To the Editor:
Hopewell Township Charts a New Course — Together
On May 4, the Hopewell Township Committee unanimously approved an ordinance placing a referendum before Hopewell Township voters this November: “Shall a charter commission be elected to study the charter of the Township of Hopewell and to consider a new charter or improvements in the present charter and to make recommendations thereon?”
We are glad to see that our efforts have fostered action by the Township Committee.
Chart New Course came together earlier this year because we believe Hopewell Township — growing, diverse, and managing a budget and infrastructure more complex than at any point in its 228-year history — deserves a government built for the century we are living in. We began knocking on doors, talking with neighbors, and collecting signatures to put that question directly before voters. Motivated by our efforts, the Township Committee has now opened a formal, structured path to the same destination. We welcome this process.
What’s Next?
The Faulkner Act’s Charter Study Commission process is a serious one. A commission of five elected members will have the authority to examine every form of government available to New Jersey municipalities, hold public hearings, and make recommendations grounded in genuine community input.
At ChartNewCourse.org, we have published a full comparison of those governing options — from our traditional township committee form to directly elected mayor structures to council-manager models — and we encourage every resident to explore it. An informed community makes better decisions.
We will acknowledge honestly that this path takes longer than a direct petition drive. Any change that emerges from the commission process will reach voters after November 2026 rather than on this year’s ballot.
For a community that has operated under the same governing structure since 1798, another year or two is not an insurmountable wait — but none of it matters if voters don’t approve the referendum this November. That single vote will determine whether Hopewell Township enters its next chapter or remains, as it has for over two centuries, exactly where it started.
Join us at ChartNewCourse.org
Chart New Course will participate actively in every step of what comes next. We will attend public sessions, contribute research, and advocate for a process that takes all governing options seriously and reaches every corner of our township — from the Sourlands to Scotch Road, from Washington Crossing to Brandon Farms.
We are eager to see what a thoughtful, community-driven commission concludes. We hope and expect that the voices of all Township residents — new arrivals and multi-generation families alike — will shape that work.
Visit ChartNewCourse.org to learn more, review the governing options, and stay engaged as this process unfolds.
Sincerely,
Chad Goerner, John Hart, Michael Markulec, Tamera Matteo, and Vanessa Sandom
Township residents and former elected officials
