Delia & Branch

Meet your candidates

Council President

Jason Delia

Jason Delia was sworn-in as a member of the Metuchen Borough Council in 2019 and re-elected for a second term in 2021. Since 2022 he has had the honor of being selected by his colleagues on the Council to serve as Borough Council President.

During his time on the Council, President Delia has been an ardent advocate for improving safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and micro mobility users. He, along with the Mayor and Council, successfully led an effort to reduce the speed limits on the State and County roads within the Borough to 25 mph. He has worked directly with Middlesex County on upcoming safety improvements along Main St that will add curb bumpouts at numerous intersections, improve traffic signalization, add crossing signals, and create a leading pedestrian interval phase at the busiest pedestrian intersection downtown. Council President Delia is looking forward to Metuchen soon installing its first bike lane, which he helped to plan and to secure funding.

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Councilmember

Joel Branch

Dr. Joel W. Branch moved to Metuchen with his family in 2019 and was elected to the Borough Council in 2021. Dr. Branch enjoys strengthening borough connectedness via diverse enrichment activities and government transparency.

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The Issues You Care About

Strengthening Metuchen’s
Character, Livability, & Sustainability

Transforming the Gulton Property

30+ acres of open space
Thousands of trees planted

Improving Recreational Facilities

Myrtle Field - Edgar Field

Investing in Our Downtown
The Core of Our Community

2023 Great American Main Street
Award Winner

Continuing to Move Metuchen Forward

Future Thomas Mundy Peterson Park

Generously donated by Manasquan Bank

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Delia and Branch for Council

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Contact Us

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deliaandbranchformetuchen@gmail.com

Jason Delia

Council President Delia is a member of the Executive Board of the Metuchen Downtown Alliance which in 2023 was awarded the Great American Main Street Award by Main Street America. This was in part due to the Borough’s support of businesses during the pandemic, an effort spearheaded by President Delia. By the time non-essential businesses were allowed to reopen in June of 2020, Metuchen had already loosened restrictions on sidewalk cafes, opened public space for outdoor dining and shopping, and allocated public space for curbside pickup. Metuchen’s downtown not only survived COVID, but it is thriving with more businesses now than were here pre-pandemic.

His passion extends beyond the Borough’s borders. When a Borough resident was tragically struck and killed on his bike in 2020, Council President Delia worked closely with the advocates at the Vision Zero New Jersey Alliance to urge the State legislature to enact what would become the NJ Safe Passing Law. With sponsorship from his 18th District representatives; Senator Diegnan, Assemblyman Karbinchak and Assemblymen Stanley, the bill was pushed forward through the Statehouse and signed by the Governor in August 2021.

Council President Delia’s contributions have not gone unnoticed throughout the state. In 2023 Delia was honored to be selected by Middlesex County as the first recipient of the George Ververides Outstanding Community Leadership Award. Along with the award, the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly passed a joint resolution to thank him for the “immeasurable contributions he has made to improve traffic, pedestrian, and bicycle safety” and paid tribute to his “meritorious record of service, leadership, and commitment to his fellow citizens”. The resolution referred to him as “a tireless advocate for traffic and pedestrian safety in Middlesex County and beyond” and said that “the people of New Jersey are genuinely indebted to public-spirited individuals, exemplified by Jason Delia, who dedicate their time and energies and utilize their unique talents to strengthen their communities and enrich the quality of life for their neighbors”.

Council President Delia has been asked to share his experience at multiple conferences including at the annual New Jersey League of Municipalities conference as well as the Main Street Now conference two years in a row. He has contributed his expertise as a panelist, on radio programs, on podcasts, and has provided guidance to other municipal officials and advocates throughout the state.

President Delia currently sits on the Metuchen Planning Board, is liaison to the Metuchen Traffic & Transportation Committee, the Metuchen Board of Education, the Finance Committee and formerly the Metuchen TV & Technology Committee and Accessibility Committee. Since moving to Metuchen in 2011 he has spent countless hours volunteering in the community. Delia has held various roles in town soccer and baseball; he designed and maintained the Farmers Market web presence; and he founded CoderDojo Metuchen, an organization aimed at educating youth on the foundations of computer programming.

Professionally, Delia is a Senior Director of Engineering at a technology startup. He received his Master of Business Administration degree from New York Institute of Technology, and his bachelor’s degree from Seton Hall University. He and his wife, Courtney, have one son.

Joel Branch

He has helped plan multiple activities, such as the borough’s Juneteenth celebrations, which expand Metuchen’s welcoming and inclusive spirit for residents and visitors. In 2023, such contributions helped the Metuchen Downtown Alliance win the Great American Main Street Award. He has also supported residents’ desires for more social green spaces by helping plan the borough’s Thomas Peterson Park on Main St., which will be the first prominent memorial for the borough’s most famous resident, the first African-American to cast a vote in American History. Dr. Branch is also deeply involved in improving borough communications with residents. He has collaborated with council members and borough administrators to deploy the mobile app Simplicity for simplifying the broadcast of various borough events and alerts. Furthermore, he is leading efforts to modernize the design, accessibility, and utility of the town’s official website.

Joel also enjoys partnering with others to enhance the lifestyle of residents and strengthen the borough’s organization as a whole. He’s collaborated on investigating the feasibility of community composting and educating residents about sustainability. He’s also helping strengthen the coordination between borough administration and committees, councils, and commissions for better planning and smarter use of community resources. Last but not least, Joel still enjoys volunteering throughout the community and helping residents enjoy life.

Joel has a deep professional background in the technology industry, currently specializing in artificial intelligence. He is also a published computer science researcher, contributing innovation to wireless networking, enterprise application management, and data analytics. Beyond his technical work, Joel is dedicated to diversifying the field of computing. Joel enjoys drawing from his experiences in industry and volunteerism to analyze problems from multiple perspectives and help foster creative solutions using unique insights from diverse teams. He is a believer in the potential of local communities to help improve various facets of society on a larger scale. Joel received his B.S. in Computer Science from Howard University and his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

For Metuchen

Meet your candidates

Council President

Jason Delia

Councilmember

Joel Branch

The Issues You Care About

Strengthening Metuchen’s
Character, Livability, & Sustainability

Transforming the Gulton Property

Traffic Calming and Pedestrian Safety

Improving Recreational Facilities

Investing in Our Downtown
The Core of Our Community

Community Events

2023 Great American Main Street
Award Winner

Small Business Friendly Approach

Continuing to Move Metuchen Forward

Arts District Redevelopment Plan

Forum Theater Preservation

Future Thomas Mundy Peterson Park

New Emergency Services Center

How to Get Involved

Donate

Host a Sign

Get Social

Contact Us

Council President

Jason Delia

Councilmember

Joel Branch

Delia & Branch

For Metuchen

Meet your candidates

Council President

Jason Delia

Councilmember

Joel Branch

The Issues You Care About

Strengthening Metuchen’sCharacter, Livability, & Sustainability

Transforming the Gulton Property

Traffic Calming and Pedestrian Safety

Improving Recreational Facilities

Investing in Our DowntownThe Core of Our Community

Community Events

2023 Great American Main StreetAward Winner

Small Business Friendly Approach

Continuing to Move Metuchen Forward

Arts District Redevelopment Plan

Forum Theater Preservation

Future Thomas Mundy Peterson Park

New Emergency Services Center

How to Get Involved

Donate

Host a Sign

Get Social

Contact Us

Strengthening Metuchen’s
Character, Livability, & Sustainability

Investing in Our Downtown
The Core of Our Community

2023 Great American Main Street
Award Winner