Young Councilman Bringing New Views to Local Politics

Editor's Note: Each day this week, we will feature the biography of one of the candidates running in the elections this year. First will be the mayoral candidates, followed by the candidates for council.

He is the youngest member of council, but for Republican incumbent Matthew Moench, it is about serving the township in which he grew up, and continuing to make it a great place for him to start his own family.

“When I was knocking on doors four years ago, I wasn’t sure about people’s reactions, but people seemed excited to have a younger person and have new ideas, different energy levels and a different viewpoint on council,” he said. “I love serving the township.”

Moench is running for a second term on council, alongside Republican incumbent Christine Henderson Rose. They are running against Democrats John Rooney and Mary Pranzatelli.

A lifelong resident of Bridgewater, Moench is a 2000 graduate from the , and, like his wife Stephanie, is proud to remain in town.

“Bridgewater is the perfect location because it has everything,” he said. “It is a suburban community that has commercial opportunities, and it is at the crossroads of the state. You can get anywhere from here.”

“I love this state, and Bridgewater seems to be the perfect location because you can take advantage of everything the state has to offer,” he added.

A 2004 graduate of Rutgers University, Moench double majored in cell biology and neuroscience, and political science. Combining those very different majors, he opted for law school and graduated from Seton Hall Law School in 2007.

“I started out and loved science and loved learning it,” he said. “I thought that was what I wanted to do, but as I proceeded through my college career, I realized that sitting in a laboratory and studying chemical reactions didn’t interest me as much as I thought.”

“I got more involved in politics,” he added, “and decided I wanted to pursue the legal side.”

Now, Moench works at Drinker, Biddle and Reath, a law firm in Florham Park, focusing on commercial litigation, among other subjects.

“The company is broad, and there is everything from business disputes to environmental litigation, legal malpractice and some criminal defense,” he said. “And I work with the pro bono partner, and spend a third of my time doing pro bono work.”

Beginning with that firm just after completing law school, Moench said, gave him the opportunity to explore different types of law, which he had hoped for when he graduated.

Moench said his law work is helpful in his position on council because of his ability to be critical in reading resolutions and ordinances.

“You learn you have to be critical in analyzing everything, like every word in a resolution,” he said. “Then you sit back and think about the ramifications, as opposed to taking everything at face value.”

“I’ve voted against things because I didn’t like the wording of the resolution,” he added. “I didn’t necessarily disagree with the goal, but I thought there would be unintended side affects.”

As for his political career, Moench said, it started before he even graduated from college. When he was in a political science class in college, he said, Dale Florio, then the Somerset County Republican Chairman, was a guest speaker.

Moench said he decided to contact Florio to get involved.

“He got me involved in the Young Republicans,” he said.

From there, in 2004, Moench was appointed by Bridgewater Township Mayor Patricia Flannery to the recreation board, and then served on the zoning board for two years while he was in law school.

Then, four years ago Moench said, he put his name in the ring to run for council.

“I was not sure what the reaction was going to be,” he said. “I had a lot of interest, I wanted to stay in Bridgewater and I wanted to get more involved to keep the town as nice as it already was."

Moench said he worked hard in the election, and found the reception to his candidancy very welcoming, particularly with him being so young and fresh out of law school.

“I think part of it is that we understand the changes in the world we are living in today,” he said. “It’s the 21st century and the world moves at a faster pace. I think that’s one of the advantage of my candidacy, being involved in businesses through the law firm and community that are newer.”

And Moench said it has been a learning experience on the job, learning about issues he hasn’t seen before.

“That’s what I love about the council, it’s challenging and something is always changing,” he said. “Sometimes it’s the same issue, but the circumstances could be different.”

“You take the knowledge you have and your background, and bring it to the council, as well as learning from everyone else who has been on the council before,” he added.

Now as he continues in the current campaign, Moench said it is a lot of walking around the town and meeting people door-to-door.

“The best way to campaign is by knocking on doors and talking to people,” he said. “They appreciate it, and you ask what’s on their minds and what they are most concerned about.”

Moench said he has heard many concerns lately about infrastructure and taxes from residents as he visits around town.

“But the reception has been positive and people seem happy with the town,” he said. “They seem to be happy with the way it is run and want to see it continue for four more years.”

Moench said he believes local elections are not as much about voting on party lines as they are about focusing on the issues themselves.

“You still find people who vote based on party lines and that’s absolutely a factor,” he said. “When you’re running Republican, you’re hoping you get those votes, but at the local level, people are a lot less locked in because of party. Because issues are specific to the community, they’re part of the town and that’s what people look for.”

Still, Moench said, he is hoping to be able to serve the community in which he has spent his life.

“I love being on council,” he said. “I grew up here and this is where I want to raise my kids, so I have a vested interest in making sure the quality of life is maintained for the future.”