Mayor
Jennifer
ASAY
Jennifer Asay has served on the Bernards Township Committee since 2022 and is seeking re-election to a second term. She served as Deputy Mayor in 2023, supporting Andrew McNally, her running-mate while he served as Mayor. She is currently Bernards Township Mayor.
During the time Jennifer has served as a Township Committeewoman, she has had a positive impact, bringing additional transparency and resources to residents. This includes the creation and execution of two ongoing speaker’s series initiated in 2022.
The Understanding Bernards educational speaker series provides information and transparency on how our local government operates. These presentations, archived on the town’s website, have reviewed the Bernards Township Police Department, Department of Public Works, Bernards Township Parks & Recreation, Bernards Township Public Health, and the very popular presentation regarding taxes as presented by our Chief Financial Officer.
The other speaker series, the Fabric of Bernards, is our town’s celebration of the diversity and inclusion of all our residents, as captured by the tagline: “Every resident is a thread, woven together into the strong and unique fabric of Bernards.” Over the past two years, we have highlighted many groups every year ranging from our Bernards Chinese American Association via Lunar New Year and Mid-Autumn Festivals, to special needs children, first-generation immigrants, and senior citizens.
Acting on a suggestion from a resident, Jennifer worked with the Bernards Township Police Department and the Department of Public Works to create the “Safe Exchange Zone” in the police parking lot. Inspired by her service on the environmental commission, she created the first Townwide “Green” Yard Sale in September 2023. Because it was so successful, it will occur twice in 2024: Spring and Fall 2024. Her strong resident-orientation also led to the special viewing event held to support the Sharpe Family Singers as they competed on the nationally televised show America’s Got Talent.
At her Mayoral swearing-in on January 2nd, 2024, she reiterated her commitment to keep the tax levy as low as possible while maintaining excellent service. She also reinforced her community orientation and encouraged residents to be involved. Lastly, she pledged to work to protect our community.
Nearly immediately, Jennifer was informed of the public safety threats to our community. She engaged with many groups of concerned residents as well as the BTPD to listen and understand the issues and to quickly develop a plan to address the immediate, midterm, and long-term needs. She remains actively engaged within Bernards Township and with other Mayors and state and federal elected officials to develop actionable solutions to address the root causes and to protect Bernards Township residents.
Jennifer has also been very active dealing with additional high profile concerns new this calendar year. This includes the intense but now resolved Ridge Baseball litigation as well as overdevelopment driven by affordable housing.
Other efforts the Mayor has made this year include increasing resident awareness of town emergency notices to increase emergency update registrations, the implementation of a state essay competition for high school students, and the participation in the Mayor's Wellness Campaign, a statewide community health initiative that provides evidence-based tools and strategies for mayors and community leaders to help their residents achieve healthier lifestyles and to improve overall health and wellness in their communities. One could encapsulate Bernards as extremely resident-oriented.
Other town-related responsibilities include serving on the Board of Health, the Human Resources & Finance Committee, the Green team, and as the Understanding Bernards & Fabric of Bernards Coordinator.
Jennifer was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. After she graduated from Purdue University with her Bachelors degree in Pharmacy, she moved to New Jersey to begin her career, ultimately moving to New Jersey a total of three times for employment, hence saying she’s “Jersey by choice.” She completed her MBA from the Booth School of Business. She is a licensed pharmacist and has dedicated her professional career in the biopharmaceutical industry to help patients. Her career consists of increasing leadership roles via cross-functional and multi-therapeutic roles within large and small companies.
She has lived in Bernards Township since 2007 with her husband, Derek, their children, and family dogs. All four children are either graduates of Ridge High School or currently attend Bernards Township Public Schools.
While living in town, Jennifer has been an active volunteer serving on multiple town boards and commissions, as well as an active volunteer with youth programs such as Girls on the Run, Destination Imagination, Go Ski Club as well as currently with Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, and coaching boys recreational basketball.
Jennifer is seeking re-election, along with Andrew McNally, to continue to protect and preserve Bernards Township as an exceptional place to live. She will continue to leverage her business and leadership experience, including her time on the Township Committee, to enable our community’s continued high quality of life and continued success. Jennifer and Andrew are committed to fiscal responsibility, public safety, and opposing overdevelopment.
Past performance predicts future performance: Review Both Jennifer’s and Andrew’s proven track record of delivering for Bernards Township residents. Support both for another term on the Bernards Township Committee.
Committeeman
Andrew
MCNALLY
Andrew McNally has served on the Bernards Township Committee since 2021, and is seeking re-election to a second term. Andrew served as Deputy Mayor in 2022 and Mayor in 2023. In early 2024, consistent with Bernards’ tradition of rotating mayors, he passed the
mayorship to his colleague and running mate, current Mayor Jennifer Asay. Mr. McNally remains a member of the Township’s five-member Township Committee.
Over the course of his year as Mayor, Andrew delivered on his pledge to voters to maintain a municipal tax levy that is the envy of towns throughout the State, while keeping Bernards
Township’s debt load at zero, notwithstanding rampant inflation.
As Mayor, Andrew led the effort to place armed law enforcement officers at every public school in the Township and re-established the Township’s community policing programs, while continuing to ensure that Bernards remains among the safest communities in the country.
Throughout 2023, the Township upgraded infrastructure, including new playground equipment at Harry Dunham Park, a new road from Ridge High School to alleviate traffic, as well as restoring existing roads and other infrastructure. During his time in local government, Andrew voted to prohibit the sale of cannabis within the Township and prevented the County’s construction of an unpopular traffic circle in the Hills section.
Among other responsibilities, Andrew presently serves as the Township Committee’s representative on the Planning Board, the Police Subcommittee, and the Sewerage Authority.
Andrew grew up in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn, New York. He earned his B.A. in Economics from Boston College, and graduated magna cum laude from Seton Hall Law School,
where he also served as an editor of the Law Review.
Following law school, Andrew was a practicing litigator at a national law firm, concentrating on environmental matters.
In 2013, Andrew joined the Office of the Governor, serving as a member of Governor Christie’s legal team, focusing on legislative and regulatory matters. Andrew went on to serve as a member of the Governor’s senior staff, and as general counsel to the State’s utility regulator. Today, Andrew serves as the Senior Director for Government and Regulator affairs at a utility company.
Andrew lives with his wife, Keri, and two children, Hannah (age 10) and Alex (age 8). Andrew and Keri met in law school and moved to Bernards Township in 2015. Andrew is seeking re-election to continue to preserve Bernards Township as an exceptional place to live and raise a family. He wishes to leverage his experience in both State and local government, including his time as Mayor, to ensure our community’s continued success. Andrew is committed to fiscal responsibility, public safety, and opposing overdevelopment.
Andrew is seeking re-election, along with Jennifer Asay, to continue to protect and preserve Bernards Township as an exceptional place to live. He will continue to leverage his business and leadership experience, including his time on the Township Committee, to enable our community’s continued high quality of life and continued success. Andrew and Jennifer are committed to fiscal responsibility, public safety, and opposing overdevelopment.
Past performance predicts future performance: Review Both Jennifer’s and Andrew’s proven track record of delivering for Bernards Township residents. Support both for another term on the Bernards Township Committee.
