Hello!  

Thank you to those who joined the Township memorial service on September 11, including among others, our candidates Liz Graner and Adam Subervi, and County Commissioner Sara Sooy. The loss experienced by one of my longtime friends in town, Theresa Creedon, was the story shared of families who lost loved ones in the wake of the attack on the World Trade Center. Theresa’s brother was a Port Authority policeman who was killed in the line of duty, and another brother who escaped from his office in the World Trade Center, later died of illness from the event.  Theresa’s family, among other impacted residents, were present and reminds us that it’s important to continue to reflect upon and honor those who lost their lives. 

This past Tuesday, September 24, we had the occasion to witness the swearing in of four newly promoted officers, including Timothy (Tim) King as Deputy Chief, Alexander McKnight as Lieutenant, Mark Neri as Sergeant, and Slawomir (Sly) Zolnierowski, as Corporal.  They are all long serving in our township police department, ranging from 16-25 years, and were surrounded at the ceremony with their colleagues, family and friends.   Deputy Chief King now becomes the second in command to Chief Jon Burger, following the retirement of Eric Galeta.

The Environmental Commission, on which I serve as liaison, will be working with the Department of Public Works (DPW) on the design of a Wildflower Meadow project. The work will be performed through DPW beginning in October, creating a meadow in the existing area next to the Engineering building on South Maple. This is a good opportunity to repurpose the land which currently is mowed.  The plan leverages resources from Raritan Headwaters, state guidelines, and advice and experience from locals who have replaced lawns with wildflower meadows.  

Also on September 24, I participated on a Somerset County Planning call. Among the topics was the development of the Somerset County Local Safety Action Plan (LSAP).  The objectives are to:

• Develop a roadmap to zero fatalistic and serious injuries
• Focus on county and municipal public roads
• Recommend strategies and actions that the county and its municipalities can implement
• Provide opportunity for implementation grants or supplemental planning grants

The presenter shared that there was a pop-up event at the Bernardsville farmers market on August 3 where the County passed out information and invited residents to do an online mapping survey. The survey remains open for residents to provide input. 

An important deadline is approaching relative to Affordable Housing. October 20 is the deadline for the Department of Consumer Affairs to complete and publish a report on the calculation of regional needs and municipal obligations for each region.  Stay tuned for more information on requirements for Bernards Township.

Please remember to submit a Tap the Talent form for consideration to serve on one of the township committees. As shared in last months’ newsletter, I will be involved in identifying volunteers this year and hope to make a difference in the overall representation of those involved.

As a nod to my cultural background, I announced at this past Tuesday’s Township Committee meeting that Sept 15-Oct 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. According to the latest census (2020) approximately 7% of the nearly 28,000 residents in Basking Ridge are of Hispanic origin.  I look forward to working with the BTDC to see how we can make inroads into the community in the coming year.  Finally, I want to wish our residents who will be observing Rosh Hashanah, Shanah Tovah, blessings to you and yours for a good new year, and blessings and peace on Yom Kippur.

As always, I want to thank those who have been attending the Township Committee Meetings. Your presence is greatly appreciated!

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.