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Metuchen Borough Council {_getChooseLabel(this.selections.length)}

Metuchen is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government The governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the Borough Council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. The Borough Council has six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle. The borough form of government used by Metuchen is a weak mayor / strong council government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie.

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  • Candidate picture

    Mark Flaherty
    (Rep)

  • Candidate picture

    Lisa Hyman
    (Dem)

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    Meredith Joyce
    (Rep)

  • Candidate picture

    Meg Loftus Suchan
    (Dem)

Biographical Information

Please explain why you are running and describe the personal and professional experiences/skills that make you uniquely qualified to serve in municipal government.

What are your priorities for your term in municipal government? How do you plan to implement these priorities?

When groups of residents disagree about issues, please state what steps you would take (beyond listening to both sides) to create consensus. Please provide any examples of current issues where you think this is possible.

What is the role of the office you are seeking when interacting with ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)?

In addition to the issues you have already addressed, what other challenges to the municipality do you see and how would you address them?

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Slogan Let's Put the Brakes on Taxes and Overdevelopment
Campaign Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/FlahertyJoyce
Mark Flaherty has lived in Metuchen for approximately 22 years and is running for Borough Council as a Republican candidate alongside Meredith Joyce. A long-standing community member, he’s affiliated with the Metuchen Knights of Columbus and Elks Lodge and supports local civic engagement. During recent council meetings, he spoke up about the impact of federal funding changes on borough projects, reflecting his concern for local infrastructure and fiscal resilience. Flaherty’s campaign emphasizes protecting essential funding streams and maintaining stable support for critical municipal initiatives.
Let's put the brakes on overdevelopment. Overdevelopment has overcrowded our schools causing Metuchen High and Moss to expand again. Inevitably this population expansion will require additional infrastructure spending. Overdevelopment is also threatening to end the small town atmosphere that attracted us to Metuchen. We will vote against additional large apartment complexes and advocate for single-family homes and townhouses. The new influx of renters will need them if they want to follow their dreams and stay in Metuchen.

Let's put the brakes on taxes. Urban development has not brought the tax ratable down. This year the Council raised taxes, again, by 3.14%, while our neighbors did better. Metuchen increased by 3.15% Woodbridge increased by 2% and Edison by .98%. Westfield had no increase. The Middlesex County tax rate charged to towns declined by 4.5% on average, and Piscataway decreased by 8.49%.

Let's find ways to cut costs. The first thing that will be cut: the Special Projects Director position. We want to hire a full time dispatcher for better local emergency services. We will also put forward a proposal that will require cutting costs whenever new costs are introduced. For every penny spent on something new, we want to require one penny to cut back to help curtail a bloated local government without compromising essential services. We will pressure Middlesex County to stop raising our required tax contributions for their budget.
Invite residents to Borough Council meetings to voice their opinions. Approving or disapproving of a tax rate increase is an example.
There is no role for Borough Councilmembers to interact with ICE.
Keeping the town affordable for seniors. The high level of taxes has made it very difficult for seniors to stay in Metuchen. When affordable housing is built, Metuchen seniors should have priority access ahead of non-residents.
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