Inverso out, Baroni in for state Senate race
Jamesburg resident will seek Assembly seat for Republicans
BY CHRIS GAETANO
Staff Writer

Bill Baroni

State Sen. Peter Inverso has announced that he will not be seeking a sixth term in the Legislature to focus more on his work and family life.

Inverso (R-Middlesex/Mercer) has endorsed Assemblyman Bill Baroni as his successor, and Baroni enthusiastically embraced the idea by announcing plans to run for the Senate.

"This was not an easy decision for me to make," said Inverso, a Hamilton resident and the president and CEO of Roma Financial Corp. "The increasing demands of leading an outstanding community bank with public ownership ... and my desire to devote more time to my wonderful wife and growing family have converged and convinced me that, after nearly a quarter of a century of public service, this is the right decision for my family, my employer and me."

Inverso was a sponsor of Megan's Law and the Megan's Law Internet registry and has also vociferously supported a number of campaign finance reform initiatives.

Baroni, who announced his plans to seek re-election to the Assembly on March 20, said that he was eager to jump to the Senate. He said that Inverso had been a mentor to him for many years. Baroni said he has known Inverso since he was 3, and the Inverso family and the Baroni family sat in the same row at church.

Adam Bushman

"Pete has a legacy of hard work, independence and honesty, and that's a legacy that I'm ready to fulfill and continue. And I'm going to continue his efforts on pay-to-play reform and property tax reform through a constitutional convention and continue my efforts on higher education, and I'm going to continue to work very hard for our public schools," said Baroni.

Adam Bushman, a former Jamesburg councilman, announced last week that he will run for Baroni's Assembly seat on the Republican ticket. Bushman, in making the announcement during a press conference in Monroe, cited a dedication to public service and conviction to fight corruption and make New Jersey more affordable.

Discussing the issue of rising property taxes, Bushman said he will "put taxpayers first" and stated that ethics reform is key to bringing about property tax relief.

"I will fight in the Legislature alongside Bill Baroni to ban the unethical practices that cost taxpayers millions, such as pay-to-play, dual office-holding and wasteful spending," he said. "The next Legislature must address these reforms to achieve real property tax relief."

Bushman, a senior software engineer who has served with the New Jersey National Guard and U.S. Air Force, said he plans to spend the next eight months "knocking on doors, meeting with families and discussing the issues that matter most to them."

Bushman lives in Jamesburg with his wife Barbara and their children, Ryan, 14 and Nicolette, 11.

As for who Bushman's running mate will be, Baroni, a Hamilton resident, listed Hamilton Councilman Tom Goodwin and former Hamilton Mayor Jack Rafferty as two possibilities. A state GOP spokesperson said that the party is confident in Baroni's ability to campaign in District 14, where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1.

"It appears as if Assemblyman Baroni will be taking his place on the ticket, and he's a tenacious campaigner and he's proven he can win in that district," said Todd Riffle.

Baroni will face South Brunswick resident and Democrat Seema Singh, who has served as the ratepayer advocate under three governors and will be making her first bid for elected office.