Bernards Primary Election 2023: Tyler Seville

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

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

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.

Tyler Seville

Age: 33

Town of residence: Bernards Township

Position sought: Bernards Township Committee

Party affiliation: Republican Party

Family: Juliana Seville, Wife; Elena and Camilla Seville, Daughters

Education: Rutgers University, B.A. Political Science and Philosophy, magna cum laude; University of Pennsylvania, M.P.A., summa cum laude

Occupation: Public Policy Analyst

Previous or current elected appointed office:

• Member, Bernards Township Planning Board (January 2021 – February 2021 and January 2022 – Present)
• Chair and Member, Bernards Township Agricultural Advisory Committee (January 2021 – Present)
• Member, Bernards Township Zoning Board of Adjustment (September 2020 – December 2020)
• Committee Member and Board Member, Greater Raritan Workforce Development Board (January 2020 – April 2023)
• State Employment Training Commission Delegate, NJ Department of Labor (May 2013 – November 2016)
• Academic Standards Review Committee Member, NJ Department of Education (July 2015 – July 2016)
• Board Member, Burlington County Special Services and Institute of Technology (November 2016 – June 2019)
• Board Member, Delran Township School District Board (January 2014 –August 2016)

Campaign website: bernardsforall.com

Why are you seeking election to the Township Committee?

Volunteering and public service have always been at my core. I started out working for our nation's domestic service corp, AmeriCorps, preserving one of our state forests and its historic sites. After college, I joined a nonprofit, advocating to grow our economy and improve our state education system. Since then I have served on a number of state and nonprofit boards and commissions, as a way to give back. My local volunteerism also reflects this dedication; serving on the Planning Board and chairing the Agricultural Advisory Committee, as I continue to promote the well-being, and quality of life our community enjoys.

My running mate, Gary Baumann, and I will bring our experience and expertise to the Bernards Township Committee, keeping our town the strong, safe, and welcoming community that 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 our community-focused approach are central to our core principles. In addition, we will be strong advocates for promoting volunteerism through the township’s Tap the Talent program and celebrating our community’s rich diversity through the “Fabric of Bernards” initiative.

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?

Bernards Township’s long standing debt free and Pay as You Go approach, together with keeping adequate financial reserves, has put our town in an enviable position. Keeping Bernards Township debt free effectively reduces the price of capital assets for Bernards compared to other towns that borrow. Maintaining strong reserves helps our town avoid borrowing in anticipation of tax revenue and keeps Bernards strong and flexible. Other towns have to wait for taxes to cover their expenses which means they have to engage in borrowing. We can spend without the need to borrow. By eliminating the cost of borrowing, we curtail spending.

That said, we can continue to find savings, improve efficiency, and grow our tax base. One of the best ways to potentially reduce costs is to explore shared services with other municipalities and the county where it makes sense. In addition, promoting volunteering has at least two benefits because it makes our town a better place to live and can be a substantial tax savings. There may also be ways we can bring down the costs associated with paving our roads. Presently, we contract out for these services which come with some additional costs. It may be more efficient to provide these services in-house to find savings. State Employees Health Benefits was a big cost driver in the recently approved Bernards Township budget. Exploring how these operating costs are managed would be something I would want to look into.

Building our tax base with new businesses is also critically important. I believe the best way to attract new business is to maintain the high quality of life the town enjoys, keeping Bernards Township an attractive place to live and do business because of our wonderful schools, parks, and infrastructure. I am not in favor of becoming a business hub if that would detract from the charm and suburban character of our community.

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?

Transparency is the hallmark of good government. Our township committee continues to have our meetings online as well as recorded on YouTube for those who cannot make the meetings in-person. While the Rave Smart 911 notification platform was developed primarily for emergency communication, Bernards Township sends both emergent and general notifications through this service. I will continue to encourage its signup and utilization. The township also recently joined a number of social media platforms and created accounts to share information, build awareness, and create trust.

I support community engagement and believe that community engagement and transparency go hand in hand. I believe that openness, accountability and honesty define transparency in government. I will encourage our residents to follow the issues, attend public meetings, and become engaged. I will listen to our residents and their concerns with an open mind, encourage candid discussion, and respond to questions, to the best of our ability. In particular, I will ensure that proposed municipal agenda, minutes, and budgets are published well in advance with ample opportunity for review and discussion by the public prior to any approval.

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

I believe the biggest threat to our quality of life is overdevelopment. Overdevelopment has the potential to negatively affect our quality of life and have serious adverse impacts on traffic, emergency services, the environment, our schools, and finances. Just because there is green, open space, does not mean it is land for us to develop. At the same time, we need to begin to plan now for the next round of fair share housing and work collaboratively and in a bipartisan manner to change the way these matters are addressed at the present time. In our view, the courts should not decide 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.

My experience with state government will be helpful in this regard as we work collaboratively to find common ground on what is a state-wide challenge. I am in favor of allowing an appropriate amount of affordable housing. What makes sense in a particular context depends a lot on the facts and circumstances of the case. We can be proud that we have done our fair share on affordable housing and have met all of our obligations through 2025.

What sets you apart from the challenging candidates?

Gary 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’ long history of good government. Our backgrounds demonstrate that we have the leadership experience and actual expertise to continue Bernards’ efficient, responsive, transparent, and community-focused government. We understand how government functions and will work with state, county and local government leaders who currently serve in that capacity.

My experience working in both the private sector and formerly in government make me uniquely qualified to serve on the Bernards Township Committee. Professionally, I have fought for economic opportunity for children, families, and the business community. As a public policy analyst and public affairs professional, I typically work with various stakeholders to find common ground and creative solutions that work for everyone. Through this experience, I learned how to anticipate potential roadblocks, navigate through various governments, along with using data meaningfully in my decision-making. It also means I have worked across the aisle to build consensus and to get things accomplished. I intend to apply these skills to address the needs of our residents.

I also have experience in managing funds and analyzing financials. As a former school board member, I have safeguarded property tax dollars and never voted for a tax increase. As a corporate professional, I plan our team’s annual spending and track our projections.Whether it's the public sector or private sector, I have managed multi-million-dollar budgets and have a knack for finding savings as well as spending funds strategically to maximize their impact.

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; remaining 100 percent debt-free; working with law enforcement and first responders to keep our community as one of the safest in New Jersey; supporting substance abuse prevention and mental health services; fighting against destructive overdevelopment; and, working collaboratively with elected officials to find sensible solutions on affordable housing.

In addition, I will continue to promote volunteerism as a means to engage residents to make our town an even better place to live, as well as ensuring 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 of 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. 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.

Having held positions of great trust and responsibility before, both inside and outside of government, I understand what service on the Township Committee entails. It includes hard work, more listening than talking, and responsiveness to the needs of residents. I intend to approach the position with humility, respect for others, and with enthusiasm for serving the public good.

My running mate and I stand for government that is transparent and makes sense. We will keep Bernards debt-free and maintain its excellent credit rating. 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 Township’s long-standing, business-friendly environment. In addition, we will support volunteerism and community programs that enrich our Township’s residents.

Please vote for me and my running mate Gary Baumann for Bernards Township Committee.