Hillsborough Township Committee Election 2024: Robert Britting

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — Hillsborough Township's general election on Nov. 5 has four candidates running for two open seats for the Township Committee.

Republican incumbent Robert Britting is running along with incumbent Shawn Lipani against Democrats Hermes Vallejo and James VanderVliet.

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.

Robert Britting, PhD, MBA

• Age: 44
• Town of residence: Hillsborough, New Jersey
• Position sought: Township committee (Current Mayor)
• Party Affiliation: Republican
• Family:
  • Kelly (wife)
  • Robbie – 8
  • Christian – 7
  • Grayson – 2
• Education: PhD Organizational Change Management, Macro/Microeconomics and MBA in Marketing and Management
• Occupation: Pharmaceutical Executive
• Previous elected/appointed office:
  • Mayor, Hillsborough Township (2024)
  • Deputy Mayor, Hillsborough Township (2023)
  • Township Committeeman (2022)
• Campaign website: hillsboroughnjgop.com

Why are you seeking election for Township Committee?

It has been an absolute honor to serve my community as Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Committeeman, with the support of my family, my neighbors, and the residents of Hillsborough. I plan to continue to do so for many years to come.

I launched the “Ask the Mayor” video series as soon as I was elected mayor this year to make sure people knew exactly what was going on as it happened. I promised to lead with unapologetic honesty and will continue to do so. As I have consistently demonstrated, I will transparently hold myself and my local and state colleagues accountable, respecting township residents right to always know why decisions are made, where we are investing and who or what is standing in our way of doing right by Hillsborough.

Safety will always be at the forefront of everything I do to protect our town. I have an incredible respect for our police department, the work they do and the importance of staying ahead of public safety issues. Our 2024 incremental investments in public safety and the police department, place Hillsborough in a solid position for the future. We were honored and ranked the second safest town in the Northeast of the USA and I will continue to build on that into the future.

I see an opportunity to continue to protect against overdevelopment, unnecessary building, continue to improve our road system and preserve as much land as humanly possible. Outside of public safety, this year we preserved almost 500 acres of land (1000s of acres over the past few years), launched a ~$10 million road project plan for township roads, fixed falcon Road, and fought incredibly hard, and were successful in getting 206 back on track. I’m incredibly proud of our work this year as it sets us up for the future and ensures that we are focused on what matters most to people.

In the end, I want my three boys to remember my time here, experience it for themselves and be provided an example of how their father unapologetically stood in front of problems and successfully took situations head-on.

The state's Route 206 project has caused issues and delays throughout town. How do you propose addressing this issue?

Getting State Road 206 back on track is a huge win for Hillsborough Township. I’m incredibly proud of that accomplishment. Now that the initial phase has started, we cannot stop holding all involved accountable, so the job can get done sooner rather than later. I will continue to use the “Ask the Mayor” video series to inform residents and business owners of areas that we need to call out for the DOT to focus on. In the end, the 206 project is controlled by the State. I will continue to be a voice for the residents and hold local legislators and state representatives accountable.

Residents can follow the new roads and infrastructure page that allows them to be continuously informed on the 206 project, along with the ~$10 million road improvement plan we launched this year and other major road projects and completions, such as of Falcon Road. Residents can stay informed here: Hillsborough New Jersey - Roadwork (hillsborough-nj.org).

Warehouse applications are still a concern for residents. How do you plan to address this?

I have made my warehouse position very clear since I ran three years ago. To date, two of the warehouse applications have been denied. Also, with collaboration with then Mayor Lipani, revised our zoning ordinance where new warehouses are no longer an approved use, and imposed weight limits for tractor trailers on country roads. With that, I will continue to do my part to stop overdevelopment. People move here for open space, safety, good schools and a suburban way of life. I will continue to protect us all and commit to focusing on these items for all living here.

Affordable housing. How do you feel about this state mandate and its impact on Hillsborough?

Much like State Road 206, affordable housing is controlled/mandated by the State Legislature. In 2025, the State will mandate more housing in Hillsborough, along with other municipalities throughout the state. Hillsborough Township deserves the right to speak for itself – Not blindly accept mandates that have little, to no regard for how it impacts the Township, schools, infrastructure and all residents involved.

With that, affordable housing is important for people who need better accommodations for their situation. There are many single mothers, senior citizens, and people having a difficult time that need affordable places to live. The challenge with state-mandated affordable housing is that the State assigns the number of units to build versus the Town controlling its own destiny. The algorithm is extremely flawed and has no regard for our school system, our road structure, our sewer system, our local environment, etc. The pressure is placed on the town to negotiate with the developers and the courts to each a final number failure to do so will result in the town losing all control of the planning process. Developers are only required to set aside 10% - 20percent of their units as affordable. I’m proud to say in the last around of affordable housing we reached 24 percent set aside and reduced the initial mandated number of affordable housing units by 40 percent preventing 1000’s of market rate units from being built. It is important to remember that towns throughout will be required to add housing, not just Hillsborough. It’s imperative that we ensure our infrastructure, school system, roads and environment can handle any additional housing mandated on us. Though we will be directed to add housing by the State in 2025, I will continue to work with and negotiate with them, much like I did to get 206 back on track, to ensure we do what is right for Hillsborough residents.

As work on the Master Plan gets underway, is there anything you feel the town should focus on?

The master plan is critical for Hillsborough Township as it defines our future. Tackling 206 upfront, which I did successfully, allows us to move into the next stages of the master plan as multiple areas in the 206 area are impacted by this plan. Deputy Mayor Ciccarelli has done a wonderful job leading the process and making sure all internal stakeholders are engaged and applying their feedback. As relates to feedback, we launched a portal this year that allows residents to provide their perspective on the planning features that are directly to the master plan. Hillsborough is their home, and residents have the absolute right to have a say in what ultimately ends up in their town.

In the end, the master plan will allow us to have an updated view of our future, and truly have the blueprint for a downtown concept. It’s been way too many years of talking about it. Time to get it done. I’m proud that this team is taking the lead in focusing on our future.

What sets you apart from the challenging candidates?

I am focused on getting things done. I don’t play games. I’ve been unapologetically straightforward and transparent and will continue to do so. I firmly believe in my heart that we live in the best town in the State of New Jersey and want to protect all the people living here any way I can.

I believe in and live transparency. I believe in fully supporting the police. I believe in preserving land and stopping overdevelopment. I believe in fiscally responsible government. I believe in upgrading our road system. I believe in making sure people know exactly where their tax dollars are going. I believe children and senior citizens are a priority. I believe in having a strong connection to the school system to make sure the town has a say in matters that are related to us, even though we are separate from the Board of Education. My wife and I have three wonderful little boys… I’m in this for the right reasons.

Most importantly, I have no problem holding my colleagues and local politicians accountable. Too many times politicians sit on their hands and get nothing done. That doesn’t sit well with me as a businessperson and as a father of three little boys. I will continue to hold politicians publicly accountable regardless of political party.

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

Both I and my running-mate, Committeeman/previous Mayor Shawn Lipani, have dedicated an immense amount of time and energy to protect the 43,000+ people living here. I guarantee you that we will continue to fight for what is best for Hillsborough’s future and will ensure residents are at the center of our thinking.

Representing my town as mayor in 2024 has been the greatest professional honor of my life. I will continue to serve my family, neighbors and the people living in Hillsborough for as long as I can. With that, I plan on being a driving force for a positive future for many years to come and I look forward to working closely with Committeeman Lipani and my other Committee colleagues on keeping Hillsborough one of the best places to live.