Bridgewater Primary Election 2023: Timothy Ring

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Bridgewater's primary election on June 6 has two candidates ruinning for Mayor and four candidates running for two open seats on the Township Council.

Incumbent Timothy Ring is one of three Republican candidates running in the uncontested primary. Ring is running with incumbent Michael Kirsh for council and incumbent Matthew Moench for Mayor.

Additionally, there are three Democratic candidates Saad Toor who is running for Mayor along with Marguerite Baranowski and Gigi Ksalak who are running for council in the uncontested primary.

Are you running for office in Bridgewater? Contact Alexis Tarrazi at alexis.tarrazi@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Bridgewater Patch.

Timothy Ring

Age: 54

Town of residence: Bridgewater

Position sought: Township Council

Party affiliation: Republican

Family: Married, with two daughters (24 and 22) and three former Seeing Eye dogs.

Education: Bridgewater Raritan HS East/Allentown College of St. Francis de Sales

Occupation: Safety Management

Previous or current elected appointed office: Elected to public office for first time in 2019, seeking re-election for a 2nd term

Campaign website:

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

I come from a family of public service. My father was a volunteer firefighter in town for 48 years. My brother is a former Fire Chief. I have volunteered with the Rescue Squad for 35 years. Being elected to Township Council, has allowed me to serve the township in a new way. As a lifelong resident of the Township, my first priority is the township and I hope to be re-elected and continue to serve all of the residents of the Township.

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?

There is no question, COVID significantly impacted out budget the last couple of years. The good news, we are starting to see reoccurring revenues rebound. For example, our hotel occupancy tax, while still only about 70 percent of pre-covid levels, generated more than $438,000 in revenue above what was budgeted last year. We have to continue to look at each and every line of the budget to make sure that we are continuing to deliver the services residents expect, while not spending money unnecessarily.

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?

Prior to being elected to the Town Council, I advocated for the broadcasting of Council Meetings. We now not only broadcast Council Meetings, but we also broadcast all land use board meetings. Once we started broadcasting meetings, we quickly learned that upgrades are needed to the current audio system. Last year we awarded a contract to upgrade the audio and visual in the Council Chambers and look forward to that work finally being completed in the next 30-60 days.

Since being appointed last fall, Police Chief John Mitzak has launched the Bridgewater Shield (Security, Honesty, Integrity, Expertise, Loyalty, Discipline), which includes a Citizen’s Policy Academy, Virtual Reality use of force simulator training and Coffee with the Command Staff. These events, all of which help bring even greater transparency to one of the best police departments there is, are all open to Bridgewater residents at no cost.

How do you feel about the current state of the township's parks and playgrounds, such as KidStreet? Is there anything you would like to improve and how would you propose doing that?

Bridgewater has many outstanding parks. After years of use, some of our parks now require more than routine maintenance. Last year, we started the process of updating our parks. Contracts totaling more than $120,000 were awarded to install all new modern playground equipment at both Alldred Brown Park and Harry Ally Park. Efforts are currently underway to open up the old Camp Cromwell for residents to take advantage of walking and biking trails. We will continue to evaluate our parks and maintain and repair and/or replace the equipment in our parks.

How do you feel about the current status of township roadways and the current road improvement plan?

Holding true to a campaign promise made with my running mates, Matthew Moench and Michael Kirsh, in 2019, the Township successfully completed the first-ever comprehensive road study in 2020. Based on the results of that assessment, we began a five-year project to upgrade roads throughout the township. The township has been broken down into zones and we are upgrading roads in each and every zone, each year. This zoned approach has proven to offer favorable pricing for us. We are currently in year three of a five-year commitment.

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

We must continue to keep our eye on development. This includes continuing what was started a couple of years ago — looking at each and every application very closely and asking tough questions of applicants.

What sets you apart from the challenging candidates?

Being a lifelong resident of the township, I understand the history of Bridgewater. When you have lived in a town growing up, you witness the history and changes to the township over the years. This helps with making decisions about the future of the Township. As illustrated by the most recent census, many families are moving to Bridgewater because of what a great place it is to live. I have had the opportunity to meet and speak with many residents from the township. Whether it is listening to comments on the dais, greeting residents at Bulky Trash Days to answer questions they might have, or walking into their house in the middle of the night to help with a medical emergency, I work hard to serve all residents. This is best illustrated by an email I recently received from a Township resident. The individual is affiliated with a different political party than me but she wanted to thank me for all of my updates and replies to questions residents have.

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

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