Mayoral Candidate Says He's Not Beholden to Political Party, Wants to Represent All Residents

With a focus on not being beholden to political parties, Mountainside Lane resident George Jones has thrown himself into the election season with a bid to run for mayor in November as an independent.

“Bridgewater is my home and the two parties have become complacent,” he said. “The politicians have taken their eyes off the main responsibilities of local government.”

As a resident “not beholden to either political party or their allies,” Jones said, he is looking to get rid of business as usual in Bridgewater, and instead focus his attention on the people themselves.

“I know Bridgewater better than most,” said the lifelong resident. “I have either met or know personally more than 85 percent of the business owners and have hands-on knowledge of their concerns.”

“When elected, I will represent the people in every neighborhood,” he added.

A graduate of , Jones attended Rutgers University and Raritan Valley Community College, and served as a police officer in Bridgewater for 30 years.

And over the years, Jones said, he has served on many committees and boards in the township. Among those were 12 years on the planning board; eight years as the Bridgewater Township Zoning Officer; time on the board of adjustment; eight years on the environmental commission; 24 years on the Somerset County Hazardous Materials Response Team; and five years as president of the Somerset-Hunterdon N.J. Retired Policeman and Fireman’s Association.

Currently, Jones is chairman of the Bridgewater Fire District No. 3 Commission, which he was first elected to in 2003, and is a life member of the .

On the business side, Jones started and managed Chills Ice Cream at the .

“My company hired many local youths, and generated tax revenues for Bridgewater for 18 years,” he said.

With all his time living and working in the township, Jones said he will be focusing his campaign on taxes, fiscal responsibility, infrastructure, services and roads.

“We must hold the line on property taxes and reduce taxes for senior citizens, while providing essential services to all neighborhoods and restoring services,” he said. “To do this, I have begun to identify waste in the annual township budget, and have a committee looking at alternative tax resources.”

Running as an independent in a historically Republican town will not be a problem, Jones said, as he believes residents will not focus on political parties in the elections this year.

“I believe the residents of Bridgewater are intelligent, independent thinkers,” he said. “They will look at the issues and the candidate.”

For Jones, over the next few months, the campaign will be about speaking to the people in the town about where their concerns lie in Bridgewater. He said he intends to focus on all neighborhoods, getting to as many people as possible.

“It is really our campaign, the people of Bridgewater, not the politicians,” he said. “I already know the issues. I also know the people, and there isn’t one neighborhood in town I can’t go to and speak to someone I know about these issues. I will be doing just that.”

“Our opponents have political organizations and money behind them that we don’t have,” he added. “We are relying on the residents to take charge and put an independent in the mayor’s office.”