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eLeCtion 2022
Gymnast sets the bar high
Township council the only contested race in the Valley this fall Write-in candidate likely to win seat on board of education By JOe EMANsKi Hopewell Valley voters will not have many choices when they open up their mail-in ballots at home or step into the voting booths on Nov. 8 — Election Day. That is not necessarily news in Pennington or Hopewell Borough, where local Republican or, in a few cases, Democratic committees have failed to advance any candidates for local races. And it is not the case this year in Hopewell Township, where both Democrats and Republicans have two candidates apiece for the two seats up for election. Committee members and Democrats David Chait and Courtney PetersManning — the township’s current mayor — are running against Republican challengers Jennifer DiDonato and Daniel J. Hanley, Jr. there. But this year, the dearth of candidates willing to run for elected office has reached the Hopewell Valley Regional School District Board of Education — and
one might say the situation there has things kicked up a notch. There are nine seats on the school board, one each going to Pennington and Hopewell Borough, and the remaining seven being filled by Hopewell Township residents. This year, the Hopewell Borough seat and two Hopewell Township seats are in play. Jess Grillo, the incumbent borough representative, is not running for re-election, leaving first-time candidate Mark J. Peters as the only candidate there. In Hopewell Township, incumbents Bill Herbert and John Mason have not sought re-election. First-time candidate Michael Wilson is the only person running — one candidate for two seats. That being the case, township residents have an unusual opportunity: to vote for a write-in candidate with a real chance of winning a place in elected office. According to a spokesperson from the Mercer County Clerk’s office, a write-in candidate would be required to have at least 10 votes to be eligible for election to school board. Among all write-in candidates with at least 10 votes, See ELECTION, Page 11
Olympic hopeful Annalise Newman-Achee focuses on the uneven bars at the July 2022 Pan American Gymnastics Championships, held in Rio De Janeiro. For the full story, turn to page 22.
‘Your Stage’ invites artists to blossom By JAsMiNe Lee Michelle Klein has always had a love for creating music and has been surrounded by it her whole life, and she decided to give other people a chance to take their talents and love of arts to the stage. No matter your forte, whether it’s comedy, poetry, acting, singing, or playing an instrument, all
are welcome to come and grace Hopewell Theater’s stage, several times a year, at Your Stage at Any Stage. Your Stage is an open mic event at which all are welcomed to showcase their passions. Anyone who decides to brave the stage will be backed up by Hopewell’s supportive community, and, Klein hopes, may see it as an opportu-
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nity to break out of their shell. The most recent event took place last month, and the next is scheduled for Dec. 14 at the theater in Hopewell Borough. “The theater has opened the doors and created this program to have any and all types of people to take the stage,” says Klein, coowner of Peasant Grill and host of See STAGE, Page 20
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