2018 Election

SOMERVILLE – Two township residents were part of history at the Jan. 4 Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders meeting. Former township Deputy Mayor Shanel Robinson took the oath of office for her first Freeholder term, and former township Mayor and current Freeholder Brian Levine was elected as the Freeholder Director for 2019.

Township Deputy Mayor Shanel Robinson helped make history Nov. 6 when she became one of the first two Democrats elected to the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders in nearly 40 years. Election Day 2018 also saw the apparent return of two former Board of Education members and the victory of an incumbent.

Analysis

Analysis A campaign flier promoting the Republican slate of Somerset County Freeholder candidates contains misstatements about the candidates’ Democratic challengers.

The latest quarterly financial reports submitted by the two major candidates for the 12th Congressional District show the incumbent with a tremendous economic advantage over her challenger. As of Sept. 30, incumbent U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D) had $293,537.36 cash on hand. Her Republican challenger, Franklin attorney Daryl Kipnis, reported $1,548.57 in cash.

Actions taken by a Township Councilman and Municipal Court Judge are being reviewed in a “judicial investigation,” according to an email sent by a top Somerset County Democratic Committee official. An email set out Oct. 1 by Somerset County Democratic Committee executive director Max Blum said that there is an “ongoing judicial investigation” into township Municipal Court Judge Hector Rodriguez, …

Updated with comment from Deputy Mayor Robinson and statement from the Somerset County Democratic Committee. The chairman of the Somerset County Republican party Sept. 18 called on Deputy Mayor Shanel Robinson to release all of her emails concerning the “Peace and Nonviolence” monument park issue.

Submitted By The League of Women Voters. The League of Women Voters of the Greater New Brunswick Area is sponsoring an essay and video contest, “Y VOTE”, for high school students to share their thoughts on the importance of voting.

The two major candidates for the 12th U.S. Congressional District seat sparred recently over tweets one made criticizing Pres. Donald Trump and the Republican-led Congress. Republican challenger Daryl Kipnis took exception to an Aug. 22 tweet posted by the Democratic incumbent, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, in which she wrote, “For a Congress so full of men it’s incredible that we …

Six candidates have filed for the three Board of Education seats up for contention in November’s election. In addition to incumbent Laurie Merris and former board president Ed Potosnak, former board member Pat Stanley has submitted an application to run.