<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0h7125_1H1oZM7I00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0h7125_1H1oZM7I00" width="896" height="670" ><figcaption>Bridgewater Councilman Filipe Pedroso. (Photo: Filipe Pedroso).</figcaption></figure>Former Bridgewater Councilman Filipe Pedroso will challenge Mayor Matthew Moench in next year’s Republican primary, setting up a contest between two longtime political allies who have become adversaries.Pedroso, who served on the Township Council from 2012 through 2025, accused Moench of abandoning Republican principles of fiscal conservatism, citing a 42% increase in the municipal tax levy, rising sewer bills, increased debt, and overdevelopment.“Bridgewater cannot afford another four years on the same path,” Pedroso said. “Families, seniors and local businesses are feeling the pressure. The answer cannot always be another tax increase, another fee increase or another layer of government. We need to examine spending, make hard choices and protect the services people rely on.”Pedroso, who twice supported Moench for mayor, has dubbed the incumbent “Tax King Mayor Moench,” a reference to what he says are unprecedented municipal tax increases.“No mayor in Bridgewater’s history has raised municipal taxes so much in such a short period,” Pedroso said. “Being a Republican should mean something.”Moench responded with a blistering attack on Pedroso’s record.“After fourteen years on the Township Council, Filipe should be asking residents for forgiveness, not asking for their vote,” Moench said. “Filipe opposed rebuilding our roads and infrastructure, voted against protecting women and fighting human trafficking, supported spending cuts which would have resulted in reductions to our police and public safety, and made our community less safe.”The mayor also questioned Pedroso’s participation in municipal budget deliberations.“Filipe failed to participate in the budget process and offered gimmicks, not solutions to the financial difficulties facing all municipalities during and after Covid,” Moench said. “Instead, Filipe spent time giving vanity speeches and creating campaign propaganda as opposed to principled, thoughtful leadership.”Moench suggested that Pedroso’s political ambitions had overtaken his commitment to public service.“Honesty and integrity matter and no elected office is worth selling one’s soul to obtain,” Moench said. “If Filipe wants to put his record up to the public for scrutiny, he’s welcome to do that. However, I have no doubt that the voters are not going to like it when they learn exactly who he is and what he really stands for.”Moench has some experience with Republican primaries. In 2019, as council president, he ousted incumbent Mayor Dan Hayes by a 63%-37% margin despite running off the Somerset County Republican organization line. Moench had the endorsement of the local Republican municipal committee, while Hayes had the backing of county GOP leaders.Moench went on to win the general election by seventeen points. Four years later, Hayes, who had switched parties, challenged Moench as a Democrat and lost, 56%-44%.A potentially divisive Republican primary comes as Bridgewater, once a major Republican stronghold in Somerset County, has been moving toward the Democrats.In 2025, Democrats flipped three seats on the Township Council, taking control of a governing body that had been entirely Republican, 5-0. In that year’s gubernatorial election, Democrat Mikie Sherrill carried Bridgewater by twelve percentage points over Republican Jack Ciattarelli, himself a former Somerset County assemblyman.The Democratic gains extended to federal elections. Kamala Harris carried Bridgewater by five points over Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. Last week, Democrat Rebecca Bennett defeated Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. by 37 points in the township, while the combined margin for Bennett and Democratic Rep.-elect Adam Hamawy, who won the portion of Bridgewater in the 12th congressional district, was 26 points.The results underscore the political challenges facing Republicans in a municipality that was once among the party’s most reliable vote-producing communities in Somerset County.The mayor has recently taken an aggressive stand against data centers, threatening prolonged litigation to prevent Treetop Companies from building an artificial intelligence facility at 1200 Route 22.“If necessary, we will spend the next four years making sure that a shovel is never put in the ground at 1200 Route 22 for a warehouse or a data center,” Moench said last month.The dispute follows a township ordinance restricting data centers and an earlier legal battle over warehouse development at the same property.Pedroso, meanwhile, has made development a central issue in his campaign, arguing that the Moench administration has advanced more than 700 high-density housing units that threaten Bridgewater’s character.“I will always fight against overdevelopment and protect Bridgewater’s quality of life,” Pedroso said.He also pledged to reduce municipal spending, eliminate the Office of Constituent Relations, lower sewer bills and pursue refunds for residents who he says have been overcharged.“I know Bridgewater’s government, I know how to scrutinize a budget, and I have worked with residents to solve difficult problems,” Pedroso said. “I am running because I love this town and want future generations to enjoy the same opportunity, affordability, and quality of life that brought my family here. Together, we can make Bridgewater better.”A Bridgewater resident since 1978, Pedroso is an attorney and entrepreneur who founded Preserve Bridgewater, a grassroots organization that opposed a proposed development containing nearly 400 apartments.He previously served on the township’s Zoning Board of Adjustment and chaired the Somerset Regional Animal Shelter, where he says he helped eliminate approximately $230,000 in debt and build reserves exceeding $700,000.</div></body>

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Former Bridgewater Councilman Filipe Pedroso will challenge Mayor Matthew Moench in next year’s Republican primary, setting up a contest between two longtime political allies who have become adversaries. Pedroso, who served on the Township Council from 2012 through 2025, accused Moench of abandoning Republican principles of fiscal conservatism, citing...

Pedroso challenges Moench for Bridgewater mayor in GOP primary

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Former Bridgewater Councilman Filipe Pedroso will challenge Mayor Matthew Moench in next year’s Republican primary, setting up a contest between two longti

Pedroso challenges Moench for Bridgewater mayor in GOP primary

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