Hello! 
 
As Thanksgiving is upon us, I wish to acknowledge and thank Elizabeth (Liz) Graner and Adam Subervi for saying “yes!” to running for Township Committee on the Democratic ticket, to Suzanne Glassman for serving as the campaign manager, and for the work of the Campaign and Executive Committee and many volunteers who gave their time and talent to the cause.
 
Liz and Adam’s commitment and work toward being elected to serve our community is commendable.  They put heart and grit into running, and raised important priorities through their campaign platform. I also wish to congratulate Mayor Jennifer Asay and Committeeman Andrew McNally for winning reelection and hope that we can continue to work together collaboratively to achieve the best possible outcomes for our residents.
 
Our nation has elected a new President, and we anticipate a peaceful transfer of power in January.  Here in Bernards Township I’ve heard from a few residents who feel we continue to be divided, and are afraid of, and uncertain about, the future. One longtime resident shared that her 32-year-old daughter who identifies as queer sent her a text simply saying, “I’m scared”.  I have lived here nearly 30 years and have generally experienced a welcoming community, however, even our town is not immune to bias or unkind behavior.  In that spirit, this is a good time to continue to have candid conversations about perceived differences, to listen to one another, and seek common ground and understanding. I welcome opportunities to have those conversations and commit to being intentional on ensuring Bernards Township is a place where people are respected and valued.
 
At the beginning of the month, I joined the Township Committee at the dedication of the Field of Honor of our military veterans, where residents donated flags in honor of a veteran, and the funds raised are presented to the local non-profit, Community Hope for Veterans which provides solutions for homelessness and other factors impacting veterans.

During November, Environmental Commission volunteers, in partnership with the Department of Public Works, completed rehabilitation of the grounds at the Bernards Township Emergency Management building on Martinsville Road. This is the third location (Bernards library, Meadow on South Maple) that has been redesigned to support the environment.

At its November 14th meeting,, the Zoning Board of Adjustment,   denied Signature Acquisitions, LLC’s application to remove an existing office building and build two new buildings for light industrial/manufacturing and office space at 150 Allen Road.  The Township Committee will introduce Ordinance 2567 at the November 26th meeting to amend, revise and supplement the code of the Township of Bernards, Chapter 21, “Land Development” regarding uses permitted in the E-2 and E-4 Office Zones.  This ordinance amendment removes “light manufacturing” from the list of uses permitted in the E-2 Office Zone, and removes “storage and maintenance of vehicles operated by or as a business” from the list of uses permitted in the E-4 Office Zone.

The Agricultural Advisory Committee hosted the Pumpkin Smash right after Halloween, a fun way for families to recycle pumpkins as feed for pigs and chickens at English Farm, and on November 21, hosted the annual Farmer Meeting for local farmers and invited officials at Farmstead Arts. The meeting included updates from Congressman Tom Kean Jr.’s office and from Katelyn Katzer, Somerset County Office of Planning, Policy and Economic Development.

Lastly, BTDC members Liz Graner, Nancy D’Andrea, and me were among the thousands of politicians, government employees and appointees, and exhibitors who descended upon Atlantic City this past week to attend the NJ League Of Municipalities conference. 

The event was jam packed with informative sessions and networking opportunities and I attended several presentations focused on Affordable Housing and Sustainable NJ.

In closing, I wish all of you a peaceful Thanksgiving holiday, and heartfelt thanks and appreciation for joining me at the Township Committee meetings.

Your Voice Matters! You can contact me with township questions/thoughts/comments 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 Clerk.