Lawrence Republicans Select Town Council Candidates

Lawrence Township Republicans have announced that Kyle Collins, Colette Coolbaugh, and Falk Engel will form the Republican slate in the township council election to be held this November.

Three council seats are up for grabs in the election. Last month, and announced they would not seek reelection. Bostock is currently the only Republican on the five-person council.

Incumbent Councilman Michael S. Powers and newcomers Cathleen M. Lewis and David Carl Maffei are the .

“Lawrence Township faces significant fiscal and community challenges. The Republican team offers Lawrence residents real solutions to the challenges facing the Township and its taxpayers,” Lawrence Township Republican Municipal Committee Chair Kim Taylor said in a news release announcing the group’s endorsement of the Republican candidates.

Holding a bachelor’s degree in political science from Rider University, Collins works in the human resources department of Firmenich Inc. and serves as a volunteer firefighter with Lawrence Township’s Lawrence Road Fire Co. During his time at Rider, Collins was active with the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics; served as both president and vice president of the Rider University Republican organization; and interned at Firmenich and the New Jersey State House, as well as with state Sen. Bill Baroni.

In 2008 Collins was appointed by township council to the township’s Public Safety Committee, a post he still holds. He submitted a resolution that was subsequently approved by the committee supporting the strengthening of New Jersey laws against child predators. He has served as a mentor to youth with Catholic Charities of Trenton. Recently elected chair of the Mercer County Young Republicans, Collins is now a member of the executive board of the Mercer County Republican Committee.

“With a demonstrated track record of community involvement and experience as a volunteer on a number of local, regional, and state political campaigns, Kyle Collins in ready to serve the public with a passion to continuously improve quality of life for the citizens of Lawrence,” Taylor said.

Coolbaugh, a township resident for nearly 30 years, previously served as director of the New Jersey Supreme Court’s Office of Attorney Ethics. As a 2006 candidate for Mercer County Surrogate, Coolbaugh spoke out against government inefficiencies and set forth proposals for reducing operational costs at the county level. 

She has served on the Lawrence Historical Society where she helped lead efforts to restore the Brearley House; the township’s Historical Preservation Advisory Committee; and the former Cultural and Heritage Advisory Committee.  In addition, she previously served as chair of the Lawrence Township Board of Adjustment and is a former president of the Women Lawyers Association of New Jersey.

“Throughout her career and community involvement, attorney Colette Coolbaugh has been unwavering in advocating for greater community participation in local government, enhanced efficiencies and integrity in public service, and the preservation of quality of life for all community residents,” Taylor said.

Engel, a lifelong resident of the township, is a graduate of Lawrence High School, Columbia University, and Rutgers School of Law.  An attorney in private practice who specializes in constitutional law and serves as an adjunct professor at Rutgers University, Engel ran a competitive campaign for township council in 2007 and subsequently served on the Lawrence Township Planning Board. 

In announcing his 2011 candidacy for council, Engel said, “I believe the people of Lawrence Township are ready to seize the future and claim it as their own.  We are ready to elect a government that will be very different from what we have now; we are ready to elect a government whose voice and values speak as one with the hearts and aspirations of the people who call it their own.”

“The 2011 team offers Lawrence voters council candidates who are well-qualified and not just nice people,” Taylor said. “This team knows what voters expect and deserve from elected officials.  This Republican team is not only about strengthening Lawrence Township today but ensuring a future Lawrence Township that honors the township’s rich past and promises a future characterized by leadership, sustainability, and fiscal stability.  This year Lawrence voters have real options and this team has real solutions.”