School Board Member Resigns, Appointed To Hillsborough Township Committee

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — James H. Ruh, Jr. has resigned from the school board as he was appointed as the new Township Committee Member to fill the unexpired term of Janine Erickson.

Ruh is a 30-plus-year resident of the Township as well as a Hillsborough High School graduate along with his wife. They have three children also in the Hillsborough Township School District.

"I am looking forward to serving the residents of Hillsborough Township," said Ruh, Jr. in a release.

The Hillsborough Township Committee held a special meeting on Friday night where Ruh, Jr. was appointed. He will fill Erickson's term until Dec. 31, 2023.

Erickson's resignation from the Township Committee was announced at the Nov. 9 meeting. She pointed to her personal life obligations that led her to make the "difficult" decision to resign. Read More: Personal Life Obligations Prompt Hillsborough Deputy Mayor To Resign

Republicans on the Township Committee had to select a candidate to fill Erickson's seat from three nominees within 30 to fill the vacancy.

"Thank you to Jim (James) for his willingness to serve on the Township Committee. We look forward to working with him," stated Mayor Shawn Lipani in a release.

Ruh, Jr. resigned from the Board of Ed [Monday] upon being sworn in for the Township Committee, according to Hillsborough Republicans Chairman Ken Scherer.

Ruh, Jr. had been serving on the Hillsborough Township Board of Education since May. Read More: New Candidate Selected To Fill Hillsborough Board Of Education Seat

He was selected out of 12 candidates to fill a seat on the Board that was left open after newly appointed Hillsborough school board member Jason Albanese resigned abruptly on Feb. 17 after serving less than two months. Read More: Newly Appointed Hillsborough School Board Member Abruptly Resigns.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the Hillsborough Township Board of Education will have to fill Ruh, Jr.'s open seat. The seat is already set to expire at the end of 2023.

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