LETTER: Hickey represents ‘actions and results, not empty talk’ in Bedminster

TO THE EDITOR: A friend of mine recently forwarded me a piece of campaign literature from our local Democrat party in Bedminster.

It talked about the need to address power problems, improve internet services and create better communications with the local homeowners associations (HOAs). Mind you, the key word here is “talked.”

I sit on many boards in Bedminster, including serving as the chair of the Bedminster Land Use Board, president of the Four Oaks condo association, treasurer of the Hills Village North Master Association and vice chair of the Bedminster Republican Municipal Committee. Perhaps I have a bit more insight into the goings-on in town, but then again, the truth is easy to discern if you’re even casually paying attention.

The Bedminster Township Committee, and Committeeman Hickey in particular, are already at the forefront of addressing the power issues in our immediate area. Public meetings have been held with JCP&L, giving residents the opportunity to voice their concerns and demonstrate their dissatisfaction with the utility. Once we got their attention, they went to work, and we got results.

In addition to upgrading switches and transformers, JCP&L has relocated and replaced overhead and underground lines, fast-forwarded their inspection and maintenance schedule and invested significantly more in their local tree trimming budget.

In addition, Committeeman Hickey successfully fought to hold the utility liable for the lateral lines in our communities, which will save each homeowners association tens of thousands of dollars in maintenance fees. While there remains more work to be done, Colin’s efforts have resulted in tangible improvements to our local grid. He speaks in the language of actions and results, not just talk.

When it comes to cable, we here in The Hills suffered for years with subpar performance from our local provider Cablevision, which is now owned by Altice. Springing into action once again, Committeeman Hickey organized a public meeting to make Altice aware of the problem and compel them to act. As a result of his persistence, Altice committed to upgrading our local cable network to Fiber-To-The-Home service at no expense to the homeowners or the community. Not only will this significantly improve performance, but it will add to the value of our homes.

I’m glad the Democrats are “talking” about improving the service, but back in the real world, Altice already began the upgrade in my neighborhood two weeks ago. My understanding from Colin is that 17 of the 21 Bedminster HOAs he has worked with have already signed up for the upgrade, with more to follow, and my neighborhood is the fourth this year to be constructed, with many more to be completed by the end of 2024. Actions and results, not empty talk.

And this flowery language about improving communication with the associations? Has the Democratic candidate even been to one of his own HOA meetings, never mind served on the board? I can tell you from firsthand experience that Committeeman Hickey has been closely involved with each of the associations and their respective property managers, has attended our Master meetings to address issues and is always readily available to me and the rest of my board members whenever we have a question or concern. Actions and results, not simply talk.

Based on their rhetoric, I can only conclude that the Bedminster Democrats are endorsing Colin’s platform. Apparently, they read the room – or Colin’s website – and decided that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Like me, I suspect most Bedminster voters want the genuine article and trust Colin to continue his good work and build on the successes he has achieved to date.

On Nov. 7, I plan on voting for the candidate who, as the kids say, brings the receipts. Please join me in re-electing Committeeman Colin Hickey to the Bedminster Township Committee.

CAROL GUTTSCHALL

Heatherwood Lane
Bedminster Township

Editor's Note: This Letter to the Editor originally appeared in The Bernardsville News.