Clinton Township Newsletter

4 o c t o b e r 2 0 2 0 W W W . C L I N T O N T W P N E W S L E T T E R . C O M V a n D o r e n T o S e e k 2 n D T e r m o n B o a r D o f C h o S e n f r e e h o l D e r S Shaun C. Van Doren has kicked off his campaign for a second term on the Hunterdon County Board of Chosen Freeholders. Van Doren, the current Director of the Board this year, was elected in November 2017 to his first term. Van Doren came to the Board in January of 2018 after having served 21 years on the Tewksbury Township Committee, where he had served three terms a Mayor and chaired the Finance Committee for ten years. Van Doren served as liaison to the Department of Public Works and Engineering during his first two years on the Freeholder Board. This year as Director he serves as liaison to the Administration, County Counsel, Human Resources and Finance Departments and serves on the Budget Committee. The Board adopted a 2020 Budget that froze the tax rate for the second year in a row while reducing overall expenditures. A fiscal conservative, Van Doren led the charge this year to continue the County's "pay as you go program" for capital expenditures by not borrowing for capital projects and equipment but paying for them, a policy implemented six years ago. "I'm proud that Hunterdon County is the ONLY County in New Jersey that has ZERO debt. This shows our commitment to the taxpayers to only spend what we raise." Van Doren has steered the County through what has been the most significant crisis to ever face it in terms of the COVID-19 pandemic. The County has seen 1,214 confirmed cases and lost 70 residents. "We've been at the low end, fortunately, but had it not been without the hard work, time, and energy by our County Health Department and Office of Emergency Management staffs we would have been much higher without contact tracing, program management and daily reports and briefings, coordination with Hunterdon Medical Center." Van Doren initially held twice weekly calls with County Mayors along with State and Federal Elected Officials to wade through the myriad of issues thrown at County government. County staff held daily calls, seven days a week in the early days and then reduced based on the events of the week to plan how County government responded. The County provided PPE to county-based long term care facilities and municipal partners as needed. The County was there every step of the way, expending several hundred thousand dollars of which are due reimbursement from FEMA and the State. Van Doren, along with his Freeholder Board colleagues unanimously, opposed the Penn East pipeline every step of the way and continue to monitor the legal proceedings, working with local non-profit environmental organizations and legal counsel to ensure this project never sees the light of day. He strongly supports the County's first class Farmland Preservation and Open Space Preservation programs, partnering with not-for-profits and municipalities to preserve and protect vital open space and farmland as well as maintaining our historic resources. He used his knowledge and expertise at the County level after having started Tewksbury Township's successful farmland preservation program, which preserved 1,200 acres of farmland leveraging state and county dollars as cost share against Tewksbury monies. In asking for support for a second term, Van Doren will: • continue the County's prudent fiscal policies and programs • break ground on a new Emergency Services Technical Services Center, including a new "burn building," which will provide a new, state-of-the art training facility for our County volunteer firefighters • seek upgrades to other County-owned facilities to ensure that our buildings meet tomorrow's needs • propose partnering closer with the County's 26 municipalities to showcase everything that the County does for our residents and also help reduce taxes – a program that was sidetracked because of COVID-19 Van Doren is an 8th generation resident, lives in the Oldwick section of Tewksbury Township and works as an Environmental, Health & Safety Project Specialist for Merck & Co., in Rahway, NJ. For more information, please email the North Hunterdon Republican Club: nhrepublicanclub2017@gmail. com or visit: www.HunterdonCountyVotes.com. h m C a u x i l i a r y n e e D S V o l u n T e e r S ! The Hunterdon Medical Center Auxiliary, which helps to support the Hunterdon Healthcare Foundation's fundraising efforts, is looking for volunteers. The Auxiliary is a dynamic volunteer organization that plays a vital role in the hospital's mission. Auxiliary volunteers have hosted a variety of fundraising events over the years which have contributed over three million dollars to the Hunterdon Healthcare System, supporting their commitment to provide quality healthcare for the community. For more information, contact: 908.788.6591 or: ddalley@hhsnj.org. Thank you in advance! "You have all the reason in the world to achieve your grandest dreams. Imagination plus innovation equals realization." ~ Denis Waitley

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