The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
By Rob Kohn.
As we approach Election Day, I want to share with my fellow residents that I think we have some excellent candidates running for reelection county-wide in Somerset County.
The pandemic caused a lot of people to have difficulty paying their rents. Melonie Marano, who is running for reelection as a County Commissioner, along with her colleagues, doggedly secured about $2.9 million in Federal grants to help about 800 Franklin Township residents pay their rent and utilities.
Commissioner Marano and her colleagues also found federal monies to double the funding for Somerset County Not for Profit organizations. One such allocation was for 200 children to attend a YMCA summer camp at Colonial Park.
Moreover, Commissioner Marano and her colleagues created an online shared services marketplace. This enables towns to share the cost of needed equipment, which reduces cost.
Steve Peter, a Harvard grad, is running for reelection as County Clerk. During the past four years, he expanded vote by mail, placed an unprecedented amount of records online, and brought mobile office hours out to the Community. Moreover, because of Mr. Peter’s prudent fiscal management, The Clerk’s Office earned a AAA credit rating.
Darrin Russo, running for reelection as Sheriff, has diversified the hires and promotions in the Sheriff’s Office, so the officers better reflect the communities they serve. Sheriff Russo also launched The Hate Crimes and Awareness Unit. Moreover, he expanded the highly specialized K9 Unit to help seize narcotics, find Missing Persons, and patrol public spaces.
So, please remember that Election Day is on Tuesday, November 8. And I urge everyone to reelect Russo, Peter, and Marano.
