Brian Gallagher (R), Candidate for Somerset County Freeholder

Brian Gallagher - R

Incumbent • Somerville

Brian Gallagher, 55, was born and raised in Elizabeth. He graduated from New England College in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in business.

Brian Gallagher - (R) Incumbent

He married Lisa (Merk), a Montgomery High School graduate. Gallagher lives in Somerville with his wife and five children.

Gallagher has served on Somerville Borough Council and as mayor from 2004 to 2018.

Brian became a Somerset County Freeholder in 2018, and served as liaison to the Park Commission, the Library Board, the Planning Board, Mental Health Board, Engineering, Board of Social Services, Cultural & Heritage Commission, and the Regional Center Partnership.

Platform relevant to Montgomery and Rocky Hill

"The Somerset County Library System is recognized one of the best," Gallagher said. "As a municipality, Montgomery Township made their decision to advance a new library in their community in a new municipal building. Any decision to join the SCLS is purely a local, municipal decision."

"This has presented Rocky Hill with a choice, to view this as a problem, or as an opportunity. I had offered to help in conducting a visioning process for the Rocky Hill community for the future use of the MJL building. I remain ready to aid Rocky Hill in this effort."

I love Somerset County...My message is one of positive vision, leadership on tough issues, and dedication to our families, friends, and neighbors throughout our entire county. What we do as a community has but one guiding principle ... and that is to provide for a safe, secure, diverse, affordable and wonderful home for our children, our families, our friends, and our neighbors here in our Somerset County. — Gallagher

Montgomery and Rocky Access to Somerset County's Community College

"Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) is a wonderful asset, it is recognized as one of the top community colleges in the country, and the more access we can provide to this institution, the better," Drake says. "That access also includes distance/online learning, and given the state of current events, education institutions are also beginning to review how they deliver education now, and how they will in the future. It is rapidly changing, and the bricks and mortar institutional education is seeing a shift to online education."

"Demand dictates the transportation routes and priority levels of those routes (to the community college located Branchburg)," he said. "To determine if new/altered routes for RVCC are warranted, we must ensure we do not have empty routes. It must make economic sense for a route to be established, the ridership must be at a level to justify itself."

County Parks

"The Somerset County Park Commission has preserved about 15,000 acres of open space for the residents of Somerset County. Skillman Park is a great adaptive reuse of a fallow 275 acres, and wonderful preservation of recreational open space for Montgomery Township and county residents.

"The Sourland Mountain Preserve encompasses over 6,000 acres and provides an undisturbed natural setting for passive recreation. Open space acquisition for preservation, and active and passive use for all Somerset County residents is paramount for creating a wonderful county to live in.

"The county is always trying to improve, and be a leader in all we do. While liaison to the planning division last year, we began a combined review and preparation of a master plan for parks, recreation, and open space; farmland preservation; and, historic preservation. This is the first combined plan of its kind in the entire country! This will identify linkages between the three programs including, economic development, natural resource conservation, and tourism." ■