Libertarians join race for Branchburg Township Committee

Mike Deak, MyCentralJersey.com
·1 min read

BRANCHBURG - Republicans, who have held all five seats on the township committee for more than three decades, will be facing a new slate of challengers in the November election for two seats on the township committee.

Incumbent Republicans Tom Young and David Owns will be opposed by Tara Murphy and Jason MacDuffie who will be running on the Libertarian Party ticket.

Branchburg Democrats have not yet filed candidates in the race.

It is the first time the Libertarian Party has fielded municipal candidates in Branchburg.

The candidates have outlined their positions on their website, freedomforbranchburg.com, which include term limits for township committee members, respect for the voters' support of marijuana legalization, opposition to "monstrous redevelopment" in the North Branch area and preserving open space.

"We are running because we are concerned about the current direction of the township with leadership that doesn't represent people," the candidates said in a statement. "We have no conflicts of interest and are ready to represent the residents."

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Murphy, a mother of two, has lived in Branchburg for 12 years. She is a financial-tech professional and vice chair of the Somerset County Advisory Council on Disability Issues (ACODI). She has a bachelor’s degree in Communication with a minor in Spanish.

MacDuffie is a software developer with bachelor's degrees in computer science and mathematics. He has lived in the township for 19 years.

Young has served eight three-year terms on the township committee. Owens was appointed to fill a committee vacancy in 2020.

Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com

Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Libertarians join race for Branchburg Township Committee