To begin the new year, the Hopewell Township Committee members reelected Kristin McLaughlin as its mayor and Michael Ruger as deputy mayor during the committee’s annual reorganization.
The meeting on Jan. 2, resulted in the unanimous selection of McLaughlin and Ruger, who will continue in the same positions they held in 2019.
“2020 opens with a world of possibilities in front of us,” McLaughlin said. “Last year, our biggest challenge was to end the years of unproductive litigation dealing with affordable housing. We did just that and in those negotiations were able to recover the most recent costs of defending the township and its residents.We were, as always, challenged to find a way to pay for what we need in a responsible manner and we did. We were able to add a friendly and helpful person to the reception desk, reconfigure the construction office to make it more efficient for both residents and our employees and are looking forward to being able to add some evening hours.”
McLaughlin explained in her remarks that township officials are working closely with Bristol-Meyers Squibb to repopulate its campus site with growing companies and are excited to welcome PTC Therapeutics to Hopewell Township.
“As BMS prepares to leave this June, we are facing the enormous challenge of replacing their tax contributions. I am encouraged by our conversations with them, the county and the state believe that together we are working to quickly fill the site with additional companies who want to be great neighbors, will provide good jobs and whose employees will help support our local businesses,” McLaughlin said. “Our new Economic and Tourism Advisory Board gives us a group of people with varied perspectives on how we can keep Hopewell economically strong. I look forward to hearing all of their thoughts.”
She also explained that Hopewell Township working with Pennington Borough and Hopewell Borough officials finished renovations to the Pennington Senior Center.
“With the cooperation of, and coordination with, Pennington and Hopewell Boroughs, the renovation of the Pennington Senior Center finished and the center reopened. Our employees worked hand in hand with theirs as we all worked toward the common goal of creating a better space for our seniors to gather,” McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin said that the township’s theme for the year will be “Cooperation, Inclusion and Community.”
“That is what I really want to focus on this year. Cooperation, Inclusion and Community. Our community is only as strong as the connections among us. I see possibilities for shared services with Pennington and Hopewell Boroughs that offer a more efficient way to deliver services to all our residents,” McLaughlin said. “I am very much looking forward to increasing discussions, especially around budget issues, with the school district. I want to make sure that Hopewell Township residents are well represented during school budget discussions as we all bear a higher burden of school taxes than our neighbors in the two boroughs.”
Hopewell Township’s five-member committee consists of Mayor Kristin McLaughlin, Deputy Mayor Michael Ruger, Committeeman Kevin Kuchinski, Committeewoman Julie Blake and Committeewoman Courtney Peters-Manning.