Basking Ridge Primary Election Profile: James Baldassare

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Bernards Township's preliminary election on July 7 has four candidates running for two open seats on the Township Committee. James Baldassare, 51, is one of two Reublican candidates running.

Incumbent Mayor Baldassare has more than 30 years experience in the contract surety industry from both surety company and agency perspectives. As an executive his responsibilities include underwriting and managing surety programs, managing a team of professionals, performing extensive financial, project and management analyses, as well as expanding and growing business opportunities.

Baldassare has previously served as Deputy Mayor, has also served as the Mayor's Designee on the Bernards Township Planning Board and as Vice Chairman of the Bernards Township Zoning Board of Adjustment. In fulfilling his responsibilities on the planning and zoning boards Jim worked on the implementation of the municipality's Master Plan and associated capital improvement plans, and reviewed and acted upon applications for site plans, and subdivisions, and variances.

Baldassare and his wife Tracy, who serves as a Bernards Township Police Officer, are lifelong residents of Bernards Township and Ridge High School graduates. They have six children, all of whom have attended or currently attend township schools, and are expecting their first grandchild in September.

Baldassare is a United States Marine Corps veteran and graduated first in his class from MCRD Parris Island. He attended Northeastern University studying economics and also participated in the 2015 Somerset Leadership program and is a licensed New Jersey Property and Casualty Agent- Broker.

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.

Why are you seeking elective office?

Our goal is to ensure that we continue to put our residents first and keep Bernards Township the strong, safe and welcoming community we have all chosen to call home.

The single most pressing issue facing our community is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Kate Grochala and I are running as a team. We are fiscal conservatives devoted to promoting efficient, responsive, transparent and community-focused government. We are committed to keeping Bernards Township the safe and welcoming community our residents have chosen to call home. We believe all of our residents deserve to be treated equally with respect and dignity and we want other families to have the same positive experiences we have had in raising our families in Bernards. Our campaign motto "Leadership that puts you first" epitomizes our governing principles.

We are committed to prudent fiscally conservative government and keeping our town 100 percent debt free. Our governing philosophy is careful spending and following a "pay-as-you-go" approach to expenditures. We are also committed to exploring ways to efficiently reduce government spending without sacrificing the high quality of municipal services our residents have come to expect and are entitled to.

Overdevelopment has the potential to seriously affect our quality of life and have serious adverse impacts on schools, traffic, emergency services and finances. In our view, the courts should not be deciding how our local zoning works. The solution lies in Trenton with the State Assembly, the State Senate and the Governor’s Office. This will require working collaboratively on a bipartisan basis.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I believe my experience and record of achievement speaks for itself.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

I will continue to support instituting policies that have guided the Township to where it is today including: Keeping the municipal tax levy as low as possible, remaining 100 percent debt-free, working with law enforcement and first responders to keep our community as one of the safest in New Jersey (and the United States), supporting substance abuse prevention and mental health services, fighting overdevelopment and working collaboratively with local and state officials to find sensible solutions on affordable housing, continuing to promote volunteerism as a means to engage residents to make our town a better place to live, and to ensure that our local government remains limited, efficient, responsive, compassionate and community-focused.

One of the many great things about Bernards is the high level of engagement by many of our citizens. Their service is a testament to their commitment to the community and its improvement. For example, volunteers have undertaken many laudable and successful initiatives to help our community, including our senior citizens and businesses, cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. There are numerous ways for residents to initiate, sponsor, or otherwise support a variety of community service-related activities. We will encourage all residents to become engaged and we will support opportunities for engagement. Similarly, we will continue to recognize those who have dedicated their time and resources as volunteers to make our town the great place that it is.

Community engagement and transparency go hand in hand. We believe that openness, accountability and honesty define transparency in government. We will encourage our residents to follow the issues, attend public meetings, and become engaged. We will listen to our residents and their concerns with an open mind, encourage honest and candid discussion and respond to questions, to the best of our ability. In particular, we will ensure that proposed municipal budgets are published well in advance with ample opportunity for review and discussion by the public prior to any approval. We fully understand and appreciate that such transparency is the hallmark of good government.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Always keep a positive outlook and have a "can-do" attitude.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Please see our website which includes our full platform: baldassaregrochala.com.