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Election Day is November 3, 2026. Here's how you can help us keep community first:
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We would love your support! Please send us an email with your address to get a yard sign.
communityfirstbville@gmail.com
We need your help to improve our community: — beyond putting up a yard sign, we could use your help knocking on doors, talking with your neighbors and friends around town, and in many other ways!
communityfirstbville@gmail.com
Support Our Campaign
♥ Donate NowAbout Us
Mary Jane Canose
Mary Jane Canose is a proven leader who has spent decades delivering results for Bernardsville. Serving as Mayor since 2019 and previously as a Borough Councilwoman, she brings deep institutional knowledge and a steady, practical approach to governing. In her professional career, she worked for more than 15 years as a School Business Administrator and Board Secretary, including a decade with the Chester Board of Education, where she managed complex budgets, oversaw a $21 million construction and energy project, and pioneered shared services that saved taxpayer dollars. Her background in communications, workforce development, and small business ownership further reflects her commitment to transparency, efficiency, and innovation in public service.
A Bernardsville resident for over 50 years, Mary Jane has built her life around community service. She has founded and led many of the town's most meaningful initiatives, including the Outstanding Community Volunteer Awards and Bernardsville's annual holiday celebration. Today, she continues to serve on statewide and local boards, advocate for seniors and families, and lead community traditions like Wreaths Across America. Her focus remains local—keeping Bernardsville strong, connected, and moving forward.
Tom Slocum
Tom is a life-long New Jersey resident, growing up in Blairstown, Warren County, and is a proud alumnus of Pope John XXIII High School in Sparta, Rutgers University, and Rutgers Law School. Tom and his wife moved to Bernardsville in 2015 to plant their roots and raise their family.
Tom has been long-committed to public service and volunteering. He has served on the Bernardsville Zoning Board of Adjustment for the last six years, and Tom and his family are very active parishioners at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Bernardsville, where Tom was previously a catechist teaching CCD for four years. He also coaches cross-country, basketball, and track & field at OLPH's School of Saint Elizabeth.
Tom is a partner at the Bridgewater-based law firm Norris McLaughlin P.A., specializing in commercial and business litigation. His wife, Hilary, is an ICU nurse at RWJ University Hospital Somerset. Tom is an avid hiker, long-distance runner, and cyclist.
Kathy Tober
Kathy Tober has lived in Bernardsville for the past 13 years with her husband and their two children. They moved here because they wanted a small community in which to raise their children—a place for more personalized education and closer relationships with friends and neighbors. Bernardsville has delivered on this and more, and Kathy considers it one of the best decisions her family has made.
Kathy brings strong strategic and financial management skills from her corporate career, having managed a department responsible for $2 billion of outsourced contracts for phase I–IV clinical trials in the pharmaceutical industry, with teams across three continents. In retirement, she serves as Director of St. John's Nursery School in town.
Kathy is a strong advocate for community service. She served seven years on the Somerset Hills Board of Education, currently serves as Treasurer of the Somerset Hills Education Foundation, and serves on the Board of Trustees for CASA SHaW, which supports youth in foster care across Somerset, Hunterdon, and Warren counties. She has also been deeply involved in Angel's Closet, which provides clothing and goods to families in the school district.
Priorities
A Vibrant Downtown & Local Economy
- Support a thriving local economy and attract new businesses to downtown Bernardsville
- Advocate for responsible redevelopment that maintains the charm and character of the town, with community spaces well suited for gatherings
- Improve streetscape, parking, and the business environment to help existing businesses succeed
- Expand opportunities for teen and senior programs that can use revitalized community spaces
Open Space, Parks & Recreation
- Sustain Bernardsville's open space, especially Meadowbrook Farm, and promote passive recreation opportunities
- Keep parks, sports facilities, and the municipal pool top tier and ensure they meet all residents' needs
- Improve recreation facilities and expand walking trails and outdoor spaces for the whole community
Keeping Bernardsville Safe
- Support the Bernardsville Police Department, Fire Company, and First Aid Squad with the resources they need
- Build and maintain a strong working relationship with our first responders
- Ensure our families and property remain safe through continued investment in public safety
Fiscal Responsibility & Community Character
- Responsible budgeting and genuine respect for taxpayers—so families and seniors can continue to afford to live here
- Open communication and accessible, transparent government
- Preserve the small-town feel and charm that makes Bernardsville unique while thoughtfully planning for the future
- Address affordable housing and development challenges in a way that meets State-mandated obligations without sacrificing community character
How to Vote
How Do I Register To Vote?
Please visit New Jersey's Online Voter Registration website:
https://voter.svrs.nj.gov/register
Where Do I Vote?
Find your District and polling location at: https://voter.svrs.nj.gov/polling-place-search
- Districts 1, 2, and 7: Bernardsville Library, 1 Anderson Hill Road
- Districts 3, 4, and 5: First Presbyterian Church, 321 Mine Brook Road
- District 6: St. John's On The Mountain, 379 Mount Harmony Road
When Do I Vote?
General Election: November 3, 2026 | Polls Open: 6AM–8PM
How Do I Vote By Mail?
Please print, fill out, and mail this application from the Somerset County Clerk:
Mail-in Ballot Application
Once you receive your ballot, fill it out and drop it off at the dropbox in front of Borough Hall (166 Mine Brook Rd) to make sure your vote counts!