Bernards Primary Election 2026: Ana Duarte McCarthy

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Bernards' primary election on June 2 has five candidates running for two open seats on the Township Committee.

Ana Duarte McCarthy is one of two Democratic candidates running in the primary. McCarthy is running with Joan Bannan.

Additionally, there are three Republican candidates Paul Humbert and Vanathi Raghupathy, who are running together, and Kirsten Light are also running in the 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.

Ana Duarte McCarthy

Age: 67

Town of residence: Basking Ridge, Bernards Township

Position sought: Reelection to Township Committee

Party affiliation: Democratic

Family: Michael (husband); daughter, Alissa McCarthy O’Toole (married); and our beloved labradors George (9) and Frankie (19 months)

Education: Lafayette College, Bachelor of Arts, Columbia University, Masters of Education, Counseling Psychology; Masters of Arts, Organizational Psychology

Occupation: Principal, Duarte McCarthy Diversity Consulting, LLC; formerly Managing Director, Citi; Senior Director, Forté Foundation

Previous or current elected appointed office: Bernards Township Committee, elected November 2023, currently serving as Mayor

Campaign website: btdems.org/mccarthybannan

Why are you seeking re-election to the Township Committee?

I am seeking reelection onto the Bernards Township Committee to continue serving and bringing value to our community. My husband, Mike grew up here, his family having moved to Basking Ridge in 1969. Mike and I moved here in 1996, with our daughter Alissa, who went to Oak Street, William Annin, and graduated from Ridge High School. We have roots in Bernards Township, and a strong interest in the vitality of our community. I have been an active volunteer in Bernards Township for the nearly 30 years that I’ve lived here, including the YMCA board, PTO committees, and professional organizations. Volunteering and service is a value that I embraced from my dad, who was a past president and leader of the Dominican Doctors Medical Society, and my mom, who led the women’s branch of the organization, and was a longtime PTO and Parish volunteer. Throughout my professional career, I worked on developing policies and programs that impacted our clients, communities, and workforce. As Mayor, and a member of the Township Committee, I am part of a team that is working with our Township staff and residents to find ideas, strategies, and solutions to best support our community. If reelected, I will continue to represent and serve all the residents of our town and work collaboratively with my Township Committee colleagues. While some want to see Bernards Township as a Republican or more recently a Democratic town, I see us as a rich mosaic, and where we prosper when all voices, regardless of political ideology, matter.

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

The Township Committee has momentum on several objectives that if reelected I will continue to focus on. At our reorganization meeting on January 6; we reintroduced the
second public comment, a campaign promise. We are working on several key areas, including fiscal responsibility, public safety, economic development, land use, and inclusive communities.

• On fiscal responsibility — The Township has maintained a "Pay As You Go" capital budgeting policy and has not issued debt for any capital project in nearly 35 years, with our last borrowing being in 1991. We have continued this approach and looked at our operations to be as efficient as we can be, while we also examine our capital, so that we are responsible stewards of our taxpayer spending, focusing on our community priorities. While we have experienced a significant giant cost increase for state-provided health care coverage, we approved a $49.77 million municipal budget that raised the tax levy by 3.44%. This is consistent with the 2025 and 2024 budgets, that also carried a levy increase of 3.44%. We are working with other municipalities on reform and recently unanimously passed a Resolution on May 12 urging state leaders to overhaul the State Health Benefits
  Program (SHBP). We have also pursued grant revenue, and our proposal for nearly $2M to fund an engineering project was one of 20 put forward from among hundreds of applications to be considered for congressional funding.
• On public safety — We are proud to be 2 nd safest community in NJ and are appreciative and deeply supportive of our Police Department. We have made public safety a priority and are working with Ride Wise, a non-profit organization that partners with Somerset County municipalities on pedestrian, cyclist, and driver safety.
• On economic development – We are assessing the current state of our businesses to see how we can help them thrive, while looking to the future the type of commercial retail
  that will complement our community. Committeewoman Jennifer Asay and Deputy Mayor John Tompkins are leading an economic development subcommittee focused on
  this objective, and they recently hosted our first economic roundtable and with more to happen in the coming months.
• On land use, we met our fourth-round affordable housing obligations and are now planning for the potential of a fifth round in 2035 to preserve and protect our open space.
• On inclusive communities – We want to be a place where our residents can thrive, including our older adults. This March, we launched an Age Friendly Community initiative with the Somerset Hills YMCA to identify areas and opportunities for resources and programs. During April and May, we implemented a survey of residents ages 55+ and will be reviewing the findings to understand gaps and opportunities in services.

The Township Committee is focused on these five areas—and as running mates, former Township Committeewoman Joan Bannan and I are committed to continuing the momentum in 2027, and beyond.

Is there anything you would like to share about yourself or your campaign?

I am very happy to be running with Joan Bannan. Joan is an exceptional candidate. She was a former Township Committeeperson and served with distinction. She understands how our municipality works so will hit the ground running. Moreover, Joan, throughout her tenure on the Township Committee, led with integrity and will make a difference for our community. Together we are the right choice for Bernards Township to continue leading with experience, civility, and dedication to our community.