Hello! I hope everyone enjoyed a nice Thanksgiving. We were in Mendham at the home of my sister Amalia, Committeewoman, Mendham Township. This was her 30th year hosting and underscores how time flies. In this season of thanks, I want to express my gratitude to Bernards Township residents Brett Hodges, John Tompkins, and Elizabeth Graner, for giving their time and talent to run for election, and to Bernice “Tina” Jalloh for seeking reelection. All four won their respective races, and I am excited to welcome Brett and John to share the dais with me, Committeewoman Jennifer Asay and Deputy Mayor Andrew McNally in the new year.

I will again thank the Bernards Township Democratic Committee and the campaign team for supporting the candidates in their successful race for elected office. In addition, my appreciation to Bill McMahon for running on the Republican ticket for Township Committee, and to Committeeman David Tancredi, who was not elected and will be stepping down. Committeeman David Tancredi and Mayor Janice Fields (who chose not to seek reelection), were both long-time volunteers in the community. Janice began her civic service to the Township in the late 90’s and David, for the past ten years. It was a pleasure serving with both, and I wish them well in their future endeavors.

During November the Township Committee held two meetings. At the November 11 meeting, the Township Committee passed Resolution #2025-0395 – Authorizing the Township of Bernards Planning Board to Undertake a Preliminary Investigation for the Redevelopment of 99 Lord Stirling Road.  Both Committeewoman Jennifer Asay and I voted against the resolution.  A November 18 article in the Bernardsville News provides context on the Resolution and the discussion and vote from the various Township Committee members.

Net-net, I recommended that we step back and take a broader view of the set of lots in the Township that might be considered for development, and think strategically about what future development could be, in alignment with our Master Plan. This approach would give us more data as to whether classifying any of these lots, including, among others, those in this Resolution, as “areas in need of redevelopment” for the community. Unlike meeting our Affordable Housing obligations, we are not time bound. For these reasons I voted no on the resolution. As of this writing, the Planning Board has not set a date to review 99 Lord Stirling Road.

On November 6, I joined Mayor Janice Fields, several New Jersey elected officials, and representatives from various agencies, to celebrate the kickoff of a new shuttle service for Veterans, which will run from the Lyons train station to the Veterans Administration hospital.  Veterans and employees, traveling to the Lyons VA Medical Center from the station, will be able to catch a fare-free ride thanks to a cooperative partnership between Somerset County, the Lyons VA Medical Center, NJ Transit, and the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMAVA). Through this partnership, our Veterans will no longer face barriers to accessing the care available at the VA Hospital. The Shuttle will run five days a week, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., approximately 8 times daily.

This month our nation recognized November 11th as Veteran’s Day.  I want to express my thanks and appreciation to all those, including members of our Township staff, Police Department, and Fire and Rescue Squads, who served our country bravely and honorably, and to the families of our Military Veterans, who fostered the value and love of country and service. 

I will close with wishing a joyous holiday season to all who are celebrating. My deep appreciation to those of you who have joined me at Township Committee meetings this past year. Your presence at the meetings was recognized and is valued and appreciated. Our next scheduled meeting will be Tuesday, December 9, at 7:30pm, Town Hall, 1 Collyer Lane.  In addition, save the date for our Reorganization meeting on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, at 7:00pm, in the Warren Craft meeting room, Town Hall. 

You can contact me on Township matters at (201) 306-0178, or via email at amccarthy@bernards.org. Please note that any correspondence sent to me will be visible to the full township committee and county clerk.