by Debra Rubin
NJJN Bureau Chief/Middlesex

February 17, 2009

Franklin Township Mayor Brian Levine believes he can bring both a sense of fiscal responsibility and Jewish concern for the welfare of others to state government in New Jersey.

Levine, who has been mayor of the Somerset County community for five years, has announced he will run for governor on the Republican ticket against incumbent Jon Corzine.

He will go up against former U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie, former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan, and Assemblyman Richard Merkt (R-Dist. 25) in the June 2 primary.

He is confident about his chances.

“People have been pretty positive,” he said. “There have always been naysayers, but when I explain my position they are pleasantly surprised.”

Much of that support is based on his leadership of Franklin Township, a sprawling municipality with 60,000 residents.

Levine, a practicing CPA, said he has used his background in the budget process in Franklin, and because of its fiscal responsibility, Franklin is in sound financial shape despite the tough economic times.

“We’ve had to make adjustments,” he said. “Although there is a [hiring] freeze, we have not had to have layoffs.”

Among the mayor’s proposed initiatives is removing the 2.5 percent tax on new businesses and giving tax credits to build businesses. “New Jersey has some of the highest taxes on corporations and LLCs in the country, which is a disincentive for business,” he said.

However, the business climate in Franklin has made it an attractive location for companies.

“We’re growing manufacturing, whereas it’s moving away in New Jersey and the rest of the United States,” said Levine. Among the businesses that have set up shop in recent years in the community are the northeast distributorship of Mary Kay Cosmetics and a tofu manufacturer.

“We also remain part of the ‘Einstein Alley’ corridor with a lot of high-tech companies,” said Levine. “We do what government is supposed to do. We have someone walk them through the red tape, talk to them about what the neighbors might say about what they are doing. This has brought us both blue- and white-collar jobs.”

‘Real eye-opener’

That is the kind of financial oversight needed on the state level, according to the 50-year-old Levine, who served as councilman from 1998 to 2003 before being elected to his first term as mayor in 2004.

And although Democrats have the numbers statewide and locally, he does not view that as an impediment. Levine pointed out that he has served almost exclusively with Democrats in his 11 years in elected office.

“I know how to work with everyone,” said Levine, who holds an MBA from Rutgers University.

Levine’s 40-square-mile, diversely populated municipality stretches from the New Brunswick border to Princeton and also includes Griggstown, Zarephath, Franklin Park, and part of Kingston.

That’s a plus, said Levine. “I represent a lot of different areas,” he said. “There’s the urban area next to New Brunswick. There are farms in the middle, and then there are the large estates whose residents are in the upper socioeconomic range. It’s a real microcosm of New Jersey. We bridge all different ethnicities, and we all work together under one roof. We’ve got a synagogue, churches, and mosques.”

Levine is an active member of Temple Beth El of Somerset and his wife, Lori Goldblatt — a psychologist — has served on the synagogue board. They are supporters of the Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County, and Levine is a regular at its annual Super Sunday fund-raiser. The couple has two daughters, Ariella, 11, and Shira, six.

Levine said his Jewish heritage has given him empathy for other people and a sense of obligation to provide for those less fortunate.

“As a Jew and an American, I try to put myself in other people’s shoes,” said Levine. “We have provided a lot of affordable housing. We’ve worked a lot with organizations like Habitat for Humanity. I feel that’s all part of the Jewish concept of tzedaka, of caring for the poor and hungry.”

Two years ago Levine spent several hours in a wheelchair accompanying a wheelchair-bound resident through municipal buildings, including the police station and library, to learn about obstacles faced by the handicapped.

“We checked out where curb cuts or automatic doors were needed or where phones were too high,” he said. “It was a real eye-opener for me. We made changes based on that experience. A lot of them were just minor, but it was all about helping people to help themselves, and it let me know what needed to be done.”

Levine grew up in Edison and is a graduate of J.P. Stevens High School. His wife’s family is well known in the central New Jersey kosher catering business. Her grandmother, Min Goldblatt, was founder of Min Goldblatt & Sons in Linden.

Levine has a website, www.brianlevineforgov.com.

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