METUCHEN — Democrats in Metuchen are running unopposed in the upcoming November election.
Mayor Jonathan M. Busch is seeking the one year un-expired term of former Mayor Peter Cammarano. Former Councilwoman Sheri-Rose Rubin and newcomer Jason Delia are seeking the two open, three-year term seats on the Borough Council.
Councilwoman Allison Inserro and Councilman Ronald Grayzel are not seeking re-election this year.
Jonathan M. Busch, 41, was appointed as mayor on Dec. 18, 2017, to fill the mayoral seat after Cammarano announced his resignation and confirmed his nomination as Gov. Phil Murphy’s chief of staff.
“I am running for mayor because I care deeply about Metuchen and its future,” Busch said. “During my 10 months as mayor, we have accomplished so much together and I look forward to the opportunity to continue moving the borough in the right direction.”
Busch said he, the borough administration and the Borough Council will continue to emphasize principles of transparency, open discourse and inclusion by holding open office hours for residents at his Borough Hall office every week.
“We will continue establishing an even more welcoming, walkable and vibrant downtown; work on constructing a new firehouse, the Metuchen Arts District and a new sewer pump station; enhancing park and recreational spaces; preserving Metuchen’s diverse, historic and attractive residential neighborhoods; and making the borough safer through a variety of pedestrian-friendly initiatives,” he said.
Busch has lived in the borough for 13 years. He and his wife Kathy have three boys, ages 13, 12 and 7.
He is an education law attorney and founded The Busch Law Group LLC on Main Street in Metuchen in 2014. The firm represents school boards in 16 of New Jersey’s 21 counties.
Busch is an active volunteer with the Metuchen Baseball and Softball, the Metuchen Area Chamber of Commerce, the Metuchen Downtown Alliance, the Borough Improvement League, and the Metuchen-Edison Historical Society.
Sheri-Rose Rubin, 51, who is an 11-year resident of the borough, is seeking her second term on council. She previously served from 2009-12.
“I am running for council after taking a nearly 10-year break because I want to contribute to the vibrant transformation of Metuchen,” she said. “I can bring wisdom that comes from experience to the decision making, and am confident enough at this point in my life to challenge the false or confusing narratives that surround local government.”
Rubin and her husband Seth have two children, 18 and 15.
She is a disability rights and special education lawyer, a professor at Rutgers University where she teaches an employment law and employment discrimination course, and she works as a peer counselor at the Rutgers Behavioral Health Mom2Mom crisis hotline.
She is the current manager of the Metuchen Buddy Ball Program; chairperson and founder of the Metuchen Accessibility Committee for almost five years; a Metuchen Democratic Committee member since 2009; served as liaison to the library board, the senior citizen commission, planning board and Chamber of Commerce; and established the current Metuchen Farmer’s Market.
She also advocated for and established the Metuchen Accessibility Committee in 2014.
The former councilwoman said while there are many areas to focus her attention, she would like to continue to be the voice of inclusion and advocate for the residents and visitors with disabilities.
“We cannot overlook the ongoing need to continuously ensure that all programs, places and events are welcoming and accessible to anyone who wants to participate,” she said. “We must find and fund creative solutions to the unique challenges that our older structures present and remember that there is always a solution to any barrier that exist.”
Jason Delia, 38, who is a seven-year resident of the borough, is seeking his first council seat. He and his wife Courtney have a 10-year-old son.
Delia said he believes in giving back to the community wherever and however one can.
“I’ve seen firsthand the difference you can make in a town like Metuchen,” he said. “I’m running for council so that I can continue to serve the community that I love. The town has made great progress in recent years. With my background and knowledge I believe I can help lead the town through these important next steps including implementation of the complete streets policy, planning for the Local Safety Program grant, helping establish the Arts District and making the town more walkable and accessible for all.”
Delia said once on the council he wants to find ways the borough can better leverage existing technology to improve services and make governing more efficient.
“Digitizing forms, operation schedules and asset management will move us towards an even more citizen-centric approach to governing,” he said. “There are also opportunities to leverage data collection and analysis to help make more informed decisions.”
Delia said he can also help Metuchen capitalize on future technological advancements such as the roll out of 5G mobile communications, the increase in use of electric and eventually autonomous vehicles and IoT technologies.
As a software engineer, Delia said he has vast experience working in collaborative, results-driven environments.
“Throughout my career, I have designed and built tools that drive revenue for financial service firms and a leading ad tech company,” he said. “I have a proven ability to build partnerships and bring people and ideas together to create innovative solutions.”
Delia said since moving to Metuchen, he has spent countless hours volunteering in the community.
“I’ve held various roles in town soccer and baseball, I designed and maintain the Farmers Market web presence, and I founded CoderDojo Metuchen, an organization aimed at educating youth on the foundations of computer programming,” he said.
Delia also serves as head of communications for the borough’s Traffic and Transportation Committee. He is the project lead for the Street Smart NJ pedestrian education campaign, which partnered with the Metuchen Police Department to educate the community and improve pedestrian safety.
“Most recently I worked closely with Councilman [Todd] Pagel and other stakeholders to bring LimeBike to the borough,” he said.
Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 6.
Contact Kathy Chang at [email protected].