Hillsborough Township resident and Hillsborough High School alum James Ruh is adding the title of township committeeman to his ledger.
Ruh was appointed by the Hillsborough Township Committee at a special meeting held on Dec. 2 to fill the vacant seat left by Janine Erickson in November and will serve on the board until the term is up on Dec. 31, 2023.
In a press release sent out by the township, Ruh said on joining the board, “I am looking forward to serving the residents of Hillsborough Township.”
In accordance with vacancy law, the Township Committee had 30 days to find Erickson’s replacement and had to choose a candidate from the Republican Party, which Erickson was affiliated with.
Ruh was selected from a pool of three candidates nominated by the Party. Erickson had resigned due to personal life reasons.
“Thank you to Jim (James) for his willingness to serve on the Township Committee. We look forward to working with him,” Hillsborough Township Mayor Shawn Lipani said in the release.
Ruh has been a resident of Hillsborough since 1989 and held the position of senior class president during his time at Hillsborough High School.
Ruh’s day-to-day job duties include being the vice president of sales for Somfy and the executive director of the Shaun O’Hara Foundation.
O’Hara was a standout football player at Hillsborough and at Rutgers University before entering the NFL, where he helped the New York Giants win the Super Bowl during the 2007 season.
O’Hara and his wife Amy created the Shaun O’Hara Foundation to bring awareness for life-threatening illnesses, which include supporting research to find a cure for cystic fibrosis. Ruh has helped the O’Hara family run the foundation as its executive director for over the last 15 years.
Earlier this year, Ruh joined the Hillsborough Township Board of Education (HBOE) after former board member Jason Albanese resigned from the board.
With accepting the position on the Hillsborough Township Committee, Ruh resigned from his post on the HBOE.