GOP Candidates Hope to Maintain Quality of Life in Bedminster

Shared services top the list of issues Republican incumbent Steve Parker and Repbulican Lawrence Jacobs plan to focus on if they are elected to the township committee this year.

Parker and Jacobs are running for two three-year seats on the committee, against Democrats Gail Solomon-Canty and Sasha Wolf.

“I had decided to run because of the cost of government,” Parker said. “Property taxes are a burden, and although Bedminster has lower property taxes than most townships in Somerset County, we can always do better.”

Parker said that, in his first term, he has been working on shared services among the different towns, speaking with the board of education, the police department and entities in Bernards Township as well.

“The 2 percent cap is an outstanding goal, but the only way we are going to maintain it is by changing the way municipalities operate,” he said. “There is a lot of redundancy.”

Bedminster already has many shared services, Parker said, with the fire departments, library, first aid squads and the Department of Public Works, which does road work for Far Hills in exchange for money from the township.

Jacobs said shared services are a major benefit to the township, and other surrounding areas.

“It is not only an opportunity to save taxes, but also an opportunity to improve efficiencies,” he said.

The cost of government, both Parker and Jacobs said, is a number one issue for the township these days, and another factor of that is the idea that there are many different kinds of housing available in Bedminster, from low- and moderate-income to more expensive properties.

“I talked to someone in moderate housing, and in her seven years there, her maintenance bills went up four times,” Parker said. “That’s a huge burden. We’ve got to be very vigilant on the tax side.”

Plus, both Jacobs and Parker are focused on working on the sewer issue, which again lends itself to the fact that there are different kinds of people in town.

“That’s been a big thorn in the side because I believe rates are disproportionately higher than other areas,” Parker said. “We have been fighting rate increases.”

The sewers are controlled by the EDC, the sewer authority, which services the Hills, sections of Basking Ridge, part of Far Hills and Peapack and other areas of Bedminster.

“That’s where the township has inserted itself in a matter that isn’t done by the town,” Jacobs said. “The township doesn’t control the sewer authority.”

“It’s about balancing the needs, and it’s a matter of looking at each area, for example open space preservation can mean keeping the rural characteristics of the town intact and could also mean providing greenways in and around the Hills,” he added.

The two are also focused on increasing open space opportunities throughout the township. The Hike and Bike Path is undergoing the next leg of construction, which will add more pathways for residents.

“The trail starts on the far side of the Hills,” Jacobs said. “There is a two-mile long trail presently that runs from the Hills to where the Bedminster School is.”

Parker said the goal was to make much of the town walkable.

“The goal originally was that if you have a child in the Hills, you could get to the elementary school, our parks and the library without crossing the highway,” he said. “There is one more section needing to be done, and we just bought the last piece of open space.”

Jacobs said he believes that Bedminster has been named one of the best places to live not just because of the low taxes, but also because of the quality of life, open space preservation and recreation facilities.

“It is a 26-square-mile town that is considered walkable, with linking hills, parks, the school, library and neighborhoods,” he said. “You always see people on the trails, people out walking. It’s the gym of the town.”

But it’s the love of the town that drove both Parker and Jacobs to take part in local government.

A third generation Bedminster resident, Parker graduated from Lehigh University in 1986 with a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering, and earned an MBA from Rider University in 1996. But directly after graduating from Lehigh, Parker spent 20 years as an officer in the Air Force, retiring from the military in 2006.

Now, Parker works at the Somerset Airport, which is a privately owned and operated airport that his grandfather built in the 1940s. And as a resident, he has served on the Recreation Committee and the Open Space Farmland Preservation Committee, and is currently completing his first term on the township committee.

For Jacobs, a 16-year resident of Bedminster, he graduated from Rutgers in 1996 with a degree in biology and English, and graduated from Rutgers Law School in 1990. Since then, he has been involved in the areas of environmental and development work, mostly focusing on environmental projects concerning, among other topics, wetlands and contamination.

Jacobs was also active in the Urban Land Institute, eventually serving as chair of it.

“I have looked at economic development issues, looked at how land use works, how it is a burden on sustainability issues, looking at how land use patterns can help municipalities work and other economic issues that confront municipalities,” he said.

Several years ago, Jacobs said, he was asked to sit on the Environmental Commission in Bedminster, and has been on the Land Use Board for many years.

But, Jacobs said, he wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to be part of the township committee itself.

“I was vey active in town, and had no interest in politics, and Mayor Bob Holtaway approached me,” he said, adding that Holtaway said he was not planning to run for re-election at the end of his term this year. “He said he wanted me to consider running for township committee.”

Jacobs said he, at first, thought that he was fine sticking with the Land Use Board, but persistent comments from Holtaway made him change his mind.

“He drove home concerns he has for how the town is going,” he said. “When you are given the title of best town to live in, to get that honor really speaks well for the local government, and I have tremendous respect for what the township has done.”

But when Holtaway spoke about some of the divisive issues in the town, Jacobs said, he began to change his mind.

“It struck a chord with me, and, despite my misgivings about running a campaign and being involved in politics, I said OK,” he said.

Jacobs said that, as he has been campaigning around town, he has found a lot of emotion invested in the issue of the proposed development on Route 202/206.

“As far as we’re concerned, that issue is dead, but there’s a lot of emotion invested in that issue, and some of it is not with up-to-date information,” he said. “To some extent, it’s been propagandized.”

Although the space, which is currently owned by the New Jersey Department of Transportation, has been named a place for redevelopment by the township, the actual proposed plans that had included a possible hotel and shopping center, were thrown away after a contract between the DOT and a developer for the land fell through.

The township, Jacobs said, is not currently considering any redevelopment plan for that area, but there was a lot of information generated from the studies, including traffic concerns.

“Lots of information was generated that we can employ to improve the biggest concern, which is traffic,” he said. “It’s still an emotional issue.”

Parker said the only real decision thus far has been to designate the land as a site for redevelopment. Some have said they should rescind that, he said, but they have already been taken to court on the designation with the decision being in Bedminster’s favor.

“We don’t want to rescind it and have to do it again at another point, which could open us up for another suit,” he said.

As they continue to prepare for the elections, both Parker and Jacobs said they love what the township has to offer, and want to maintain it for the future.

“The three things that have always been good about Bedminster are open space, good schools and low taxes,” he said. “The town has been very good and very responsible, and we have a record of that.”

Jacobs said he is proud of the fact that Bedminster is in the middle of everything.

“We have highways, train stations, access to shopping,” he said. “Look at the scenery, it’s beautiful, and there is a real connection to the land and a real connection within the communities.”

“With the quality of life, there is a lot to be proud of about this town, and I want to make sure to continue that, and continue the affection people have for it,” he added.

Elections will be held Nov. 6.