BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Bernards' general election on Nov. 4 has four candidates running for two open seats on the Township Committee.
Current Mayor Ana Duarte McCarthy is one of two Democratic candidates running in the general election. McCarthy is running with Joan Bannan.
Additionally, there are two Republican candidates: Paul Humbert and Kirsten Light.
All of the candidates are running for the two, three-year seats on the township committee.
Are you running for office in Basking Ridge? Contact Alexis Tarrazi at alexis.tarrazi@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Basking Ridge Patch.
Age: 67
Town of residence: Basking Ridge
Position sought: Reelection to Bernards Township Committee
Party affiliation: Democratic
Family: Michael (husband); daughter, Alissa McCarthy O'Toole (married); Labrador Retrievers George (9) and Frankie (2)
Education: Lafayette College, Bachelor of Arts, Columbia University, Master of Education, Counseling Psychology; Master of Arts, Organizational Psychology
Occupation: Principal, Duarte McCarthy Diversity Consulting, LLC; formerly Managing Director, Citi; Senior Director, Forté Foundation
Previous or current elected appointed office: Bernards Township Committee, elected November 2023, currently serving as Mayor
Township Committee and Liaison Service in 2026:
Campaign website: btdems.org/mccarthybannan
Why are you seeking re-election for the Bernards Township Committee?
I am seeking reelection onto the Bernards Township Committee to serve our residents and ensure Bernards Township is a great place to work and live. The primary areas that I will continue the momentum on are financial stability, public safety, and maintaining the unique and vibrant characteristics of our community.
I have a strong connection to Bernards Township. My husband, Mike grew up here, his family having moved to Basking Ridge in 1969. Mike and I moved here in 1996, with our daughter Alissa, who went to Oak Street, William Annin, and graduated from Ridge High School. We have friends and family in Bernards Township, and a strong interest in the vitality of our community.
I have been an active volunteer in Bernards Township for the 30 years that I've lived here, including as a director on the YMCA board, PTO committees, and professional organizations. Volunteering and service is a value that I embraced from my dad, who was a past president and leader of the Dominican Doctors Medical Society, and my mom, who led the women's branch of the organization, and was a longtime PTO and Parish volunteer.
Throughout my professional career, I worked on developing policies and programs that impacted our clients, communities, and workforce. I have been honored to serve on the Township Committee since January 2024 and am proud of the work we've achieved during that time. The Township met its 4th round of Affordable Housing obligations with the least number of new units; I co-led, with Committeewoman Jennifer Asay, The Battle of Basking Ridge, which convened thousands in our community around the 2026 FIFA World Cup; and more recently, the Township Committee approved two ordinances, one to prohibit Data Centers and a non-residential property maintenance ordinance. These actions demonstrate that I focus on the needs of our residents and community and will continue to do so if reelected.
Lastly, I believe the Township Committee should function as a team, with respect and civility toward one another, township staff, and residents, and work together to find ideas, strategies, and solutions to best support our community. As mayor, I have shown that I encourage diverse perspectives and opinions to arrive at solutions, and work collaboratively with my Township Committee colleagues. While my opponents state that Bernards Township needs to return to being a Republican town, I see Bernards Township as a rich mosaic, where we prosper when all voices, regardless of political ideology, matter.
The need for special needs housing has been discussed in the Township. How would you propose tackling this issue?
During the past year, I have met with parents of adult children with intellectual and developmental (IDD) disabilities on an array of issues, including the need for housing. As one parent emphasized, special needs families in our town would like to have their children continue to live in a community that is familiar, and where they have grown up. There are currently six group homes in Bernards Township for adults with IDD, that provide 27 spaces. The Township has provided financial support through our Affordable Housing Trust Fund, to support the acquisition and or to contribute toward renovation of three of these homes.
We will continue to partner with organizations, such as Our House, to support the acquisition of group homes. However, there are thousands of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities that remain on New Jersey's waiting lists for the group homes. To that end, at my most recent meeting with the parents, we talked about seeking more innovative opportunities, such as Thrive, in Red Bank, NJ, slated to open its doors in 2027.
The Thrive project is transforming a former retail and apartment site on Shrewsbury Avenue in Red Bank, into a 34,000-square-foot, 33-unit residence that will serve as a new model for independent, supported living in New Jersey, and potentially far beyond, for young neurodiverse adults. The project has shared amenity space, including a a teaching kitchen, common event space, and health and wellness areas, alongside workout spaces and areas for socialization. This neuro-inclusive environment is not only a place to live but a space where residents can thrive and grow. The need for housing for special needs housing is growing and will continue to be among my priorities in the coming term.
With rising healthcare costs and inflation, how do you propose keeping tax increases to a minimum?
The Township has maintained a "Pay As You Go" capital budgeting policy and has not issued debt for any capital project in nearly 35 years, with the last borrowing being in 1991. We have continued this approach and looked at our operations to be as efficient as they can be, including the consideration of shared services with the County, such as recycling, while also examining our capital, so that we are responsible stewards of our taxpayer spending, focusing on our community priorities.
The Township experienced a base plan increase of 35.4 percent for health care employee benefits in 2026. In addition, because of vacancies from decreased demand for retail and office space, the share of the ratable base, attributed to commercial properties, has markedly decreased from 23 percent to nearly 10 percent since 1989, a decrease of 57 percent in the proportionate share of commercial ratables to the total ratable base. Despite these challenges, in 2026 the Township approved a $49.77 million municipal budget that raised the tax levy only by 3.44 percent, consistent with the 2025 and 2024 budgets, which also carried a similar levy increase of 3.44 percent.
Bernards Township is partnering with other municipalities on reform, and unanimously passed a Resolution on May 12, 2026, urging state leaders to overhaul the State Health Benefits Program (SHBP). The Township has also sought additional revenue sources. Since 2024, the Township Committee has applied for federal Community Project Funding (CPF). This year the Township received $835,000 in CPF to upgrade our police department's communications equipment. This year as Mayor, I initiated an application for 2027 CPF, and Bernards Township's 2027 $1.8M project is among 20 Congressional District-7 requests that were submitted to the House Appropriations Committee for consideration. I am committed to maintaining a "Pay-As-You-Go" policy, exploring opportunities for efficiencies and grant support, and advocating for state policies that are aligned with ensuring our financial stability.
Looking at the necessity to meet the state's affordable housing obligation while also avoiding overdevelopment, do you feel the Township Committee has been balancing this well? Or how would you propose balancing this issue?
Since the 1975 New Jersey Supreme Court decision known as "Mount Laurel I", New Jersey municipalities have had a constitutional obligation to provide opportunities for creation of low and moderate housing units. I am committed to meeting our state-imposed Mount Laurel obligations to provide diverse, affordable housing options so that those individuals who wish to live in our community, seniors, working families, and young professionals, can consider calling Bernards Township home. At the same time, the Township needs to ensure that the growth is sustainable, can be supported through our existing infrastructure, and is aligned with the character of our community. To that end, I believe there is a need to overhaul the current methodology for the assignment of Mount Laurel obligations to limit overdevelopment and will work with partners, including the League of Municipalities, to advocate for reform.
Has the Township Committee balanced meeting Affordable Housing obligations with overdevelopment? As a member of the Township Committee tasked with navigating the fourth-round affordable housing process, I believe we achieved the best possible result under a challenging set of circumstances.
Bernards Township was initially assigned a prospective need of 218 units. After reviewing the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) methodology for the present and prospective need obligations, the Township determined that the DCA calculation for prospective need (218 units) was incorrect and adopted a recalculated obligation (171 units) through Resolution #2025-0107 on January 28, 2025. The resolution and supporting report were submitted to Superior Court on January 29, 2025.
Two parties filed objections to the Township's adoption of the recalculated obligation, Fair Share Housing Center and the New Jersey Builder's Association. The Affordable Housing Dispute Resolution Program ("Program") held mediation sessions between the parties, and because of the mediation process provided by the Program, the parties agreed to a prospective need obligation of 198 units, thus lowering our obligation. Net-net, the Township Committee actively pursued lowering our obligation within the processes provided and was successful in doing so.
The two projects selected to meet our fourth-round obligation, Ridge Oak and Westgate, created the least number of new units and maximized the number of bonus credits available. Westgate has a 20 percent affordable set-aside, common within inclusionary developments, and Ridge Oak, a private non-profit organization that provides rent-subsidized rental apartments to age- and income-eligible senior citizens, is 100% affordable. Moreover, there is a misperception that we could have lowered the obligations if the Township conformed to the Highlands Council Regional Master Plan. The fact is that the potential role of the Highlands Council was not evaluated early enough in the process to be integrated into our fourth-round affordable housing strategy."
Another concern is that meeting state-mandated affordable housing obligations has the potential of adding new numbers of school children. The Bernards Township Public Schools 2025-2030 Strategic Plan shares that the district has experienced a slow but steady decline in enrollment since 2013, having about 1,000 students fewer, or approximately 4700 students, a number that is expected to remain about the same over the next four years. The Enclave at Dewey Meadows, a third-round affordable housing development, with 198 units, generated 32 Kindergarten through twelfth (K-12) grade students (0.192 students per unit). Using this percentage, the Westgate project, with 574 units, would yield approximately 110 students. Ridge Oak will not generate new students.
The next potential round of affordable housing will be in 2035. If reelected, I will be proactive toward planning for future affordable housing obligations and limiting development. In that spirit, this past week I invited representatives of the Highlands Council to present to our community. As background, the Highlands Council was introduced to many in our Community through the Township Committee dialogue during the fourth round of AH, and since that time has been referenced during public comment. The mission of the Highlands Council is to protect, restore, and enhance the vital natural resources of the Highlands region, most notably the drinking water supply for millions of New Jersey residents, while promoting sustainable local planning and economies. The presenters shared the Council's mission and purpose, what it means to be in the Highlands including, among other areas, local planning, state mandates and the pros and cons of conforming with the Highlands Regional Master plan.
What other issues do you feel need to be tackled in the Township?
Bernards Township is proud to be the second safest community in New Jersey and is appreciative and deeply supportive of our Police Department, Fire and Rescue Companies, and EMS. Public safety is a priority, including that of pedestrians and cyclists. I initiated the Township's work with Ride Wise, a non-profit organization that partners with Somerset County municipalities on pedestrian, cyclist, and driver safety, in partnership with the Bernards Police Department. Ride Wise conducted a Street-Smart Campaign during May and June, including Community Days to provide pedestrian education. Ride Wise will provide the Township with a Street-Smart Report including recommendations in support of enhancing safety. I am committed to communicating these learnings with the community and Township leadership and continuing to work in partnership with our Police Department to enhance public safety. I am a 30-year resident of Bernards Township and seek to preserve and protect our open space so that future generations will enjoy the parks, pathways, areas of recreation and beautiful landscape integral to our community. To that end, we recently passed a property maintenance ordinance, excluding residential properties. The ordinance establishes standards for commercial property owners and businesses regarding the upkeep and appearance of their buildings and grounds. This is a step to protect neighborhood aesthetics and resident safety and property values while balancing the administrative workload of local code enforcement. We want Bernards Township to be a great place to live for all our residents. Eighteen percent of Bernards Township's population is 65 years and older. We want to ensure that the Township is a place where our residents can continue to age in place and have healthy, happy, and fulfilling lives. This past March we launched an Age Friendly Community initiative with the Somerset Hills YMCA to identify areas and opportunities for resources and programs. During April and May, we conducted a survey of residents over 55 years of age and will be reviewing the findings to understand gaps and opportunities in services. I launched an Age Friendly Committee that is working on the top findings, including communicating resources available to seniors, and connecting residents to them. I pledge to continue the Committee's work in the coming year as a priority of the Township.
What is your favorite thing about living in Bernards Township?
Bernards Township is 261 years old! I love our history, that is celebrated every year at Charter Day, and is preserved through the Farmstead Arts Center, Ross Farm, Brick Academy and through the work of many in our community. We've lived here for thirty years and are blessed to have lots of family and friends in the area. As empty nesters, Mike and I have met new friends through our daily dog walks through the neighborhood and our beautiful parks, and of course playing pickleball.
Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself or your campaign?
It's been humbling to serve as Mayor of Bernards Township. I know there were some who worried that having a Democratic mayor would cause the Township to fall apart, and it hasn't. I shared at the January 6 reorganization meeting that at the end of the day, we are all locals, and that's the spirit with which I will continue to serve. Name calling, negative labels, fearmongering, the use of negative stereotypes, and other divisive behavior, as has been introduced in the opposition campaign, will lead to the detriment of the well-being of Bernards Township. I strongly encourage you to vote for my running mate, Joan Bannan, a well-respected and thoughtful leader, and former Committeewoman, and me, this November. It's what's bestfor Bernards.
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