P P Hamilton ton ost Hamilton ost JANUARY 2024
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Retiring Hughes reflects on 20 years as county executive
tive. His achievements are many, and they include the reviFor the first time in two talization of the Trenton-Mercer decades, long-time Mercer (and the approval of a new terCounty Executive Brian Hughes minal and parking garage at the won’t be sitting behind the desk site), the preservation of thouof the county’s top administra- sands of acres of open space, tive elected official. numerous recreational projects, Former Assemblyman Dan multiple economic initiatives, Benson — a Democrat who and helping to shepherd the was overwhelmingly county through the elected in November Covid-19 pandemic. over Republican Lisa Hughes, a resident Richford — will be of Princeton, is the sworn in at the counson of former goverty’s annual reorganinor and N.J. Supreme zation meeting, which Court Chief Justice was set to be held Richard J. Hughes. at the Trenton War Before being Memorial on Thurselected county execHughes day, Jan. 4, at 6 p.m. utive in November Hughes, who was 2003, he served two not chosen to run terms on the Board again in favor of Benson during of Chosen Freeholders (now the the Mercer Democratic Party Board of County CommissionConvention last March, will be ers), first being elected in 1997. looking to move on to greener Before that, he served as deputy pastures after many years in executive director of the Goverelected office. nor’s Council on Alcoholism and When asked in a recent inter- Drug Abuse. view about what Benson’s bigTrenton Mayor Reed Gusgest challenge will be, Hughes ciora lauded Hughes when he joked: “Removing all the Brian endorsed him at the DemoHughes signs from across the cratic Convention: “He has county.” kept County taxes stable. He Many of those signs highlight acquired over 5,000 acres of Hughes’ accomplishments dur- open space, preserving and See HUGHES, Page 12 ing his years as county execu-
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Scott Chianese, director of the Hamilton Township Public Library, with Jeff Guear, the recently appointed Hamilton Township Historian. (Photo by EMH Studios.)
Hamilton library welcomes new township historian By SUe FerrArA
If Hamilton still had a town crier, we might have all awakened to this cry one morning: “Hear Ye! Hear Ye! There’s a new township historian at work!” Meet Jeff Guear, a 50-something-year-old (he
thinks his age is irrelevant), life-long Hamiltonian, a 1987 graduate of Hamilton High West, and an eager consumer of Hamilton Township history. Guear’s office is located in a room on the lower level of the Hamilton Township Public Library. Guear replaced long-time local historian Tom Glover, who,
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at 90 years old, has decided it was time to retire after serving the Hamilton community for 25 years. Former mayor Jack Rafferty created the historian’s position; he appointed Glover because of his many local connections, as well as his many recollections of growing up in Hamilton. See HISTORIAN, Page 10
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