From the campaign for Karen Hartshorn Hilton, Bill Haskins, and Bobby Brown:
DRIVEN, DEVOTED & DEPENDABLE
Proud South Orange residents and civic leaders, Karen Hartshorn Hilton, Bill Haskins, and Bobby Brown have teamed up to run for the South Orange Board of Trustees. The election for the Local governing Board of Trustees will be held on May 11th, 2021.
Aligned in their commitment to community service and their strong family values, the team has chosen to combine efforts for a better South Orange. The trio offers a diverse roster of professional experience, covering government, non-profit, project management, real estate, law, sports, and finance. As parents of children ranging from Elementary through High School, they are uniquely invested in the betterment of the SOMA School District for kids of all ages and backgrounds.
Hilton, Haskins, and Brown will continue to work diligently in their roles on the Board of Trustees, Environmental Commission, and Community Police Collaborative. Looking forward, they will continue to build on their work to innovate and bolster our local library, encourage and exercise fiscal discipline in regards to Village finances, foster and advance equity within our community’s race relations, and rectify and protect our green infrastructure and open spaces.
They ask residents to support their efforts to make South Orange a SMARTER, GREENER, and MORE UNITED place to live and to thrive. And most importantly, to vote for SO 2021: HILTON, HASKINS, BROWN on May 11th, 2021.
They are joined by a campaign team of experienced and dedicated South Orange residents that includes Patricia Canning as Campaign Manager, Chris Sabin as Campaign Treasurer and Linda Beck as Communications Director.
Karen Hartshorn Hilton, Bill Haskins and Braynard ‘Bobby’ Brown have teamed up to run for the South Orange Village Board of Trustees.
About the Candidates:
Karen Hartshorn Hilton has worked her entire adult life to make communities stronger, both as a professional in the government and nonprofit spheres, and as a community volunteer and leader. She is a South Orange Village Trustee, currently seeking a second term.
As a Trustee, Karen currently chairs the Finance Committee and serves on the Recreation and Public Works Committee. She is liaison to the Public Library, the Senior Citizen Advisory Committee and the Citizens Budget Advisory Committee. Karen also is a member of the Management Committee of the SOMA Two Towns for All Ages and assists on issues related to the environment, historic preservation and recycling. She previously Chaired the Recreation Committee and served as liaison to the Historic Preservation Commission and the Arts Advisory Committee.
Karen co-founded the Foundation for the South Orange Public Library to enhance the library experience for all patrons. Karen has a masters Degree in Public Administration and has worked for numerous government agencies in MA and non-profits in the NY/NJ area. Karen received the SO Rotary Club’s Service above Self award and was awarded the Villager of the Month award. Karen is a long-time volunteer and leader with several Junior League branches where she trained women to be effective volunteers in their communities and provided direct service and fundraising leadership to enhance countless lives of women and children. Karen was an active volunteer in the Marshall and Jefferson elementary schools in South Orange and served as president of the Home and School Association of South Orange Middle School.
She and her husband Jim have lived in South Orange for 25 years and have been married for 28 years. Together they have raised four marvelous children in South Orange.
Karen Hartshorn Hilton is currently running for a second term for Village Trustee in South Orange where she hopes to apply her knowledge of and experience with organizational leadership to village governance and affairs.
“Serving as a Trustee has been the job of a lifetime, and I am looking forward to running with the experienced and wise team of Bill Haskins and Bobby Brown. The three of us will work collaboratively to further enhance the effective and efficient governing of South Orange Village” says Trustee Hilton.
Bill Haskins has been the Chair of the South Orange Environmental Commission and Green Team for the past 3 years leading a diverse and talented group working on a wide variety of environmental issues and projects in South Orange. He is very proud of the team’s work on South Orange’s Reusable Bag Ordinance, our Street and Park Tree Inventory, and writing, winning, and executing numerous grant projects.
Bill and the Green Team have developed a long-standing collaboration with Seton Hall, working on the South Orange Tree Inventory, invasive plant removal and clean ups. He’s always looking for ways to connect “Town and Gown” and involve the Pirates in civic service.
He has also volunteered to help many other New Jersey environmental groups including South Mountain Conservancy, SOMA Action Climate, 350NJ, and Friends of the Great Swamp to name a few.
Bill and Molly moved from Manhattan to South Orange 15 years ago seeking trees and open space. Bill commutes to NYC working as a Project Manager on bespoke renovations of historic townhouses and park-view penthouses. Their daughter, Abby, is a sophomore at Columbia High School. They happily live in Academy Heights, but you’ll often find Bill in South Orange’s parks; planting trees with the Green Team, looking for the 122nd unique species of bird at Waterlands, meeting friends at Floods Hill for a run, or just reading Walden by our pond.
“As Trustee, I will work to put environmental stewardship on the agenda and bring an environmental ethic to every issue,” says Bill Haskins.
Braynard “Bobby” Brown has been a proud resident of South Orange, NJ, since 2008.
While Bobby is a lawyer, finance professional, and former college and NFL football player, he prides himself most on being a proud father to his two sons (10 and 8 years old). Bobby is currently the committee chairperson of the South Orange Community Police Collaborative, which advises the South Orange Village Board of Trustees on matters relating to its oversight of the South Orange Police Department. Bobby also coaches youth sports and mentors young student-athletes locally at the South Mountain YMCA. Raised by an educator, Bobby uses the lessons his mom taught him to challenge his own sons and the student-athletes he mentors to build bridges of opportunity through their scholastic excellence. Bobby is running for office in hopes to influence South Orange in ways that will make it a healthy, vibrant, and equitable place to live for our current residents, our kids, and our kids’ kids.
“As Trustee, I will lead South Orange in a direction that will make it a healthier, more vibrant and more equitable place for us all,” says Bobby Brown.
More information about this campaign can be found at www.HHBSO2021.com. And on Instagram and Facebook at @HHBSO2021.
