METUCHEN — Come January, Mayor Jonathan Busch will continue to lead the “Brainy Borough” while the Metuchen Borough Council will welcome two new members.
Busch received 4,805 votes to serve the one-year expired term of former Mayor Peter Cammarano. He was appointed as mayor on Dec. 18, 2017, to fill the mayoral seat after Cammarano announced his resignation and confirmed his nomination as Gov. Phil Murphy’s chief of staff.
During his campaign, Busch said he, the borough administration and the Borough Council will continue to emphasize principles of transparency, open discourse and inclusion by holding open office hours for residents at his Borough Hall office every week.
“We will continue establishing an even more welcoming, walkable and vibrant downtown; work on constructing a new firehouse, the Metuchen Arts District and a new sewer pump station; enhancing park and recreational spaces; preserving Metuchen’s diverse, historic and attractive residential neighborhoods; and making the borough safer through a variety of pedestrian-friendly initiatives,” he said.
Councilwoman Allison Inserro and Councilman Ronald Grayzel did not seek re-election this year. Two Democrats ran unopposed in the election on Nov. 6.
Former Councilwoman Sheri-Rose Rubin recorded 4,678 votes and newcomer Jason Delia received 4,599 votes in their bid for the two, three-year term seats on the council.
During the campaign, the Rubin said while there are many areas to focus her attention, she would like to continue to be the voice of inclusion and advocate for the residents and visitors with disabilities.
“We cannot overlook the ongoing need to continuously ensure that all programs, places and events are welcoming and accessible to anyone who wants to participate,” she said. “We must find and fund creative solutions to the unique challenges that our older structures present and remember that there is always a solution to any barrier that exist.”
Delia said once on the council he wants to find ways the borough can better leverage existing technology to improve services and make governing more efficient.
“Digitizing forms, operation schedules and asset management will move us towards an even more citizen-centric approach to governing,” he said. “There are also opportunities to leverage data collection and analysis to help make more informed decisions.”
Delia said he can also help Metuchen capitalize on future technological advancements such as the roll out of 5G mobile communications, the increase in use of electric and eventually autonomous vehicles and IoT technologies.
