TRENTON – Jan. 26th/6PM: Today, County Executive Brian Hughes gave his “State of the County” address. The state of the county, sadly, is one of poor leadership and dysfunction. Every day we are learning more and more that the Hughes administration is built on wasted taxpayer money, empty promises, and missed opportunities.

Wasted Taxpayer Money:

Yesterday, the New Jersey state Comptroller released a report showing that Mercer County wasted $4.5 million in taxpayer dollars due to fines and fees. They wasted millions because the county couldn’t perform basic government functions and send paperwork in on time. This is gross fiscal negligence and taxpayers are the victims.

It’s not the first time the Hughes administration has wasted taxpayer funds. Hughes personally appointed the county CFO, a position he held for more than a decade without the proper credentials. He mismanaged county finances and failed to follow basic accounting practices, with no oversight. In 2019, the county fell for a low-tech email phishing scam that stole $650,000 of taxpayer money. Hughes’s administration didn’t report it for nearly a year.

In 2016, a whistleblower sued the county alleging illegal activity and claimed members of Hughes’s inner circle threatened a county employee who refused to approve illegal contracts. A basic investigation should have revealed the flaws the Comptroller discovered, but instead the price tag for taxpayers continues to rise.

The Hughes administration has also spent hundreds of thousands of dollars over the last six years in outside counsel costs to defend the county from growing hostile workplace claims, including sexual harassment—many caused by Hughes’s own appointed staff.

This is just what has been reported so far. Without a forensic audit, the taxpayers can’t know how much more misuse, fraud, and waste exist in the Hughes administration.

Empty Promises:

Only now, after 20 years of reaping the benefits of pay-to-play politics and backroom deals, Hughes makes empty promises to work on the problems caused by his own administration.

Missed Opportunities:

The Hughes administration was vastly underprepared during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to other counties. Mercer County was criticized for a poorly managed department of health that delegated many of its COVID-19 duties to local municipal departments. When it was time for the county to open test sites and vaccination clinics, Mercer lagged way behind.

Hughes’s administration has failed to work with towns and take advantage of American Rescue Plan money, leaving huge sums of federal funds on the table instead of making sure they went to those who needed it most. It waited years to release a plan. Thankfully, the Board of Commissioners created a program to require the Hughes administration to share $3 million in ARP dollars with towns.

Hughes has also let Mercer’s corrections facilities deteriorate to the point where much of the facility is unsuitable for habitation—a situation that could have easily been avoided. These missed opportunities aren’t just costing us money, but our health and safety.

The state of Mercer County under Hughes’s leadership is one filled with wasted taxpayer dollars, empty promises, and missed opportunities. Our county government hasn’t lived up to its potential.

As our County Executive, I will bring innovative solutions to real problems. I will put an end to the waste and reckless mismanagement of our taxpayer money. Together, we will partner with our towns on public health, economic development, and county services. We will seek federal dollars to accelerate infrastructure investment and ensure that all our communities have a seat at the table.

We need leadership that works for everyone—that’s why I’m running for County Executive.