EDITOR: Certainly, we live in interesting times.
COVID-19 has upset many of the normal proceedings in our country, not the least of which is our process of electing our leadership at all levels of government.
I am not going to offer my opinion on the safety and accuracy of mail in ballots vs. the actual polls. However, I do feel that the worst thing any U.S. citizen can do is refrain from voting at all.
The second worst thing would be to blindly vote along party lines without considering the individual candidates running for office. Does that candidate have the integrity, experience and dedication to serve all constituents in the office that he/she was elected?
In Bedminster, the clear choice is Colin Hickey for Township Committee. Colin has served on the Bedminster Township Committee for over three years and has repeatedly gone above and beyond for all Bedminster residents.
Most recently, when many people were initially displaced from their jobs due to COVID and struggling to provide for their families, Colin initiated and manned the Bedminster pop-up food pantry, which provided food and other necessities for over 650 area families.
When Bedminster was experiencing frequent power outages over the past few years, Colin brought JCP&L representatives to the town to answer residents complaints and formed a working group with several of the homeowner associations in The Hills to develop system improvements and reduce the outages.
This year, Colin has been championing the fight against New Jersey American Water, which has filed to raise water rates. If left unchallenged, this would result in an almost $100 per year increase to the average user.
Colin is dedicated to this town and I invite all Bedminster residents to visit his website www.colinhickey.com, to learn more about him.
In closing, please carefully consider the candidates you are electing, especially at the local level. For a proven leader with integrity, please be sure to vote for Colin Hickey.
JAMES H. CHRISTIE
Bedminster Township
Note: This Letter to the Editor originally appeared in The Bernardsville News on August 4, 2020.