Green Brook Candidates Begin Prepping for Election

Election season will be here before you know it, and Patch is offering an advance look at the candidates running for the Green Brook Township Committee in November.

Two Republican incumbents—Ken Herrmann and Pat Boccio—combine 23 years of service to the township and are up for re-election this year. Boccio, the current Deputy Mayor of the township, ran for and was eventually elected to the Township Committee for the first time three years ago and is excited to be running alongside Herrmann once again.

"After being in town for 12 years and being a volunteer for a number of local organizations, as well as serving on the Green Brook Planning Board, I felt I could give more to the town. That is when I decided to run for Township Committee," Boccio said of his decision to run for his current term. "This was my first political campaign and I was fortunate the have my friend Ken Herrmann as a running mate. Ken showed me the ropes and I believe we were successful by reaching out to as many people as possible and listening to their concerns and desires. I am glad to have Ken as a running mate again this time around."

Among the key issues Boccio would like to see addressed is re-elected is the development and implementation of a strategic plan for the township. This would involve a focused approach to address the needs, one-by-one, of the township's many volunteer and special interest organizations.

"Our discussions with the people in town lead us to the idea of developing a strategic plan for Green Brook. Last year we laid the ground work for the strategic planning effort within the Township Committee," Boccio said. "We have hired a consultant to facilitate this effort and on June 23 there will be a general kickoff and focus group meetings between the various stakeholders within the town."

At the same time, Herrmann pointed out that his focus, which Boccio shares, is on saving the township money and utilizing its resources wherever possible, which, he hopes, will keep taxes at an affordable rate for Green Brook residents while not compromising the quality of public service within the township.

“We are always looking at ways to reduce our budget,” Herrmann said. “We have made some changes, such as inviting the Middlebrook Health Commission to use the excess space in town hall as their office.”

Herrmann, a six-year member of the Township Committee and former Green Brook mayor from 2008 and 2010, also believes that the township should take a further look into consolidation; particularly, Herrmann noted that the committee continues to look at the possibility of consolidating its police force with Somerset County.

“We will be reviewing this and, if it is best for Green Brook,  we will go forward with it,” Herrmann said.

On the other side, Democrats David Breen and Tom Tsivgas look to give Herrmann and Boccio a run for their money. Tsivgas is the owner of Yesterday’s Business Computers, an international computer asset management company, while Breen is employed by the New Jersey Department of Corrections and serves as a fire captain and EMS lieutenant with Green Brook Fire-EMS.

Breen, with a background in emergency and public service, has made his priorities clear: keep taxes low while providing the same amount of public service characteristic of Green Brook.

“I want to run for Township Committee because I, like most others in town, am very concerned about the high taxes we are paying in town and about the security of our residents,” Breen said. “Balancing costs with services is delicate, but with the background I have in public safety, I believe I can make a positive difference and face the tough choices that the governing body has to make from the perspective of a father, a husband, a volunteer and a coach.”

Breen told Patch of his pledge to the residents of Green Brook, which is to stay committed and fair while serving all of the township’s residents.

“My commitment to Green Brook and serving others is clear. I will run into a burning building to save someone I may have never met,” Breen said. “I truly believe that I will bring that same sense of fairness, courage and dedication to the Township of Green Brook, and I hope that the citizens give me a chance to try.”

This article was edited to include statements from Pat Boccio received after initial publication.