Meet Dan Hayes

1. There have been questions and concerns over the past couple years about items not being shared with residents, including the process by which the application for a billboard sign came before the township, for example, and, most notably, the incident at the Bridgewater mall in February 2022 and the subsequent report from the attorney general’s office that has not been shared with residents almost 18 months later. Please comment specifically on these incidents as leader of the town, how you would address residents regarding these concerns, and how you would open communication between the town administration and the residents.

Both the billboard scandal and the handling of the Bridgewater Mall incident sadly exemplify this administration’s lack of integrity and accountability. If Mr. Moench was in touch with residents’ needs, neither of these scandals would have become major issues in the first place. 

The attempt to erect an eyesore of an electronic billboard in a rushed, sweetheart deal is concerning enough. (Please read my Letter to the Editor, The Municipal Billboard is a Monumentally Bad Idea published in tapinto.net on March 16, 2023). Worse still, when faced with pressure, Mr. Moench has chosen to postpone the development application rather than withdrawing it completely, hiding from resident questions and petitions. If I am elected Mayor, there will be no billboard on municipal property, and I will oppose any applications for billboards on commercial property appearing before our land use boards. I call on Mr. Moench to join me in this public commitment.

The February ‘22 Mall incident and subsequent mishandling by Mr. Moench has also been toxic to building trust between his administration and residents. It did not have to be this bad. As Mayor, I would have issued a statement acknowledging the incident. I would have ensured the involved officers were taken off field duty pending the outcome of the investigation. I would have sought public engagement either at scheduled meetings or special town halls.  Mr. Moench did none of these things. Instead, he hid from residents, canceling scheduled Council meetings rather than face the public.  

Since then, Mr. Moench has failed to release the Attorney General’s report of the incident, against the Attorney General’s own public urging. As Mayor, I will ensure that the public sees the report in the interests of transparency and accountability. This is because I believe in leadership that puts residents’ needs first. During my time as Mayor, I prioritized open communication through committees, events, and one-on-one meetings.  Residents were encouraged to call me or any Town Hall department directly to resolve their concerns. And that’s the leadership I’ll bring back to Bridgewater: competent, responsive, and committed to building a community that our kids will want to live in. 

2. There have been concerns about an overabundance of people being hired into the administration at high levels of pay and into positions that may not have been available in the past or may seem unnecessary to some, costing the taxpayers more money in salaries and health benefits. What are your thoughts on this, and what would you do to combat this in a new term, and keep costs low for residents?

Mr. Moench has decimated essential Township staff. Meanwhile, he has made a number of political hires, paid for in record tax increases.  

While the administration was laying off people who provide real services, such as Department of Public Works (DPW) staff, code inspectors and other key personnel, Mr. Moench created a new public relations division significantly exceeding others in size and budget.  The PR wing now has four new roles: a deputy administrator, a public spokesperson, an office manager, and a project manager. Virtually all recent hires have an undisclosed political relationship to Mr. Moench, regardless of qualifications. The new Municipal Judge is married to the GOP Chairman, and the Court Administrator is married to LD23 Assemblyman. 

This is not only a matter of misplaced priorities or unethical hiring practices. It also has an impact on our shared financial obligations. For example: In 2019 the budget for the Department Township Administrator was $195,000. It is now $593,000! Instead of seeking an engineer as required by law for Director of Municipal Services, Mr. Moench removed all education and license requirements for the six-figure position, clearing the way to hire his developer friend and campaign supporter. An outside engineer was hired at $120,000 annually to actually fill the job requirements, costing our Township twice as much as before.    

Because of this wasteful cronyism, our Township was given a downgraded financial outlook by Standard & Poor’s. This means that our taxes will continue to rise if our leadership continues in the direction it’s going. 

These excesses did not exist when I was Mayor. They cannot continue. I am committed to stabilizing our currently out-of-control fiscal situation. Once elected, I will review positions and budgets and ensure personnel have necessary qualifications. Our financial outlook will return to stable again, as it was when I was last Mayor of Bridgewater.

 3. The township has seen a number of warehouse applications over the last year going before the planning board and zoning board. What are your thoughts on these applications and how these kinds of buildings fit in with the overall aesthetic of the town? Do you think there is a specific location in town where they should be centralized, and how would you go about ensuring that happens?

Warehouses and warehouses disguised as light manufacturing have been approved on sites that were once destined for much higher-value use. These decisions are deeply troubling, as they cost the residents financially, they do not fit the aesthetics of our town, and they are out of sync with a vision of Bridgewater as a great place to live, work, and play. 

If you ask me where warehouses should be located in Bridgewater, I say – nowhere! 

First, the costs. Warehouses take large tracts of land, create unwanted truck traffic, provide few employment opportunities and offer relatively low tax revenue. Bringing them to Bridgewater will cost residents millions in forgone property taxes and millions more in forfeited traffic improvement. Development opportunities fall along a spectrum of value. With our ideal location and high-income, highly-educated workforce and consumer base, Bridgewater is a community that can afford to be selective. Our leadership has the responsibility to pursue only those opportunities that return maximum value for residents.

As Mayor of Bridgewater, I dedicated time and resources to ensuring residents got the most from our commercial neighbors.  This included frequent visits to businesses, one-on-one time with leadership to foster ongoing communication, and regular meetings of the Economic Development Committee. This group of resident and commercial volunteers met monthly to exchange perspectives on attracting and retaining high-value businesses presence. My administration also employed an economic development officer who worked as the staff liaison to the business community.

As a result, under my leadership Bridgewater successfully attracted employers in sectors spanning technology, leisure, dining and retail. These included Nestle, Ashland, Linde Gas, IConnectiv, Lifetime Fitness, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, the AC Hotel which boasts the area’s only rooftop dining, Tommy’s Tavern, the Hampton Inn, Sunrise Assisted Living, and others. Existing businesses in town such as Sanofi, Ingredion, Insmed, Valeant/Bausch Health, Juniper Networks, Atlantic Health, Provident Bank, and more also chose to expand their operations.

A key difference between my administration and the current one is that I prioritize only those developments that will enhance residents’ quality of life. Preservation and open space are also critical to making Bridgewater a great place to live for generations to come. As Mayor, I successfully led the purchase of the Camp Cromwell property. The preservation of the 100 acre former Boys’ Club Camp not only gave us a premier recreation property, it avoided an unwanted development of 96 new residences. Combined with similar properties, my administration acquired and preserved over 120 acres of open space. 

In a dramatic reversal of course, Mr. Moench’s administration has taken a hostile approach to the business community, with severe damage to our economy. His firing of the Economic Development Officer, refusal to hold meetings of the Economic Advisory Board, andavoidance of communication with local businesses has directly led to Sanofi’s departure. Recently, the Fortune 500 employer has announced that it is moving its entire Bridgewater operation to Morristown, vacating its campus on 55 Corporate Drive. This will leave 1 million square feet of class A office space empty, and relocate approximately 1,600 employees.  The economic impact of losing one of the largest taxpayers in our Township will be felt for many years to come. Instead of working to preservehigh-value jobs in healthcare and pharmaceuticals,  Mr. Moench has allowed warehouses to take over. 

I am running for Mayor so that our residents have a leader who understands what making Bridgewater quality of life a top priority really means – great neighborhoods, superb leisure opportunities, excellent schools, a healthy economic future and a trustworthy government. 

 4. Can you tell me about your background, schooling, how long in Bridgewater, past political service, other organizations you are a part of?

I had the privilege to serve as Bridgewater Township Mayor for eight years from 2012 until 2020, and am running again to build on my record of economic growth, excellent services for residents, and transparent leadership.

I have lived in Bridgewater for 25 years, and my wife and I have been proud to raise our three daughters here. The Township’s open spaces, diverse community, and award-winning schools drew us to Bridgewater and have brought our family great happiness and quality of life. I am once more seeking to give back to this community through official service.

In addition to my time as Mayor, I also served as a councilman from 2010 to 2012 and prior to that, volunteered on numerous Township boards including the Planning Board, Economic Development Committee and Library Advisory Board.  I served as the President of the Somerset County Governing Officials Association. I also served on the executive committee of the Conference of Mayors, and am a graduate of Leadership Somerset.

I recently retired from education, having taught high school chemistry and physics for 10 years. I currently serve as a Somerset County Parks Commissioner and as a Board member of the Heritage Trail Association.  I have over 30 years’ experience in business, a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from URI and an M.B.A. from UNC at Chapel Hill. I am a proud member of the Elks, the Knights of Columbus, and the Ancient Order of Hibernians.  

5. Anything else you wanted to say to the residents if you were to be elected?

I am very grateful for the outpouring of support since announcing my entry into the Bridgewater mayoral race: thank you. I have heard your concerns, I share your concerns, and I am running today because I can no longer sit on the sidelines. 

During my eight years as mayor, my only and constant priority was the welfare of our community and our residents.  Over the past four years, I have seen our taxes and debt skyrocket. I have seen our Township’s good standing squandered. I have seen wasteful cronyism and opportunistic pursuit of warehouses and billboards. And most troublingly of all, I have seen our residents grow more nervous about our future.

My goal is to make Bridgewater a place where we see a bright future for ourselves and our children. I see Bridgewater as a community that sets the standard for our neighbors for generations to come. A community that appreciates, but is not stuck in its past. 

My record demonstrates that I have the competence and integrity required to lead our Township. My approach to leadership has shown that I am dedicated to public service, not self-service.  I rely on resident input: from committees, from conversations about town, at events, and through an open-door policy. To be an effective leader, any Mayor must understand resident concerns, share ideas, face criticism, and move forward together. The current administration has not delivered on these imperatives. Bridgewater deserves better.

The Hayes, Toor and Baranowski ticket will always put resident concerns before politics, unlike the Moench administration. That means no ugly electronic billboards or unsightly 

warehouses. No unqualified political hires. Support for our schools and families. And, we’ll take every action possible to restore our town’s good financial standing to ensure that your taxes don’t go up because of government waste and corruption.

I want Bridgewater to be a place where your kids and grandkids can find a job, afford a home, raise a family, and enjoy beautiful open space. The Moench administration threatens the progress we’ve made, but together, we can get Bridgewater back on track.