Bridgewater-Raritan School Board Candidates Disclose Contributions

Signs for Bridgewater's School Board candidates compete for space.

The New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) is responsible for assuring that candidates who run for office submit certain information.  One of those requirements concerns the amount of contributions made to their campaigns and the names of those contributors. 

Additionally, candidates are required to keep a record of their expenses, should there ever be any questions.

With respect to campaign contributions, candidates are required to fill out Form C-1 with the Commission, depending upon the amount and timing of those contributions.  This is a matter of public record, and you can easily view this information online at the Commission’s website by clicking here.  Enter first and last names in the dialogue box, click on the “Search” button, and follow the directions.

To make it easier for you, a summary of the candidates running for three open seats on the Bridgewater-Raritan School Board, their contributors, and their contributions appears below, as disclosed on Form C-1 online.

Spring Break with Family

I welcomed spring break because it gave Priscille and me a couple of days to be with our two granddaughters, Margot and Monique, in an informal, relaxing setting.  Margot is completing her high school freshman year in Hamilton, and Monique starts middle school next September. 

A mom and her son view flooding along White Bridge Road, Millington, NJ

There is nothing like getting immersed into the lives of your grandkids to find out what the generation beyond that of your own children 

is thinking and talking about.

It’s a learning experience that gives grandparents a meaningful insight into the minds of the upcoming generation.

I find that it’s always better to intersperse talking with fun and activities.  Priscille and I don’t go out of our way to plan what we do during those visits.  In fact, we don’t do much planning at all.  We just go with the flow and come to an easy consensus among all four of us as to what we will do on any given day.

Couldn’t Help It!

Dear faithful readers, I hope that I’m not pushing my luck with you by providing another photo of a flower in quick succession from the other that appeared just a few days ago in the previous blog post. 

But I’m a sucker for the marvels of nature:  I spied a bee at work this afternoon, just after I had made several trips from the basement to get out my gardening tools. 

I was ready to begin trimming some of the perennial flowering shrubs which need to be cut down to allow fresh growth to take over in about six weeks:  That’s when I spotted the season’s first bee getting a jump on spring.

One of my mom’s favorite aphorisms was, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”  I hope you like this one, so I’ll let it speak for itself.

Have a good weekend and take care of yourselves.  Thanks for reading.

(Click on the image for an enhanced view.)

Christmas Wishes Fulfilled

Santa Claus at work before Christmas in the Mall's Atrium

Christmas in Somerset County, New Jersey, is a season during which expectations for giving and receiving can rise to great heights.  

However, not everyone – even in this area known for its affluence – can afford to buy gifts for all of the deserving kids of all ages in our communities. 

There still remain many pockets of poverty in these environs.  Similarly, lowered levels of income and unemployment brought on by the 2008 financial bubble are sobering reminders of these facts. 

For those reasons, it’s been enormously gratifying to see the generous public response from people like you to the Salvation Army’s “Angel Tree” gift giving initiative which, each year, is supported by the management of the Bridgewater Commons Mall.

Gifts accumulate in fulfillment of "Angle Tree" wishes.

You have transformed the wish tags from one of the two trees strategically placed in the Mall into a Christmas reality for someone.  

There really is a Santa Claus, and it’s been you.   That big red box near the Guest Services counter filled with gifts is the proof.

To those who were able to participate, thanks for having spread Holiday cheer for individuals who otherwise might have been left “unwished.” 

There is, of course, a much deeper meaning to Christmas, but the hospitality associated with your gift giving is a part of it.

So, at the risk of overstating the sentiment, thanks again for your generosity.