Raritan Borough Council - Somerset County - Unexpired Term
The Raritan Borough Council works with the Mayor to oversee the various Commissions in Raritan Borough. In 2024, there is an election for a Council member to complete an unexpired term.
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Umesh Agrawal
(Rep)
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Pablo Orozco
(Dem)
What are the major challenges facing your municipality and how would you propose to address them if elected?
When groups of residents disagree about issues, what do you see as your role in determining how to proceed?
What factors are critical to the quality of life in your municipality and what would you do to improve or preserve them?
Qualifications/Experience
MBA and BSC Engineering (Mechanical), Finance Director at Johnson & Johnson (Employed for 34 years)
Involvement in Community
Raritan Councilman since 2024, Chair Finance Committee, Member Library Board of Trustees for 5 years, Volunteered at United Way tax preparation services, volunteer at Duke Farm
I would like to highlight the two most important challenges which are redevelopment and aging road infrastructure. The redevelopment has become a very sensitive topic for the borough especially due to an ordinance to redevelop Raritan Mall which was voted down. I will keep working with the residents and other stakeholders for an amicable solution if possible.
The other major change facing the borough is its aging road infrastructure. Currently, we rely on grants and American Water projects to address the need for improvements in our road network. To enhance our road conditions, I believe the borough should supplement grant funding with its own internal funds to effectively address our infrastructure issues.
When a municipality has thousands of residents with varying perspectives and levels of understanding regarding issues, disagreements are to be expected. These differences in opinion do not stem from a lack of concern for the municipality’s best interest; rather, they arise because individuals view issues through different lenses. As a council member, it is crucial to comprehend the underlying reasons for these differing viewpoints and to explore the possibility of finding common ground. An essential role of a council member is to maintain open communication channels with residents, facilitating free and constructive dialogue to ensure that decisions are informed by data and facts.
Having more open space, parks and recreational activities along with good infrastructure are critical for the quality of life in Raritan borough.
Raritan is very fortunate to have a very unique riverfront empty land and a train station closer to its downtown. These both factors can play very important role in improving quality of life in the borough. The riverfront land often called Raritan Greenway is owned by the county. If elected, I aim to work with Somerset County and the council to transform the Greenway by the river into a beautiful, walkable park with benches and playgrounds even commercial structures where people can rent boats or canoes. Additionally, there are several park-like properties owned by the Somerset County, including the dog park and the tennis court in disrepair adjacent to 1st Avenue. I envision working with Somerset County to revitalize these parks.
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