Four candidates, including two incumbents, will vie for two seats for Hillsborough Township Committee in the election on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
The candidates are Republican incumbents Robert Britting and Shawn Lipani and Democratic candidates Hermes Vallejo and James VanderVliet.
All were asked to submit an election questionnaire. As of deadline, Vallejo and VanderVliet had not responded.
Name: Robert Britting
Age: 44
How many years have you lived in Hillsborough Township? Since 2017. With that, my parents’ first home was in Hillsborough in 1979. I moved back home to Hillsborough, with my wife Kelly, in 2017 to raise our family.
Family: I am married to my wife Kelly and we have three, very active boys: Robbie, 8, Christian, 7, and Grayson, 2.
School and degree: Ph.D. Organizational Change Management, Macro/Micro Economics from Walden University and MBA in Marketing and Management from LaSalle University
Profession: Pharmaceutical Executive
Is this the first time you have run for a seat for the Township Committee? I am the mayor for Hillsborough Township in 2024. This is my third year, and I am running for re-election.
What is your involvement in the community? I proudly serve as mayor in 2024, served as deputy mayor (2023) and committeeman (2022), and served on numerous boards and commissions; Board of Adjustment, the Environmental Commission, and Sustainable Hillsborough
Why are you running for an elected seat? It is an honor to serve my community as mayor as I have been working tirelessly to serve everyone, regardless of political affiliation. I’ve taken on major issues such as State Road 206, warehouses, preserving land, fixing major road issues and investing in public safety. I will continue to focus on guiding Hillsborough to a better future and standing in front of problems.
I will continue to transparently focus on public safety, fix our road system, preserve land and block unnecessary building and bring in new businesses. My work is not done keeping Hillsborough a wonderful place to live for our families.
What is one area you would like to concentrate on if elected? Continue to lead with unapologetic transparency. Transparency is essential for government to properly lead the people we serve. I transformed the way people engage with the township leadership through direct and digital communication. This allowed me to share successes in 2024 on a regular basis as we made huge strides in 2024:
- Maintain our AA plus bond rating
- Maintained one of Central New Jersey’s best debt-to-income ratios
- Prioritized investments in public safety
- Initiated our $10M road improvement plan
- Major land preservation; town and via county partnerships
- 206 is back on track!
We have a solid future.
Name: Shawn Lipani
Age: 60
How many years have you lived in Hillsborough Township? 50 plus.
Family: Married, one daughter, 27
School and degree: B.S Political Science University of Rochester
Profession: Business owner Central Jersey Nurseries established in 1970.
Is this the first time you have run for a seat for the Township Committee? Served two, three-year terms. Served as mayor from 2020-2023
What is your involvement in the community? Current member of Rotary, president in 2023. Over 20 years of volunteering on township boards and commissions prior to running for elected office.
Why are you running for an elected seat? To ensure the community is always first priority when it comes to financially responsible government, protecting our rural charm by purchasing land for open space which helps control over development, supporting the police department, and continuing the infrastructure program I initiated in 2020.
What is one area you would like to concentrate on if elected? Guide our township into the next phase of the state affordable housing mandate, continue to pursue open space purchases which have recently included over 1,000 acres of land. Enhance our parks, provide the necessary tools to our police department, and continue paving roads in need throughout the township.
