Hopewell Valley voters will head to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 3, to decide municipal races in Hopewell Township, Hopewell Borough and Pennington, along with a referendum that could eventually change how Hopewell Township is governed.
The election features contested races for the Hopewell Township Committee and Hopewell Borough Council, an uncontested Pennington Borough Council race and four uncontested seats representing Hopewell Township on the Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education. Township voters will also decide whether to establish a Charter Study Commission and elect its members if the proposal is approved.
Four candidates are seeking two three-year terms on the Hopewell Township Committee. They are Republicans John Hart, a former committeeman and mayor, and Steven Niederer, along with Democrats Sophie Purgavie and incumbent Michael Ruger.
Hart is a 10th-generation farmer whose family roots in Hopewell stretch back more than 250 years. He owns Rosedale Mills Country Store, Needle Creek Farm Brewery and John Hart Farms.
He served on the Hopewell Township Committee for more than a decade, including as mayor from 1996 to 1998, and is seeking a return to the governing body.
“I figured I know the town like the back of my hand better than anybody up there, and I know the issues because I have been up there before. Right now, we can’t do anything about stopping development,” Hart said. “It is already on its way here now, but we can slow it down and control it.”
Niederer, 38, is a lifelong Hopewell resident who spent 10 years with the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office, including service with the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force. He was shot in the line of duty and subsequently retired from law enforcement.
He now owns a local butcher shop specializing in locally raised livestock and venison.
“I want to run for Hopewell Township Committee because I care deeply about the community I have called home my entire life. As a lifelong Hopewell resident and someone who has spent my career serving others, I believe in giving back to the place that shaped me,” Niederer said.
Purgavie grew up in Hopewell Township, attended schools in the Hopewell Valley Regional School District and has always considered the township home.
She has served on the township’s Zoning Board of Adjustment and Open Space Advisory Committee, as well as the LHT executive board and MBCJ Restaurant Coalition board. She is also the mother of a 2-year-old son.
“I will listen to every voice, speak up for every person, and bring my whole self to meeting each of them where they are. Every conversation reveals a need, an idea, or a new partnership,” Purgavie said. “Connecting those dots is what I have done throughout my career, and it is what turns good intentions into better outcomes.”
Ruger moved to Hopewell Township in 1998 with his wife, Tracy Vogler, whom he married six years earlier.
A graduate of Penn State and Georgetown Law, he worked at the Federal Communications Commission and in private practice before joining Comcast, where he has served as vice president of government affairs.
Ruger is a former chair of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Mercer County and chairs Penn State’s Political Science Department Board of Visitors. During his time on the Township Committee, he has served as mayor and deputy mayor.
“I initially ran for Township Committee because I wanted to help our community, and I am running for re-election because I believe there is still important work to do,” Ruger said. “I am proud of what my fellow Committee members, and I have accomplished over the past nine years.”
Beyond choosing two committee members, Hopewell Township voters will decide whether to create a Charter Study Commission to examine the municipality’s current form of government and consider possible alternatives.
The ballot includes two related decisions. The first asks voters whether to establish a five-member commission under New Jersey’s Faulkner Act. The second asks them to select up to five candidates to serve on the commission if the referendum passes.
Nine candidates are seeking the five positions: Chad Goerner, Francis Guenther, Stephen Klopfer, Michael Markulec, Tamera Matteo, Christopher Pazdan, Grace Elizabeth Rarich, Melanie R. Walter and Joshua J. Wilson.
If voters approve the referendum, the five candidates receiving the most votes will serve on the commission. If the referendum fails, no commission will be established, regardless of the results of the candidate election.
Voters may select commission candidates regardless of whether they support or oppose the referendum.
Hopewell Township currently operates under a committee form of government, with five members elected at large to staggered three-year terms. The committee selects a mayor and deputy mayor annually from among its members rather than having residents elect a mayor directly.
If established, the Charter Study Commission would operate independently of the Township Committee and have up to nine months to examine the current structure, gather public input and consider alternatives.
The commission could recommend changes to the township’s form of government or determine that no changes are necessary. Any proposed change would be subject to voter approval in a subsequent election, potentially in 2027.
Establishing the commission would not, by itself, change how the township is governed.
The Township Committee has also secured a $60,000 state grant for a separate review of township operations and governance. That study will proceed regardless of the outcome of the charter commission referendum, although its findings would be available to the commission if one is established.
In Hopewell Borough, three candidates are running for two three-year terms on the Borough Council. They are James E. Higgins, running under the Putting Hopewell First designation, incumbent Democrat Sheri Hook and Democrat Justine Levine.
Higgins has been a New Jersey resident since 1972 and has lived in Hopewell Borough for more than 12 years. The youngest of eight children, he graduated from Seton Hall University and is the father of two.
He has held executive leadership positions with AT&T, T-Mobile, Oakwood Worldwide and BridgeStreet. He now operates a boutique consulting firm that assists small businesses.
“I am running because I want to represent all of Hopewell. I want residents to have a meaningful voice in how our community develops today and for generations to come,” Higgins said. “Good government sometimes means slowing down, listening, asking more questions, and considering the long-term consequences before acting.”
Hook lives in Hopewell Borough with her husband and two sons. A Chicago native, she previously lived in Michigan, Colorado and New York before settling in New Jersey.
After working as a pharmaceutical sales trainer, she became involved in community volunteer activities, including the Hopewell Harvest Fair and PTO.
She now co-chairs the Hopewell Boro Block Party and Hopewell Garden Club while serving on the Borough Council.
“I am seeking re-election because I genuinely care about Hopewell Borough and want to contribute meaningfully to our community. My goal is to protect what makes our town unique while doing what is necessary to prepare responsibly for the future,” Hook said.
“Serving on Council for the past three years has deepened my understanding of how municipal government works and what it takes to get things accomplished.”
Levine has lived in Hopewell for 10 years, where she and her husband have raised two children. She has worked in higher education for 25 years and is currently a residential college dean at Princeton University.
Her volunteer activities include work with the Hopewell Valley Food Pantry, Hopewell Borough Green Team and Chubby’s Project. She has also coordinated volunteers for the Hopewell Valley Central High School marching band.
Levine previously served on the Flemington Board of Education and the board of SAFE in Hunterdon.
“I ran as a write-in candidate last year because I believe that we should always have a choice. I’m running this year on the ballot because I have a deep love for Hopewell Borough and there are so many big issues facing us as a community right now,” Levine said. “I’d like to help foster conversation about these issues, so we all have a say in the changes that will come to pass over the next five to 10 years.”
In Pennington, two incumbent Democrats are running unopposed for two three-year terms on the Borough Council.
Catherine “Kit” Chandler and John J. Valenza II are the only candidates listed on the ballot for the two seats.
Chandler is seeking her sixth three-year term on the council. She grew up in nearby Lawrenceville and has lived in Pennington since 1992.
She holds an undergraduate degree in business and an MBA in finance and has worked as a department manager at Princeton University.
On the Borough Council, Chandler serves on the Finance, Public Safety and Open Space committees, as well as in roles involving the borough’s arboretum and landfill.
Valenza is seeking another three-year term on the council. A longtime Pennington resident, he works at ExxonMobil.
He serves as the council’s liaison to the Library Board and Hopewell Green Team and is a member of the Net Zero Committee.
Hopewell Township voters will also elect four representatives to the Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education, including three members for full three-year terms and one member to complete an unexpired two-year term.
All four candidates are running unopposed.
Incumbents Pamela Lilleston and John Slotman are seeking new three-year terms, along with newcomer Luis Martinez. Lilleston is running under the Building Student Success designation, while Martinez is running under Parent, Volunteer.
William Keithler, who was appointed to the school board in September, is the only candidate seeking the two-year unexpired term.
Keithler was appointed Sept. 14 to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Hope Cotter, who stepped down effective June 30 after moving from Hopewell Township to Hopewell Borough.
All four school board seats on the ballot this year represent Hopewell Township. No seats representing Hopewell Borough or Pennington are up for election.
Early in-person voting began Saturday, Oct. 24, and continues through Sunday, Nov. 1.
Early voting hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
The Pennington Fire Company, 120 Broemel Place, is one of eight early voting locations in Mercer County. Registered county voters may cast their ballots at any of the eight locations, regardless of their home municipality.
On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters must report to their assigned polling places.
The deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot by mail is Tuesday, Oct. 27. Voters may apply in person at the Mercer County Clerk’s Office until 3 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2.
Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received by the county Board of Elections by Monday, Nov. 9. Ballots may also be returned to an authorized drop box or delivered to the Board of Elections by 8 p.m. Nov. 3.
More information about voting locations, mail-in ballots and election procedures is available at vote.nj.gov.
