Today, Manville Councilwoman Suzanne Maeder formally announced her campaign for Somerset County Clerk, vowing to bring accountability, energy, and innovation back to Somerset County government.

“As a councilwoman in Manville, I have seen firsthand what government looks like when it is working – and what it looks like when it is broken. Right now, in the United States, New Jersey, and even here in Somerset County, government is simply not working for average people. And from county government through Trenton, Congress, and the White House, one party has complete control over every government decision that affects Somerset County residents. I’m running for Somerset County Clerk to change that – to bring the accountability, energy, and innovation that just isn’t present right now in our county, and to make the people who claim to represent us actually work again for the greater good.

“There is no arena where that need for oversight and accountability is more apparent than the office of the Somerset County Clerk, where much of the planning and execution of our elections takes place. In both Trenton and Washington, one-party rule has taken a voting system that was mostly working and turned it completely on its head. I mean to shed some much-needed sunshine on the process of how our elections are conducted, ask the questions no one in County government is willing to ask, and remind our elected officials that a system without checks, oversight, and accountability is a system doomed to forget the people it serves.”

Somerset County Clerk Steve Peter, a Democrat, is the incumbent this year.

“To say I am excited to start this journey is an understatement. I look forward to making my case first before the Republican County Committee, then to the Republican primary electorate, and finally to all of Somerset County this November,” said Maeder. “As Somerset County residents get to know me, they will find a person who is organized, responsive, and creative. Somerset County became a great place to live not by accident, but because of leaders with creativity and energy. I’m looking forward to building on that legacy, to shake up the stagnation and lethargy in county government and to put Somerset County back in the conversation as New Jersey’s most innovative and dynamic place to live.”

About Suzanne Maeder:

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Maeder said she learned at an early age the importance of community. At seven years old her family moved to Taipei, Taiwan, where she joined an international Girl Scout troop, learned a bit of Chinese, and attended a church built on a verdant Taiwanese mountainside. Four years later, Maeder and her family came home to the United States, where she eventually attended the University of Maryland at College Park. There she met and married her husband, Robert, who attended seminary while Suzanne taught English and started a mock trial team at the high school where she worked.

In 2012 the Maeders moved to New Jersey, where they purchased a home in Manville and jumped into community service. Suzanne Maeder became a member and subsequently the President of Manville’s Board of Health as her record of careful questioning, thoughtful comments, and mutual respect grew. She was appointed to the Joint Land Use Board, and in 2019 successfully ran for Manville Borough Council with the largest margin of victory in recent memory. In the last two years she has spearheaded Manville’s codification effort, written multiple grants, began the new Economic Development Committee, and overhauled the Borough’s vision for Main Street.

They enjoy three children: Leo, Zoe, and Lux, who all have inherited their father’s sense of humor and their mother’s energy. You can often catch them in their front yard, having moved their grill and picnic table to the front patio to better be a part of their local neighborhood.