborough Little League, and coached boys’ and girls’ youth basketball programs. He also played in the Hillsborough Over-30 league for a number of years. He was also a founding member of the Friends of Hillsborough Open Space (FOHOS).
Bergstrom has also served as president of the Hillsborough Democratic Alliance and as chairman of the Hillsborough Democratic Organization. He is a member of the Democratic County Committee from District 8 (Wertsville Road).
A Hillsborough resident since 2014, Wright grew up in Piscataway and holds a bachelor of science degree in general business and finance from Norfolk State University. He is currently employed at Garden State Securities, Inc. as an investment adviser representative and financial adviser.
Before moving to Hillsborough, Wright served on the Piscataway Zoning Board of Adjustment for five years, as well as the Open Space Committee and Senior Citizens Committee. He coached Little League Baseball for three years. Wright is a master mason and a member of the Society of Free and Accepted Masons of New Jersey – Alpha Lodge 116.
Wright currently serves as the treasurer of Bethel Presbyterian Church and is also running for the Democratic County Committee from District 9 (Country Classics).
At the state level, both major parties will field candidates for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democratic Senator Robert Menendez.
Menendez, who will seek reelection on the Democratic ticket, is up against Lisa A. McCormick for the party’s nomination. McCormick is running on the “Democrats for Change” ticket.
Two men are seeking the Republican Party nomination for U.S. Senate – Bob Hugin, who is running on the regular Republican Party ticket, and Brian D. Goldberg, who is running on the Mercer County MAGA Republicans ticket.
In the 7th District House of Representatives race, the Democrats are fielding Tom Malinowski, Peter Jacob and Goutam Jois. The Republican contest will be between incumbent Representative Leonard Lance, Raafat Barsoom and Lindsay C. Brown.
At the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders, Republicans Patrick Scaglione and Mark Caliguire are running unopposed for the Republican nomination. Similarly, the Democratic candidates Jeffrey A. Wright and James Bergstrom will not have opposition within their own party.
Polls will open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 5. To find out where to vote, refer to the sample ballot that was sent to all residents by the Somerset County Clerk’s Office earlier this month.