SOMERVILLE - Somerset County Commissioner Director Shanel Robinson would like to go to Washington, D.C. to repair government. She has experience fixing government property, actually, going back to her eight-year service in the United States Air Force as a mechanic who worked on the A-10 Warthog. The commissioner, now in her seventh year as a county elected official, deepened her repair record by addressing the needs of constituents after Hurricane Ida and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath, and her continuing efforts to improve educational and job opportunities for residents here.

Robinson has the no-drama, experience-with-a-heart, get-it-done temperament to manage crisis, she says, and the country finds itself in one right now, with Donald Trump as president, U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-12) retiring, and too many Americans facing tremendous affordability uncertainty, especially when it comes to healthcare.

The mother of three children and three grandchildren stands poised to take her skills to Congress in the 12th District to advocate for working class people.

"I've done it at the county level and local level," Robinson told InsiderNJ. "This is a pivotal moment to bring civility back to this space and get back to business. There is so much unrest. The name-calling and finger pointing is not really getting it done. I pride myself on serving all constituents and collaborating with others to do the work.

"There is so much more we could get done if we would just think about the why and remember the people," she added. "Healthcare is just not right for the people right now. All people should be able to get dignified, compassionate care."

She supports universal healthcare.

"Healthcare is a right not a privilege," the commissioner director - who worked at St. Peter's Hospital for 21 years - told InsiderNJ. "We're paying tax dollars and not getting enough back. This is simple, not radical. We need universal healthcare for all."

Watson Coleman serves as a mentor to Robinson, who first secured a countywide seat in 2017, running from her perch as a member of the Franklin Township Council, when Republicans still ran Somerset government.

"I have been a fan and follower of Bonnie, whose service to the district, including service to women and girls, has been invaluable," said Robinson. "She took me under her wing and I take pride in knowing her and having sat at her feet and watched and learned and grown. She's done a lot, including very progressive work for the district, and it would be an honor to succeed her."

Not only does Robinson have public service experience, she notes, but a personal story to connect with those who need more responsiveness from government in these troubled times.  "As a domestic violence survivor commissioner, I have a unique story to inspire other women," said the champion for reproductive rights and maternal health "from the perspective of a woman showing up for others."

The daughter of a Vietnam veteran and granddaughter of a WWII and Korean War veteran who was a POW and MIA, Robinson said she grounds herself in her Christian faith. "Faith gives me a unique opportunity to see people where they are, and not discriminating because of their socio-economic background," she said. "It gives me my heart for people and for service. It teaches me to be compassionate and to make sure I am always seeing the individual as just that - the heart of the matter."

As the leader of a movement to secure Democratic Party government in Somerset, Robinson said in the unfolding and competitive congressional campaign she wants to remind 12th District residents of the critical investments she has made into Somerset County Vocational and Technical Schools and Raritan Valley Community College, one of the finest community colleges in the state.

"We've invested millions so residents can have programs to keep them in competitive jobs," she said.

After the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota, the commissioner director also led an initiative to embed a social worker with local police to foster a culture of helping vulnerable alleged offenders and victims.  In addition, she led the way with investments in infrastructure, including vital sewage projects throughout Somerset County, Robinson notes, and disaster management.

A pioneer in county government, Robinson can recall too being among only a few women, and less than a handful of African American women, among hundreds of mechanics working the line back in the hangers on bases in places like Biloxi, Mississippi, Texas, and Colorado. "It didn't matter whether you were Democrat or Republican, black or white, it was just about the mission," said Robinson, which is her mindset as she sets her eyes on a broken federal government. Then it was diagnosing and repairing the missile launching system, or navigation autopilot systems on a state-of-the-art one-seater jet. Now, Robinson wants to work on the engine under the U.S. Capitol, the human capital of representative government, to ensure its better and finer maintenance, for the greater health and welfare of the people of the 12th District.