Bernards Primary Election 2023: Gary Baumann

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Bernards' primary election on June 6 has four candidates running for two open seats on the Township Committee.

Gary Baumann is one of two Republican candidates running in the uncontested primary. Baumann is running with Tyler Seville.

Additionally, there are two Democratic candidates Ana McCarthy and Lily Wong also running in the uncontested primary.

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.

Gary Baumann

Age: 55

Town of residence: Bernards Township

Position sought: Bernards Township Committee

Party affiliation: Republican Party

Family:

• Lisamarie Baumann, Spouse – Married 2016
• Andrew Baumann, Son, 17 – Attends Ridge High School
• Alex Baumann, Son, 14 – Attends Ridge High School

Education:

• Kean University, Union, NJ – B.S. – Finance, magna cum laude
• Rutgers University Law School, Newark, NJ – J.D.

Occupation: Chief Executive Officer of ARCTRUST Properties, Inc., a real estate development, finance, investment, and advisory firm founded in 1985. Baumann has been with ARCTRUST for 17 years. Baumann is admitted to practice law in New York and New Jersey and has practiced law at the nationally recognized firm of Lowenstein Sandler, P.C. and the international construction law firm of Peckar and Abramson, P.C. Baumann has served in the real estate development, finance and investment sectors for more than 25 years through fund creation, strategic capital planning, transaction structuring, project development and construction oversight.

Previous or current elected appointed office:

• Bernards Township Committee (April 2023-Present)
• Planning Board Member, Bernards Township (2020-Present)
• Director Somerset Hills Montessori School (2017-2020): While his children attended the Somerset Hills Montessori School (SHMS) Baumann experienced first-hand the benefits of early childhood education, particularly through the richly diverse and collaborative Montessori philosophy. After his children graduated, Baumann volunteered his time and served on the school’s board of directors. During that time Baumann oversaw a reorganization of the school’s leadership and the implementation of capital improvement projects ushering in the current era of SHMS’s success.

Campaign website: bernardsforall.com

Why are you seeking election to the Township Committee?

Bernards has provided me with the foundation of a strong, safe, and indeed unique community that I have chosen to call home and where my wife and I are fortunate to be raising our children. Bernards Township has been part of me for nearly 20 years and I am now seeking an opportunity to give back to the community I love by serving on our Township Committee. My running mate Tyler Seville and I intend to continue Bernards’ tradition as a community focused on residents, responsibility, and quality of life, while looking forward, to shape and preserve Bernards Township as an exemplary community into the future.

Balancing the township budget becomes more difficult each year with inflation and the loss of revenue since COVID. How do you plan to address this?

I have spent my career managing business and legal issues, capital projects, organizations of people and, most importantly, budgets and financial operations. Whether undertaking public procurement through New Jersey’s Local Public Contract’s Law as a clerk in the administration office of the Middlesex County Utilities Authority, or building a cohesive organization of diverse individuals and disciplines including engineers working with attorneys, accountants, underwriters and financiers, at the center of each of my learning experiences and successes has been the discipline to define a goal, establish a budget and work within that budget to achieve the goal. It is critical that leadership in Bernards Township have the same discipline.

The best way to maintain a balanced budget is to continue the fiscal discipline that has defined Bernards Township’s pay-as-you-go approach, keep healthy reserves, and avoid any temptation to borrow. Healthy reserves allow us to take a proactive approach to the work of Bernards Township government. We can pay for capital items and services when the terms are best for our residents rather than wait for tax revenues and have less choice. Debt comes with interest payments that only serve the interests of bondholders, not Bernards Township.

Tyler and I will continue to seek ways to share services among our departments and surrounding communities. Examples are our Department of Health and code enforcement professionals. We will seek to fully staff our departments so that Bernards can perform as much as possible in-house and, where possible, avoid expensive third-party providers.

Maintaining and growing our tax base is critically important. We must have reliable revenues and, where possible, build our revenue base. As a real estate CEO, I understand the relationship between the use of property and collection of tax revenue. There is a balance between underutilization and over development. Underutilized properties can be positioned for success and present an opportunity to increase our tax revenues while overdevelopment must be kept at bay. I have been focused on that balance throughout my professional career and I will bring that skill to the work of the Township Committee as we strive to keep Bernards a place that is attractive to a diverse mix of businesses, residences, and recreation opportunities.

Having trust and transparency in the township government is important to residents. How has the township improved on this or how would you improve this?

Trust and transparency are foundations that support local government. That said, the government is at its best when residents participate. As I am campaigning and meeting people across Bernards Township I am asking them to follow the Township on social media to stay informed and, most importantly, to comment and share to create dialogue.

Through transparency, residents of Bernards Township can know what is happening. Our meetings times, agendas and minutes are published. Public proceedings can be attended in person or watched live on streaming services. However, it is through dialogue and active listening that we can measure the success of our work and continue our tradition of trust. It will be a goal of mine to encourage meaningful dialogue so residents experience, first hand, the responsiveness of their local officials.

What other issues do you feel need to be tackled in the township?

Too often, the most noble of goals, when implemented improperly, bring forth unintended consequences. The clearest example of this is forced acceptance of overdevelopment in furtherance of providing affordable housing. Affordable housing is not in itself the problem. Affordable housing is something we must truly embrace if we are to have Bernards for all. The problem is that the current system can force high-density housing on Bernards Township that can change the very nature of our hometown.

My running mate and I strongly believe that court-ordered high-density housing built on land selected by profit-driven developers is not the answer. The vesting of local planning authority in the hands of the courts is something that needs to be changed by our state legislature in Trenton. My running mate and I will be forceful advocates for a legislative solution that returns planning authority to Bernards Township, where it belongs.

Destructive overdevelopment has the potential to seriously affect our quality of life through adverse impacts on schools, traffic, emergency services and finances. In our view, the courts and remote politicians should not be deciding how our land is used.

Instead, the residents of Bernards Township should. We will fight to make sure the loudest, clearest and most sensible voice in our hometown’s pursuit of responsible development is the voice of Bernards Township.

What sets you apart from the challenging candidates?

My experience in the private sector as a real estate investor and developer, together with my current experience on the Planning Board uniquely qualify me to serve on the Bernards Township Committee. I understand the issues facing a municipality surrounding land use, development approvals, affordable housing, and planning. As a CEO I focus my skills on setting policy and strategy for an enterprise that manages over $1 billion of assets for several thousand shareholders and stakeholders through a disciplined budget process and organizational management. As a resident of Bernards Township, I address these issues as a public servant on the Planning Board. There, my focus is always on the best interest of the public, consistent with our legal obligations. My experience on both sides of the issues has taught me that projects succeed when all stakeholders’ goals are considered and integrated into a plan. This perspective makes me uniquely suited to serve on the Bernards Township Committee.

Additionally, I have lived several “lives” in my near 20 years in Bernards Township – as a graduate student, a young professional, a homeowner, a husband, and a parent. I have seen Bernards Township through life’s lens during each phase of my residence which I believe makes me able to cherish what I see Bernards Township as today yet look ahead to envision Bernards Township as the community it can continue be for all our residents. Bernards Township has been here for me, and I am now passionate about an opportunity to be here for the town I love.

Tyler and I are the best qualified candidates to ensure that Bernards remains rated as one of the safest and “Best Places to Live” in New Jersey. Our combined experience and expertise will enable us to continue and improve upon Bernards’ efficient, responsive, transparent, and community-focused government. Our backgrounds demonstrate that we have the leadership experience and actual expertise to continue Bernards’ efficient, responsive, and community-focused government. We understand how local government functions and we will work collaboratively with government leaders who currently serve in that capacity to find common ground and common-sense solutions.

What else would you like to share about yourself or your campaign?

I will continue to support policies that have guided the Township to where it is today, including: keeping the municipal tax levy as low as possible, percent debt-free, working with law enforcement and first responders to keep our community one of the safest in New Jersey, 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. In addition, we will continue 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 and volunteering by many of our citizens. Their service is a testament to their commitment to the community and its improvement. 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 through the township’s “Tap the Talent” program and other initiatives.

(https://www.bernards.org/government/documents/department-documents/clerk/2931-tap-the-talent-flyer-1/file)

Similarly, we will continue to recognize those who have dedicated their time and resources as volunteers, making our town the great place that it is.

Tyler and I are running as a team. It is noteworthy that we 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 that the best Bernards Township includes all our residents and that each person must be treated equally with respect and dignity. We want all residents and their families to have the same positive experiences we have had living in and raising our families in Bernards Township.

Our campaign motto “Bernards For All” epitomizes our underlying governing philosophy.

Please vote for me and my running mate, Tyler Seville, for Bernards Township Committee.