Bernards Committee Election 2021: Jennifer Asay

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Bernards Township's general election on Nov. 2 has four candidates running for two open seats on the Township Committee.

Jennifer Asay is one of two Republican candidates running. The other candidates include:

• Andrew McNally - Republican (Incumbent)
• Jessica Simpson-Cook - Democrat
• Sophia Chadda - Democrat

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.

Jennifer Asay

Name: Jennifer Asay

Age: 50

Town of residence: Bernards Township

Position sought: Bernards Township Committee

Party affiliation: Republican

Family: Derek Asay - Spouse; Children: Regan Asay 24, Brett Asay - 21, Elise Asay - 9, Drew Asay - 6.

My older children graduated from Ridge High School in 2015 and 2018. My younger
children attend Oak Street School as 3 rd and 1 st graders. Our family is proud to represent
adoptive families.

Education:

• Purdue University, B.S. Pharmacy, 1994
• University of Chicago Booth School of Business, M.B.A, 2003

Occupation: Biopharmaceutical Business Executive, 27 years. Form more details, see LinkedIn Profile linkedin.com/in/jasay

Campaign website: asaymcnally.com, facebook.com/ForBernardsForYou

Previous or current elected appointed office:

• Bernards Township Board of Health, (2012 to present). Vice President
• Bernards Township Planning Board (2018 to present). Vice Chairwoman
• Bernards Township Republican Municipal Committee (2013 to present)
• Executive Board 2014 Recording Secretary

Why are you seeking to run for township committee? Our goal is to ensure that we continue to put our residents first and keep Bernards Township the strong, safe and welcoming community which we have all chosen to call home. We intend to keep Bernards debt-free and we strongly oppose overdevelopment. Protecting and preserving our quality of life and continuing Bernard’s history of good governance is central to our philosophy and core principles.

What issues do you feel must be tackled in town? 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 with local and state officials to find sensible solutions on affordable housing.

In addition, 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.

Andrew McNally and I are running as a team. It is noteworthy that Andrew and I have a long history of community service and are currently actively involved with various boards and commissions serving the public. 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 all residents and our families to have the same positive experiences we have had living in and raising our families in Bernards Township. Our campaign motto "For Bernards, for You" epitomizes our governing principles.

What sets you apart from the challenging candidates? I have extensive and current township service and leadership on Bernards Township Boards (nearly a decade on Board of Health – current Vice President & 3 years on Planning Board – current Vice Chair), business experience and achievements, and extensive volunteer service within Bernards Township. This includes Girl Scouts, Middle School Ski Club, and Girls on the Run. In addition, the experience and record of my
running mate, Andrew McNally, speaks for itself. Andrew and I are the best qualified because we are currently serving the community and intimately understand how the town is run. We understand how local government functions. We work with local government leaders and currently serve in that capacity. We will continue to work to ensure our quality of life is maintained and that Bernards Township remains rated as one of the safest and "Best Places to Live" in the United States. Our actions and our words demonstrate that we have the leadership experience and actual expertise to continue Bernard’s efficient, responsive, transparent and community-focused government.

What else would you like to share about yourself or your campaign? 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 while maintaining quality of service, remaining 100 percent debt-free, working with law enforcement and first responders to keep our community safe, 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 actively solicit and 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 town issues and topics, including 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.

Please see our website which includes our full platform: asaymcnally.com, facebook.com/ForBernardsForYou

In my corporate work setting, I have been recognized for my ability to make important strategic and financial decisions as evidenced by my leadership level and trust to launch a key product for patients who need it. I have also received multiple professional awards for my work performance, recognition for developing/mentoring others, and a global award for women’s leadership.

Regarding my pharmacy-related volunteerism, I was recognized as Purdue’s 2012 Pharmacy Women’s Leadership Award. Most recently, I was recognized by the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy as Preceptor of the year 2019-2020 for recognition of exemplary teaching and high standards of pharmacy practice.

We have been and will continue to be committed to our town, to always do what is best. We stand for government that is transparent and makes sense. We will keep Bernards debt-free and maintain its excellent credit rating. We will support prudent expenditures to maintain and improve our parks and infrastructure and we will continue to support our local police and first responders who do such an excellent job of keeping us safe. We will oppose overdevelopment that threatens the quality-of-life Bernards enjoys while maintaining the Townships long-standing business-friendly environment. In addition, we will support volunteering and community programs in maintaining our quality-of-life.

In summary, I have been recognized both professionally and personally for my leadership which I will continue to employ in my role as Township Committeewoman for Bernards Township.

Please vote for Jennifer Asay and Andrew McNally for Bernards Township Committee.