Voters in Bernardsville, Bernards Township and Bedminster will decide contests for municipal seats in the Nov. 8 general election.
In Bedminster, Republican incumbents Doug Stevinson and Gina Fernandez are seeking re-election to three-year terms.
They are challenged by Democrats Giuseppe Zaccagnini and Uttara Patla.
While we’d like to see a Democratic presence on the all-Republican committee to offer checks and balances, our endorsement goes to the team of Stevinson and Fernandez who have proven themselves to be hard-working, competent public officials.
Running for the second straight year, the Democrats say the committee fails to address the needs of residents of The Hills development. It’s an issue Democrats recycle nearly every election campaign – and it just doesn’t hold water this year. The committee has addressed several issues that directly affect residents of The Hills, such as power outages and efforts to improve internet services.
Stevinson, an attorney, and Fernandez, an educator, are also part of a team that has worked to ensure that AT&T remains in the township, albeit at a new location. The committee has also made some recreation improvements, established an excellent farmer’s market and received a grant to create a new community garden at River Road Park not far from The Hills.
The Democrats have had little presence at public committee meetings and have few legitimate issues in this race. On Nov. 8, Bedminster residents should re-elect Stevinson and Fernandez to the Township Committee.
Editor’s Note: The entire article with endorsements for neighboring towns appears in The Bernardsville News.