His administration has launched “Operation Smooth Asphalt,” a data-driven program that repaved 22 miles of local roads last year—a visible win for suburbanites. But he’s also pushed through a controversial zoning change allowing “missing middle” housing (duplexes and townhomes) near the Trenton border, angering some residents who fear density.
“This town was built by General Electric, by Roebling Steel, by GM,” he says. “Those companies left. But the people didn’t. My job isn’t to bring back 1955. It’s to build 2035.” ewing nj mayor
One is the : tree-lined streets in Hillcrest, the historic village of Wilburtha, the sprawling campus of The College of New Jersey (TCNJ). It’s a bedroom community for state workers commuting to Trenton and Philly professionals looking for good schools and lower taxes. “Those companies left
Steinmann doesn’t pound a gavel. Instead, he pulls out a whiteboard and draws a pie chart showing the cost of a sharpshooter program versus a contraceptive dart program. He cites data from Rutgers. It’s to build 2035
“He doesn’t have the charisma of a Christie or the fire of a Fulop,” says Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics. “But in a small town like Ewing, charisma fades. Competence doesn’t. He’s turning Ewing from a pass-through town into a destination.” Steinmann is running for a full third term next year (Ewing operates under a non-partisan municipal election system, though he is affiliated with Democrats). His likely opponent? A Republican small-business owner who claims Steinmann is “soft on crime” following a string of car thefts.