Hamilton Township Mayor Martin Message to Residents on First 100 Days in Office

To my fellow Hamiltonians:

April 9^th marks my 100^th day in office as your Mayor. I stand with you today overcome with pride as we tackle a world pandemic together as one great hometown. As a community, you are an inspiration to me and many others with how you have handled these unprecedented times. Whether you are a first responder, healthcare worker, or other essential employee, all of you have risen to the occasion and met the challenges of each day head-on.

I have been moved by many of the stories we have shared with you and I want to take a moment to share some of them again. While there are many organizations and individuals stepping up during this time in need, here is just a small sample of the truly amazing things happening in our community.

Salvona Technologies is headquartered right here in Hamilton. While it normally produces skincare and perfume products, the company has transitioned to making disinfectant sprays in order to meet the increased demand. Salvona is donating enough bottles so that each police officer in town has their own individual bottle to maintain sanitary conditions while working to keep you safe. Even more, Salvona donated 8,000 gloves that were distributed to first responders and healthcare workers throughout Mercer County.

SWITLIK is a known family-owned entity in Hamilton for 100 years (established 1920). It has fabricated parachutes for our servicemen and servicewomen during wartime, and it has once again found itself manufacturing for a different kind of war. SWITLIK transitioned some of its operations to create face shields to keep our healthcare workers safe. The company continues to shine as an exemplary business here in Hamilton.

I cannot pick just one local restaurant to give thanks to, so I want to thank them all. Our local restaurants continue to stay open to serve us and bring some normalcy to our lives. They have adapted, without complaint, and many are staying open even though closing would make more financial sense. I know many of you are continuing to support them and I ask you to please continue as they, along with all our small businesses, are the backbone of our community.

Very early on during the pandemic, the Tramo family decided to help their community. Their three children decided to organize a GoFundMe page and have raised thousands to donate to our local businesses and their employees to provide additional help. Like many other individuals and families here in Hamilton, they are doing what they can to help in big and small ways.

If there was ever a doubt why Hamilton needs its own local hospital, that debate should be put to rest forever. RWJ Hamilton has taken everything thrown at it by this virus and answered each and every call. We can never thank the healthcare workers, staff, and administration enough for all the long and hard hours they have put in at this time. They are truly on the front lines of this war and are saving lives each and every day. I thank everyone who has donated PPE, food, and other provisions to keep them running.

Our Township employees are genuinely remarkable.  They are true public servants, working each day to improve our town and keep it running. I want to give special recognition to our Health Department, led by our Director Kathy Fitzgerald. Their jobs do not stop at night or on the weekends, and they make sure our town stays healthy and safe. The next time you see a township employee who is working through this crisis, please thank them!

On a personal note, I am extremely grateful for my relationships with other officials throughout Mercer County. It has been a pleasure to work with Dr. Rocco, a true leader for our Hamilton Schools.  I speak with Mayor Fried and Mayor Mironov almost daily, and I communicate with our Township Council, other area mayors, and county leadership multiple times each week. Additionally, our state elected officials have always been there when we need assistance.  We are truly lucky to have so many great leaders in one county, and I have had the pleasure of working with them through this crisis.

As you can see, Hamilton is truly an inspirational place to live and work. I hope you join me this holiday weekend in appreciating all we have to be thankful for, and all we have to look forward to once we beat this virus.  Together, you make me #HamiltonProud!

Jeff Martin

Mayor

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