Mayor
Jonathan M. Busch
Described by The Metuchen Mirror as “a man on a
mission,” Jonathan M. Busch was sworn-in as the 36th
Mayor of the Borough of Metuchen on December 18, 2017
and was twice re-elected in 2018 and 2019.
During his time in office, Mayor Busch has worked to
maintain the character and livability of the Borough.
Over this period, Metuchen has consistently ranked as
one of the most livable places in New Jersey. Its
picturesque downtown was recently recognized for its
extraordinary transformation which led to the Metuchen
Downtown Alliance’s receipt of the 2023 “Great
American Main Street Award,” defining it as one of the
best downtowns in the nation.
Since taking office, Mayor Busch has repeatedly
emphasized the importance of fiscal responsibility
which was recently recognized by Moody’s Investor
Service, which expressed extraordinary confidence in
the Borough’s financial status by upgrading its bond
rating. He has shown what smart, practical and
locally-minded leadership can do for a community with
big ideas.
Enhancing Infrastructure
Under his leadership, the Borough has made sweeping
investments in infrastructure and has secured millions
of dollars in Federal, State and County grants for
numerous projects. For example, Mayor Busch has led
the Borough’s efforts to construct a new emergency
services center. He has overseen the Borough’s
adoption of a series of shared services agreements
with other public entities to significantly upgrade
our emergency dispatch service and construct a new
sewer pump station, among other things. Additionally,
he has initiated and overseen a series of actions
designed to address Metuchen’s aging roads, upgrade
every street marker sign in the Borough, replace
downtown parking meters, remove and replace dangerous
trees, and create a new signage and wayfinding system.
During Mayor Busch’s time in office, the Borough has
paved over 18 miles of Borough roads.
Improving Parks and Recreation
Mayor Busch has advocated for and completed
significant upgrades to Metuchen’s parks and
recreation spaces. He worked to solicit the input of
hundreds of residents as they sought to establish a
Borough-wide vision plan for active and passive
recreation, which charted the course for improvements
over the next few years. Under Mayor Busch, the
Borough has made substantial investments in Myrtle
Park and Kentnor Park, among others. Additionally,
plans are well underway to establish the most
expansive recreation space in the Borough, consisting
of 30 plus acres for residents to walk, hike, bike,
and stroll in the Peter J. Barnes III Wildlife
Preserve. Also, with the help of a $2 million State
grant, the Borough is in the process of transforming
Edgar Field which will transform it from a crucial,
yet underutilized space, into a recreational hub that
will significantly enhance its surrounding
neighborhood.
Prioritizing Pedestrians
Mayor Busch has taken significant steps to prioritize
pedestrian, accessibility and bicycle-friendly
infrastructure. For example, he helped lower the speed
limit to 25 miles per hour on nearly every Borough
street, installed new sidewalks on Main Street and he
is overseeing the creation of the Borough’s first-ever
bike lane on Grove Avenue.
Mayor Busch helped direct the establishment of a new
Metuchen Police Department bicycle unit to assist with
traffic enforcement while enhancing community
interaction. He has ensured the placement of new
traffic signs, signals and crosswalks throughout
Metuchen and he has worked to create additional
downtown parking spots for individuals with
disabilities.
Emphasizing the Arts
Mayor Busch continues to emphasize the importance of
maintaining a vibrant arts community in the Borough
and has enhanced the visibility of arts programming
throughout the Borough. Of specific note, he led
Borough efforts to acquire the historic Forum Theatre
to ensure that it remains a theatre and eventually
serves as the cornerstone for the development of a
Metuchen Arts District on the southern end of Main
Street.
Protecting Our Community
Mayor Busch has been locally responsive to a series of
national and regional issues. In 2018, when a resident
was detained by immigration officials after driving
his children to school, he worked closely with
community leaders and public officials to help lead
the Metuchen community in support of the detained
resident and his family.
Later that year, after a series of national tragedies
involving gun violence in schools and houses of
worship throughout the country, Mayor Busch again
joined with community leaders and public officials to
call for an end to gun violence with rallies in the
Borough which engaged thousands of residents in
collective efforts.
In response to the extended 2018-19 federal government
shutdown, Mayor Busch helped initiate “It Takes a
Borough,” a program designed to support federal
employees from Metuchen who were not being paid by
their employers. The program offered federal workers
with everything from food for those in need and
discounts on local products, to free lunches for
children of federal workers through the School
District’s food service provider. He explained that
the program was designed “to serve as many of our
community members as possible and maybe in the process
establish a model for other communities across the
state and nation.” This program has continued to serve
as an outlet for neighbors to support one another
during times of crises.
When the COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak throughout
most of 2020 and 2021 and the Borough faced one of its
most difficult periods, Mayor Busch led a series of
initiatives designed to help guide residents through
the health crisis and ensure the long-term economic
viability for both the Borough and its small
businesses. On the eve of the shutdown, he explained
that, “[t]he scope of this outbreak and the impact
that it is having on all aspects of our lives is
overwhelming. During an extraordinary time like this,
it is especially important that we show one another
respect and compassion. Ultimately, this is how we
will persevere. We are all in this together; we are
#OneMetuchen.”
In response to the death of George Floyd in
Minneapolis in 2021, Mayor Busch established a Borough
Equity Commission to help guide the Metuchen Police
Department with its policies and use of force
procedures. Later that year, when Middlesex Water
announced that a chemical in its drinking water
exceeded acceptable levels, Mayor Busch led a group of
Mayors from nearby towns to file a lawsuit against the
utility resulting in Middlesex Water’s elimination of
the contaminated water source for all of our
respective communities.
Increasing Transparency
Mayor Busch regularly regularly meets with Borough
residents as part of his initiative to open Borough
government and enhance transparency. He has emphasized
greater communication between the Borough and its
residents by, among other things, significantly
upgrading the Borough’s social media presence and
establishing Metuchen Media “to reflect the way
residents now receive information.” Metuchen Media now
streams all Borough Council meetings and a variety of
other informational videos on multiple platforms,
including Facebook Live, YouTube, local television
channel 15, and on the Borough’s website.
Mayor Busch is a nationally recognized education law
attorney who has spent his career serving public
entities which has resulted in him being closely
familiar with issues facing local governments in New
Jersey. He founded The Busch Law Group LLC on Main
Street in Metuchen in 2014, which is now one of the
largest employers in the Borough, and represents
school boards in 18 of New Jersey’s 21 counties.
Mayor Busch is an active volunteer for and is a member
of numerous community organizations throughout the
Borough, including Metuchen Baseball and Softball, the
Metuchen Downtown Alliance, Metuchen Floor Hockey, the
Borough Improvement League, the Metuchen-Edison
Historical Society, and the Woodwild Park Association.
Mayor Busch received his law degree from Rutgers
University, his master’s degree from Columbia
University, and his bachelor’s degree from University
of Maryland. He and his wife, Kathy, have three boys.
