Jill DeCaro Announces Campaign for Old Bridge Town Council

OLD BRIDGE, NJ – Jill DeCaro of Old Bridge announced today that she will be running for Town Council in the 4th Ward. DeCaro has served on Old Bridge’s Board of Education for the past four years, and currently holds the position of Board President.

With a long history of involvement in Old Bridge schools, DeCaro is well prepared for the leap to municipal government. She has held numerous roles during her 22-year tenure in Old Bridge, including PTA president at Schirra and Sandburg schools, PTSA president of Old Bridge High School, and coordinator of the PTA Presidents’ Council. Around town, DeCaro has served as a board member for Sayrewood South Rebels youth football and as a teacher at St. Ambrose’s Parish School of Religion.

DeCaro will have the Middlesex County Democratic Organization’s backing in challenging incumbent Councilman Mark Razzoli, who first took office in 2018. . Razzoli, having been elected on a Democratic ticket, later joined the Republican party and launched three separate campaigns for higher office during his freshman term on Council.
“We need to work together for the good of Old Bridge’s residents rather than dividing based on what we disagree on. It does not matter whether you hold Republican or Democrat views in national politics, as the needs of Old Bridge are unique to the local level,” DeCaro said.
Old Bridge’s Ward 4 is set to undergo a significant transformation, and one that requires a representative focused on holding developers accountable and reviving the town’s dormant open space preservation. “My long-standing commitment to this town and professional experience in real estate, give me the motivation and knowledge required to excel as a Council member,” stated DeCaro, while citing development plans advanced under the current Council’s watch: Continued buildout of the Town Center district, clearing of forests west of Route 9 for up to 2,000 housing units, and the pending construction of 8 warehouses atop existing farmland and the Glenwood Country Club.

In recent years, Old Bridge has increased fees while decreasing services, marking a trend that must be reversed. The Town Council has permitted this while using its meetings to focus on Washington D.C., Trenton, and Old Bridge’s school district – which the Board of Education separately governs.

This comes as Councilman Razzoli has stated the intent to remove school board positions from the November general election. Such a move could force Board of Education candidates into an April election with lower turnout and a projected $80,000 impact on the school budget. DeCaro characterizes this as an attempt by the Councilman to exert influence over the Board of Education. But given her deep knowledge of the local school system, DeCaro is uniquely positioned to restore a collaborative relationship between Old Bridge’s municipal government and Board of Education.

DeCaro aims to return Old Bridge’s focus to local issues and better communicate with the residents of Ward 4. She invites all residents to join her at DeCaro4OB.com as she kicks off her campaign.