Re-Elect Mary Jane Canose for Mayor

Building on Success

As a 50-year resident of Bernardsville, Mary Jane has always had a strong commitment to community service and a love for our town.  She first came to Bernardsville as a newlywed and as her family grew, became involved in the Home and School Association, the Boy Scouts, and co-chaired the Municipal Alliance.  She was one of the founders and chair of Citizens for a Better Bernardsville, a grassroots organization that sponsored a community-wide survey and two volunteer-built playgrounds in town.  She also began and chaired an annual Outstanding Community Volunteer Awards Dinner to recognize and thank residents for their contributions to Bernardsville.  In addition, Mary Jane was one of the founders of the community-wide holiday program, now known as “Holly Days.” She was elected to the Borough Council in 1990 and served for two terms.  She served on the Borough's Open Space Committee and has served two terms as warden at her church. She is the recipient of the Greater Somerset County YMCA's Millicent Fenwick Award, Bernardsville Outstanding Community Volunteer Award, and Bernardsville's Above and Beyond Award.

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Mary Jane is a retired School Business Administrator, where she was responsible for a $20 million budget and the completion of a $21 million construction and energy project for the Chester School District.  Working with Chester Township and Chester Borough officials, she created shared service agreements to purchase fuel, repair district vehicles, construct a softball field and provide custodial services as well as established senior transportation services for residents.    She helped move the district forward in technology by establishing and facilitating a Technology Advisory Committee, oversaw the district’s website and managed its Facebook and Twitter accounts.  She received the Distinguished Service Award from the N.J. Association of School Business Officials.

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During her first term as Mayor, Mary Jane brought the community together to pass a referendum, allowing 100% of the open space tax to be used to improve our recreational facilities.  Through extensive community meetings and surveys, a Recreational Master Plan was created and Phase I is already underway to add trails and enhance the Polo Grounds. By bringing new talent to Borough Hall and the Recreation Department, she's re-energized our recreational programming to meet the needs of all our residents. While many downtowns lost businesses during the pandemic, Bernardsville had five new businesses open because she created a business-friendly town by updating our zoning to allow for outside dining, and by assisting our businesses in qualifying for grants and loans.  As a Board Member of Downtown Bernardsville, she was instrumental in the creation of the Mt. Airy mural project.  Mary Jane secured $1.4 million in federal funding to create a walking path from the Boylan Terrace neighborhood to the train station and downtown businesses.  She has brought back the Outstanding Community Volunteer Awards, re-energized the Mayor's Wellness Campaign, created a Cultural Arts Committee, established a non-profit foundation to support law enforcement, and brought Wreaths Across America to Bernardsville to honor our veterans.  But her greatest contribution has been creating a strong sense of community among our residents through positive support and collaboration. Imagine what she can accomplish in four more years!