Hillsborough General Election 2022: Robert Britting

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — Hillsborough Township Committee general election on Nov. 8 has four candidates running for two open seats.

Republican Robert Britting is vying for the one unexpired term on the township committee against Democrat Erynn Murray.

Additionally, there are two candidates running for the one, three-year full-term seat on the township committee. Those candidates include Republican John Ciccarelli and Democrat Ronald Yoder.

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

(All of the candidates were given the same questions)

Robert "Bob" Britting

Age: 42

Town of residence: Hillsborough, New Jersey

Position sought: Hillsborough Township Committee

Party Affiliation: Republican

Family: Kelly, Robert (Robbie) - 6, Christian - 5, Grayson - 11 months

Education: PhD, Organizational Change Management; MBA, Marketing and Business

Occupation: Pharmaceutical executive, 20+ years and currently work for one of the largest generic manufacturers

Previous or current elected appointed office:Current: Township Committee (As of March 2022), Previous: Hillsborough Environmental Commission, Hillsborough Board of Adjustment and Sustainable Hillsborough Commission

Campaign website: hillsboroughnjgop.com/candidates

Why are you seeking to run for Township Committee?

I immersed myself in local politics to make sure I could influence a common sense approach to everything we do and I want to do everything in my power to protect my children’s future - I want to leave my children a better world to live in. I thoroughly enjoy working with the Township Administration and the current Township Committee. In the end, I want low taxes/tax rates, maximized open space, economic and infrastructure sustainability and I DO NOT want Hillsborough to become a truck stop. I’m a father, husband, a business leader, and I care deeply about the people around me. I’m extremely proactive, energetic and capable of handling difficult situations and people - I have a “get it done mentality”. I’m a children’s athletic coach and immersed myself in the township as a volunteer on a number of boards and commissions prior to my appointment to the Township Committee in March 2022. You can ask anyone currently on the Township Committee about how I operate - I’m straight forward and I am not afraid to stand up for what I believe in.

Do you feel overdevelopment is an issue in town? How would you like to address it?

Yes. I feel forced development is a problem all across New Jersey. Hillsborough is not alone dealing with this problem. In general, people want to move to Hillsborough as it is one of the best towns in NJ to live in and highly ranked for safety. My wife, Kelly, and I moved here for these, along with other reasons.

Outside of families moving into Hillsborough for the great benefits of the town, we have dramatic requirements, forced by the NJ State Supreme Court, on our town due to state mandated affordable housing requirements. Many residents don’t understand that if we do not build the required affordable housing mandated properties by 2025, the courts will strip Hillsborough of all planning control, as it did over 20 years ago, making a bad situation worse.

If any candidate claims that they will force builders to pay for roads and schools, residents need to understand that the candidate is proposing criminal corruption offense. This would place our town at serious risk as we CANNOT allow for “pay for play” – Candidates should know that and be very careful as this is unacceptable. We have to be very careful who we place our leadership in the hands of as the approach we take now will greatly influence our future.

I want to make something very clear. I live off of Willow Road near a few of the proposed warehouses. I DO NOT want Hillsborough to turn into a truck stop. That is not why I moved here. I moved here for our ~40% open space, terrific schools, and the township safety record. Most importantly, we need to hold those involved with the warehouse proposals accountable for their testimony at the Planning Board. If the warehouse proposals do not line up with the township’s zoning ordinances, not based on sound engineering and/or place our residents at risk, I believe the proposals should be denied. I strongly urge residents to go to a Planning Board meeting and hear the testimony for themselves, participate in the process by questioning the witnesses and to share your concerns with the Planning Board.

In the end, I DO NOT want Hillsborough to become a truck stop and I care deeply about preserving Hillsborough for future generations. I will work with the township on reviewing zoning across the entire town, ensure the mayor’s new road infrastructure plan incorporates roads around the proposed warehouses and continue to focus on opportunities to purchase open space to protect our land.

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

Safety for Children: School safety is vital. Since Hillsborough is such a desirable place to live, our population has grown and has driven our schools to be at capacity. Our Deputy Mayor launched the new traffic safety signal campaign which is designed to begin the process helping our children get into school safely. That’s just one example of how this team has worked together to make sure that promises made are kept. I will do what is in my power, as a Committeeman, to work on strategic and safety issues that impact both the school and the township.

Youth Education: Partnerships between the Township and County is a practical and simple way to drive efficiency – This is called Shared Services. Recently, and as the liaison to the public library, we announced a collaborative relationship with the Somerset County Library that brings a new experience to our children on a monthly basis (https://sclsnj.org/hillsborough-storywalk/). I will continue to push for new ideas and remove barriers so our township services continue to grow.

Senior Center: Hillsborough is a great place to live for everyone, especially our senior population. Our seniors deserve to have maximized shared services across all the different Township departments. In March, I initiated discussions around a Senior and Community center and since then, I’ve been working closely with the Mayor and Township administrator and his team on design plans. I will continue to work through this project and seek the most efficient and practically applicable ways to make this happen.

Social Services for Seniors: In June, I worked with our Township Administrator and CFO to upgrade our social services transportation vehicles (buses, etc.) to ensure seniors have new vehicles (FREE OF CHARGE TO THEM) so they can go shopping, visit their doctors, etc. The township worked closely with local organizations to secure funding for these vehicles to maximize our township budget.

Recreation Facilities: The Recreation Department has been on a roll this year! Our recreation grounds need constant upkeep as we have a large town and fixed budget to support the tending of the fields and recreational areas. For context, there have been 10 major renovations to our recreation facilities in 2022. Some of those successes are: Installation of ADA accessible sidewalks, multiple bathroom renovations, park repurposing for efficiencies, safety fences to protect children, roof replacements on buildings and pavilions. Maintaining and upgrading our recreational areas will always be a focus and I will work with the Township to find unique ways to enhance the services and break new ground on new facilities and township owned land.

Protecting impacted residents: At a recent Township Committee meeting, the Mayor announced a plan to restore the area behind a group of homes impacted by the flooding from the past few years. The end result, is that the township invested in protecting these homes and is cleaning out the areas that have been causing the overflow flooding into people’s homes. As a member of the Environmental Commission last year and this year I had the chance to hear from residents directly impacted by the flooding and voiced my strong opinion in support of the residents that ultimately forced the engineering firm to go back and re-evaluate plans they had for building a commercial property. I will ALWAYS stand up for what is right and will continue to do so.

What sets you apart from the challenging candidates?

I treat government like a private business and expect results from those who work on behalf of the tax payers. In only 6 months, I have accomplished a great deal and I’m just getting started. I now fully understand how the system works, what is needed to help Hillsborough be successful and who to work with to actually get things done.

I hold myself and those around me highly accountable and regularly reflect on my approach. I expect those around me in power to use their positions to help this township continue to be one of the best places to live in America. In the end, I place the same accountability on those in power around me as I do myself.

In the end, I simply want EVERYONE in Hillsborough to live a better life, regardless of political mindset.

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

Expect honesty, a straight-forward attitude, and a common sense approach to everything I do. My children and my wife are my world and I do what I do for them. I want Hillsborough to be a low tax, highly safe and efficient, open space focused township with a sustainable business culture.