HILLSBOROUGH – The Hillsborough Township Committee is welcoming back Rob Britting and bringing on newcomers James Ruh and John Ciccarelli to the board this year.
Both Britting and Ruh were sworn into office at the Township Committee meeting on Dec. 13, while Ciccarelli had his ceremony during the committee’s reorganization meeting that was held on Jan. 4.
Britting and Ciccarelli, both candidates of the Republican Party, were voted into office during the local election in November. Ruh was selected by the Township Committee in December as the replacement for former committeewoman Janie Erickson, who resigned from her position on the board in November.
Ruh, a Hillsborough High School graduate, will serve on the board until Erickson’s term expires this year on Dec. 31.
In the local election, Britting and Ciccarelli beat out Democratic candidates Ron Yader and Erin Murphy for the two open seats on the committee.
In an interview, both Britting and Ciccarelli described their feelings of being voted onto the Township Committee by their peers as “rewarding.”
“It’s rewarding that we’re going to move on to the [Township Committee],” Ciccarelli said. “We’ve both been involved with the township over the last few years and this is a nice step for us to use our skills to help the township. All the hard work has paid off.”
Britting got his first taste of being a part of the township committee back in March 2022 when he was selected to fill the vacant seat left by Steve Cohen.
With his victory over Murray in the local election, Britting will serve the remainder of Cohen’s term through 2024.
Since joining the board, Britting says he’s enjoyed being able to make a positive difference in the Hillsborough community and becoming a leader in the township.
“I’ve learned it’s a self awareness opportunity that you really make a difference if you throw yourself in front of the problem,” said Britting of being a part of the Township Committee. “Everywhere you turn and everywhere you look, there is an opportunity to make a positive impact on either how the township administration is run, how different departments operate and the impact you can make on different segments of the population.”
Prior to joining the Township Committee, Britting has been a member of both the Sustainable Hillsborough Steering and Hillsborough Environmental commissions, and he also serves on the Hillsborough Zoning Board of Adjustment.
Britting has worked as a senior business executive in the pharmaceutical industry for over 20 years and lives in Hillsborough with his wife Kelly, and their three sons.
“I tell people all the time that one of the reasons why I became a committeeman is to create a place where my kids want to come back to when they graduate college. We want to create a positive culture in the township,” he said.
Ciccarelli is a director in the construction advisory services group at J.S. Held and has more than 30 years of experience performing expert consulting and project advisory services for clients in the global engineering and construction industries sector.
He and his wife Kim live in Hillsborough with their two daughters.
Since 2005, Ciccarelli has been a board member of the Hillsborough Soccer Club and was the organization’s president from 2015-17. He has also been a member of the Hillsborough Township Planning Board since 2020.
Ciccarelli will serve a three-year term that will run through 2025.
“All of my experiences have led up to this point,” Ciccarelli said of serving on the Township Committee. “I can bring a different perspective from an engineering point of view and also continue a business-like approach to running the government like the township has done for years.”
Ciccarelli and Britting will look to tackle three major points of emphasis they based their platforms on during the election.
Those areas of interest are:
- Continued Control of Taxes and Fiscal Responsibility.
- Continue to acquire more open space.
- Improve the Township’s Infrastructure.
Ciccarelli mentioned that the township has begun working on some stormwater control issues for areas in Hillsborough that have been heavily affected by recent storms the past few years.
Revisiting some of the ordinances in the industrial zones around the township is another area of focus for both Ciccarelli and Britting as well.
Ciccarelli, Britting and Ruh join Shawn Lipani and Doug Tomson to make up the Hillsborough Township Committee for 2023.