SOUTH BRUNSWICK – Three Democrat incumbents will be challenged by three Republican candidates in the November general election. Three four-year terms on the South Brunswick Township Council will be available.
Incumbent Democrat Joe Camarota has been a resident of South Brunswick for 32 years. He is a family entertainment consultant.
He has served on the council since 2005 as a Democratic councilman and as deputy mayor. He has been involved with South Brunswick’s Recreation Advisory Board, Zoning Board of Adjustment, Aquatic Task Force, Economic Development Committee, Kingston Village Advisory Committee, Municipal Alliance Against Substance Abuse, Board of Health, Transportation Advisory Committee, Task Force Opposing NESE, Mapleton Preserve Commission, Social Services Committee, VFW Post 9111, Hugs for Brady Foundation, St. Augustine Roman Catholic Church and Princeton Manor Homeowners Association.
He has been involved in soccer and basketball leagues in North Brunswick, South Brunswick and East Brunswick.
Camarota considers some of his greatest accomplishments over the years to be increasing the number of recreational and passive parks, upgrading and improving existing parks and the renovation of the township’s Community Center;
Spearheading a project with the New Jersey Department of Transportation, after being told the project would not occur, to implement the Route 1 Shoulder Running Plan. This expanded Route 1 to three lanes each way during peak traffic hours by using the shoulders of the highway;
“I am very passionate when it comes to civic duty and responsibility. It is something that has consumed my entire adult life. Those choices have allowed me to use those experiences in my everyday decision making.
“It also provided me with the needed balance to approach each decision with the necessary temperament that permits one to view each issue from every possible perspective. That enables me to provide the critical analysis needed to render a well-informed decision,” Camarota said.
“Having a strong educational background, combined with over 35 years of civic participation, and close to 50 years as a small business person, has provided me with the necessary skill set that is demanded from today’s local government officials.
“Being able to work with the public and private sectors, understanding budgets, having the correct temperament and realizing that being a councilperson is an honor and privilege and that we are only there to serve and represent the individuals of our community, is why I am running in this year’s election,” he said.
Camarota said the health, safety and welfare of every resident in South Brunswick is of most paramount concern; while being fiscally responsible and keeping a stable municipal tax rate, to maintain a level of services, in particular, within the police, public works, health, EMS, fire and safety and transportation departments.
“The devastating effect this insidious virus (COVID-19) has had on our community, state and country is still being assessed. Our Office of Emergency Management (OEM) continues to do outstanding work in diminishing the impact on South Brunswick in terms of reported cases and the mortality rate.
“Their extraordinary and remarkable efforts, along with our township manager, police department, and health department has enabled able us to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 to the extent that New Jersey State Department of Health continues to list South Brunswick as having the virus suppressed at this time. “
Camarota also mentioned South Brunswick being the benchmark for affordability housing in New Jersey for the first two rounds.
“And for Round 3, with the inability of our state representatives to properly legislate this, thus losing their jurisdiction over this to our court system, we became the outliers. We will continue our efforts in working with the courts to establish a fair and reasonable number of needed units,” he said.
Incumbent Archana (Ann) Grover has lived in town for 40 years. She is a purchasing specialist for Middlesex County. She also is a Notary Public.
She volunteers at local temples and serves as a union leader in AFSCME Local 3440. She is the council liaison to the Commission on Women, Human Relations Committee and Environmental Board. She has served on the zoning board in the past.
“The time I have spent on these various boards has emboldened my commitment to the township and helped me see how I can help our town be successful and ensure all voices are heard,” she said.
Grover has been a county and township committee person since 1999, and has served on the Township Council since 2018.
“As a councilwoman these last two years, I have been actively participating to ensure all voices are heard and to ensure all perspectives are considered on council matters. I enjoy doing this type of work to give back to my community which in turn has given my family and I so much,” she said.
She said she wants to help keep South Brunswick a suburb.
“We as a team want to keep South Brunswick a suburban community by ensuring no overcrowding and not put more burden on the current infrastructure. Our goal is to maintain stable municipal taxes, which are the lowest among comparable communities,” she said.
She also wants to focus on proper spending.
“With my background as a purchasing specialist, I will ensure we keep an eye on our spending while ensuring to provide excellent services such as our police/fire men and women, garbage pickup, recycling, snow plowing and maintenance of roads,” she said.
In regards to the township’s response to COVID-19, Glover said, “The devastating effect of this dangerous virus has impacted the whole country and as well our township. Our township manager, along with our Office of Emergency Management, our police department and our health department, are doing a phenomenal job. New Jersey State Department of Health continues to list South Brunswick as having the virus suppressed at this time.”
Incumbent Jo Hochman has been a resident of South Brunswick 43 years.
She is retired from Prevent Child Abuse NJ where she worked for 18 years as the coordinator of the EPIC (Every Person Influences Children) program. She was the coordinator/trainer both in South Brunswick as well as across the state.
She has been involved in the town for more than 25 years. She was chair of the Municipal Alliance which oversees grant monies from the Board of Chosen Freeholders to present and offers programs to residents, as well as funds for Project Graduation.
She was also a member of the Planning Board and served as its chairperson for seven years. She served on the Zoning Board of Adjustment when the Target shopping center was approved.
She has served as councilwoman for the past 8 years.
During this time, she was the liaison to The Shade Committee, The Human Relations Committee, Women’s Commission, and presently serve as liaison to the Arts Commission, Advisory Board of Health, NJ State Boards of Health, NJ League of Municipalities, and on the Library Board of Trustees.
“I am very proud that the library was able to obtain a new Bookmobile that is much more reliable. The young readers as well as adults look forward to this library close to home. It’s also exciting to be a part of the expansion of the library. The South Brunswick Library, led by Director Chris Carbone, is one of the busiest places used in South Brunswick, with programs to meet the needs of young people, teens and adults,” she said.
Hochman said she is running for a third term as councilwoman “because there are still many projects to be done for our town. I still have a vision to continue with providing more services, activities, open space and keep the taxes affordable.
“This has been a difficult time with the coronavirus impacting our lives. Our income from construction costs, hotel taxes, etc. were affected. However, we were able to scale back with the closing of the municipal building. Some of our capital projects had to be rescheduled for 2021. We are slowly reopening the library, the senior center, and indoor as well as outdoor dining.
“We may have to make a few changes as we try to recover from the pandemic, but I do know that I will be ready to do whatever is necessary to meet our changing town,” she said.
Brian William Wojaczyk (R) has lived in South Brunswick for 17 years. He is a data manager and operations. He holds an MBA in finance, a PMP and various IT certifications.
He was a captain in medical services for the New Jersey Army National Guard from 2009-18. He is the founder and administrator of the Facebook group for South Brunswick with more than 6,000 active members. He has never held public office, but he was a candidate for the South Brunswick Township Council in 2016.
“I believe there should be diversity in all things, including elected leadership. I do not feel that having a council 100% dominated by a single party is wise and only serves to marginalize citizens. I understand the people may desire a specific party/faction to have most of the seats on the council, but I do not believe the township is served best by a monopoly,” he said before the primary election in July.
“Frankly, I am a novice and a reluctant candidate. I was asked to run and choose to serve. Although I believe my experience, skills and education can benefit the people of South Brunswick as a member of the council, I am not actively striving to achieve this position of authority. If chosen, I will serve. If not, such is the will of the people of South Brunswick. I do have a continuing desire to contribute and better our local community,” he said.
Wojaczyk said at the time that his key issue is focused on policing and security.
“I believe the South Brunswick police force has and continues to do a fantastic and professional job of providing us all with a safe and secure environment. However, national events over the last few weeks and even decades have shown that police forces in general have been tasked to deal with a great majority of issues in our society for which they may not be the best equipped to handle.
“We need to systemically evaluate the policies and methods regarding policies and training. An example of local programs I believe would be beneficial for all is revisiting a volunteer police auxiliary program staffed by citizens and administered by the South Brunswick Police Department,” he said.
He said he will also work on the tax policy.
“My political position is that the government should be as small as possible and only as large as necessary. I am not a proponent of high taxation, but I believe the majority of the tax burden should be as close to the people as possible – the local level – where it affects the people the most. The tax rate should continually be scrutinized and only be raised if necessary.”
He is also concerned with services, he said before the primary.
“As with the above topic of taxes, I believe local services are paramount. Parks, waste removal, streets and security are all services that directly affect all residents. However, we should be vigilant as to how to use tax dollars. Waste should continually be minimized and services and programs that are underused or inefficiently operated should be curtailed or eliminated so other programs can benefit and taxes can be held down,” he said.
He also said he will give his attention to the township’s debt.
“As a fiscal conservative, I am always concerned with the amount of municipal debt we have been incurring. I believe this is a subject that does not get enough scrutiny,” he said.
Republican Julie Ferrara could not be reached by press time.
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Voting regulations issued by South Brunswick Township:
There is a secure ballot drop box for Vote-by-Mail ballots located at the Municipal Building, 540 Ridge Road, Monmouth Junction section of South Brunswick, in front of the main building to the right of the visitor parking.
In accordance with Gov. Phil Murphy’s Executive Order 177, all active voters will be mailed a Vote-by-Mail ballot.
Non-active voters can apply for a Vote-by-Mail ballot at www.nj.gov/state/elections/assets/pdf/forms-vote-by-mail/vote-mail-ballot-middlesex-english.pdf
The ballot may be completed and returned in the following ways or voters can go to their polling location and vote by provisional ballot.
A postcard will be mailed to each registered voter detailing the appropriate polling location.
1. Return your ballot through the United State Postal Service (must be postmarked by Nov. 3, 2020)
2. Submit your ballot in one of the Middlesex County Board of Elections’ drop boxes before 8 p.m. on Nov. 3. The list can be found at www.middlesexcountynj.gov/Government/Departments/CS/Boardofelections/Pages/vote2020.aspx
3. Drop it off directly to the Middlesex County Board of Elections Office, 11 Kennedy Blvd., East Brunswick, before 8 p.m. on Nov. 3.
www.middlesexcountynj.gov/Government/Departments/CS/Boardofelections/Pages/default.aspx
4. Submit your completed and sealed ballot at your assigned polling location in person on Election Day, Nov. 3. If you do not receive a Vote-By-Mail ballot, damage your Vote-By-Mail ballot, and/or make a mistake, contact the county clerk for a supplemental ballot by calling 732-745-4202.
To track your mail-in ballot, visit https://nj.gov/state/elections/index.shtml
If you prefer to vote in person, you can vote by paper provisional ballot at your polling place.
Polling locations are as follows:
Brunswick Acres School, 41 Kory Dr., Kendall Park: Districts 8, 11, 12, 18, 21, 22
Constable School, 29 Constable Road, Kendall Park: Districts 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 16, 24
Crossroads Middle School South, 195 Major Road, Monmouth Junction; entrance on Kingston Lane; in Voting Room in back of school: Districts 2, 14, 17, 23, 28
Indian Fields School, 359 Ridge Road, Dayton: Districts 1, 4, 13, 15, 29, 30
South Brunswick High School, 750 Ridge Road, Monmouth Junction: Districts 3, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27
For more information, visit www.middlesexcountynj.gov/Government/Departments/CS/Boardofelections/Pages/vote2020.aspx