Basking Ridge Primary Election Profile: Kate Grochala

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

Grochala is an attorney who has served as Chief of Staff for Assemblywoman Denise Coyle where she dealt with constituent issues on a daily basis. As a result, she learned how to navigate the Trenton bureaucracy. Her responsibilities included working on proposed legislation, managing the legislative district office, preparing and presenting public presentations on behalf of Coyle, performing legal research and drafting position papers. She is also well acquainted with the affordable housing challenge facing municipalities all across New Jersey.

Grochala learned how municipal government works by serving on the Somerset County Republican Committee for more than 20 years. And she learned about county government as Somerset County Coordinator for the campaign to elect John Murphy for governor in 2005.

Grochala previously served as a Somerset County Republican Committeewoman and worked on several campaigns both as a Treasurer and County Coordinator. She is also a Christine Todd Whitman Excellence in Public Service Scholar. This program included learning how to work collaboratively when in a leadership role.

Grochala and her husband Rick have been long-time Bernards Township residents for 25 years. They raised two daughters who grew up in town and graduated from Ridge High.

"We love our town and consider ourselves fortunate to live in such a beautiful town with wonderful and amazing residents," Gorchala said.

Gorchala is a graduate of King’s College and Seton Hall Law School.

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Why are you seeking elective office?

I want other families to have the same positive experiences my husband and I had raising our family in Bernards.

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

Jim Baldassare 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 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

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:

Listening with an open mind is the necessary precursor to productive dialogue.

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

I would like to stress that I am a fiscal conservative. Years of prudent fiscally conservative government has resulted in our town being 100 percent debt free at a time when many other municipalities have debt or are running deficits. If elected, I will work with the Township Committee to continue a prudent approach to investments in infrastructure and a "pay-as-you-go" approach to government spending. I will also look for ways to efficiently reduce government spending without sacrificing the high quality of municipal services our residents expect.

As a mother, I fully understand the challenge of dealing with a host of issues affecting our precious, irreplaceable young people. I applaud the efforts of volunteers and professionals who deal with those challenges. If elected, I will work hard to seek opportunities to support parents and our schools on mental health, opioid, and substance abuse issues. I will support continued partnering with our schools on maintenance, engineering and safety. I want to ensure that residents continue to enjoy access to, and the opportunities of, a world class education.

In conclusion, I am asking for the voters' trust and confidence. I promise and commit to listen to every concern and if I do not have an answer, I will seek out the right person who has the answer. I will always be available to address voters' concerns and in me they will have a friend and a relentless advocate. With Jim Baldassare and me voters will have the necessary experienced leadership that will work for all of our residents. Now, more than ever, experience and leadership matter.

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