Hughes announces ‘Mercer Forward’ plan
in 2023 State of County address

TRENTON – Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes presented a three-pronged plan to guide his administration’s efforts over the next several years in the 2023 State of the County remarks he presented to the Board of Commissioners on Jan. 26.

Speaking to an overflow crowd at the County Administration Building, Mr. Hughes addressed a report issued this week by the Office of the State Comptroller, updated the board and public on several major projects that are under way, and with an eye toward the future outlined his “Mercer Forward” plan that focuses on three specific areas: a “thriving and inclusive economy”; “healthy residents”; and “environmental sustainability.” “This plan will guide our efforts over the next several years,” Mr. Hughes said. “It will require collaboration with this board to be successful, and will make a real and measurable impact on our residents’ lives.”

To help build the local economy by assisting businesses and individuals affected by the pandemic, Mr. Hughes highlighted the following initiatives being undertaken with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds the county was awarded by the Biden Administration:

• Small Business Grant Program, which dedicates $3.5 million in ARPA funds via grants of up to $10,000 to boost small businesses that likely have experienced pandemic hardship.
• Small Business Investment Program, which sets aside $500,000 to help underfunded businesses find the capital the need to “grow and flourish.”
• Allocation of more than $1 million for a free transportation service for local residents who work at newly developed warehouse and retail business parks in East Windsor and the Cranbury area. This service will complement the existing Route 130 Connection bus route, he said.
• Allocation of $250,000 to develop an expungement services program that would help individuals with certain criminal records get a clean start, enabling them to find employment, access stable housing and “become active contributors to their communities.” Mr. Hughes called it the “logical next step” to the county’s grant-funded Re-entry Program for people leaving incarceration, which he announced a year ago.

Mr. Hughes also announced the creation of a new digital Small Business Directory, which will be managed by the county’s Small Business Outreach Office and is aimed at supporting businesses owned by women, minorities or veterans, along with other small businesses.

“Small businesses are the lifeblood of our local economy, and our goal is to create and identify ways to increase business traffic to certified small businesses and encourage others to become certified,” Mr. Hughes said. He recognized Job One Lawn and Landscape, a woman- and minority-owned small business owned by Jocelyn and Stan Tucker of Ewing, as “just one of our many success stories.” Job One recently won a county contract for $75,000.

Regarding the community health part of his Mercer Forward plan, Mr. Hughes highlighted the following new initiatives:

• The awarding of a contract to the Rescue Mission of Trenton that will target the ongoing public health crisis of opioid addiction by providing a mobile unit that will travel around the county, focusing on the hardest-hit neighborhoods, to offer Narcan kits and linkage to local treatment services.
• Using ARPA funds to expand the Mercer County Division of Public Health. Mr. Hughes said that over time, the Division has grown its programs and services, and it became clear during the pandemic that the Division’s operating and storage space is insufficient. The expansion would help ensure the Division “can continue to adequately meet the needs of our residents, including storing vaccine, PPE and other equipment, and have enough office space and parking to continue to conduct various health clinics, while supporting the needs of our municipal partners as well.”

He also touted his administration’s Mercer at Play program, which has resulted in the creation of dozens of recreational projects throughout the county, and the effective partnerships the county formed with the City of Trenton and various health care entities during the pandemic to make vaccinations, test kits and information available to residents.

“As part of our long-range plan, we are continually creating and improving our physical and social environments and expanding community resources to that people can live their best lives,” Mr. Hughes said.

Environmental sustainability is the third part of the County Executive’s “Mercer Forward” plan. He said that his administration has prioritized sustainability through numerous initiatives, such as land preservation, tree plantings and creation of pollinator habitats that improve biodiversity and air quality; and through the installation of bicycle facilities and electric vehicle charging stations that expand people’s ability to forgo their gasoline-powered cars.

“Our combined efforts with those important projects go a long way toward reducing our carbon footprint and reliance on fossil fuels,” Mr. Hughes said, “but there is more work to do, and the opportunity to take a more cohesive approach.”

He said that part of that approach, a new Integrated Climate Action Plan, will include the following:

• Creation of an internal advisory board, which will consider adaptation and resiliency measures in county infrastructure, transportation including motor vehicle fleet, waste management and community engagement.
• Following up on the energy audits the county has performed on more than 25 of its facilities, it will commission a sustainability audit of all county operations to evaluate progress.
• Among the county’s long-term goals are to turn over its motor vehicle fleet after identifying which should be replaced with green vehicles, and to retrofit lighting, lighting fixtures and HVAC systems to the most efficient available.
• Mr. Hughes said that he and Mercer County Community College President Deborah Preston are discussing new programs the area sustainability, and “exploring collaborations in urban or vertical farming to eliminate food deserts and promote ‘green’ careers in the City of Trenton.”

“With the support of our residents and businesses, Mercer County will continue to be a leader in making government operations more sustainable,” Mr. Hughes said. “We understand the scale of the challenge, and we are passionate about the need to preserve the planet and create a cleaner, greener future.”

The County Executive also addressed a report issued Tuesday by the Office of the State Comptroller regarding an investigation of the county Finance Department. Mr. Hughes said his administration “took swift action” when he was “made aware of concerning information about the county’s Chief Fiscal Officer, even though his and the county’s fiscal practices are subject to independent annual audits.”

He said his administration “immediately informed the County Commissioners, suspended the CFO, launched an investigation through outside counsel and referred the matter to law enforcement.”

“Integrity matters, and this administration holds itself to the highest standards,” he said. “To say we are disappointed in the CFO’s actions is an understatement; as the OSC said, the County was a ‘victim of the CFO.’  We will take every legal measure available to us to hold the CFO accountable, and to ensure something like this never happens again. We are cooperating fully with law enforcement and have been since the administration first uncovered the problems in August.”

Mr. Hughes provided the following update on several major county projects that are under way:

• Replacement of the passenger terminal at Trenton-Mercer Airport in Ewing is in phase 2 of design, Mr. Hughes said, with design completion anticipated by the end of 2023 or very early next year. Concurrent to the terminal project is the design and construction of a new 1,000-space parking garage.
• Engineering and permitting are continuing, he said, for the first phase of improvements at Miry Run, a passive-recreation park in Hamilton, Robbinsville and West Windsor. In addition, plans for dredging the lake have been designed and will proceed upon approval from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
• The Park Commission is working with Trap Rock Industries to execute the terms of the reclamation plan for the 166-acre Moores Station Quarry in Hopewell Township ahead of the county’s acquisition, which is anticipated this spring, Mr. Hughes said. Once the Park Commission takes possession of the site, it will begin the multi-year process of transforming the open-pit quarry into a park.
• A flood wall is being built by NJDOT at the Fishing Wharf Park in Trenton – which has been closed to the public for years due to structural deficiencies — as part of a collaborative effort between the City of Trenton, the County of Mercer and three state agencies to design and create an improved flood-resilient park that also will serve as flood protection for Route 29. The Mercer County Park Commission is overseeing the design of park improvements and will eventually assume responsibility for maintaining the park once it is constructed by NJDOT.

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Photo: Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes delivers his 2023 State of the County address to the Board of County Commissioners and the public Jan. 26 at the County Administration Building.