Republican congressional candidate Joe Hathaway says his campaign for New Jersey’s 11th District is rooted in a simple idea: bring a mayor’s mindset to Washington.
Hathaway, the former mayor of Randolph, said his experience in local government has shaped his approach to politics, focusing less on ideology and more on solving everyday problems for residents.
“When you serve at the local level, particularly as a mayor, politics goes out the window pretty quick,” Hathaway said in an interview with The Setonian. “It’s about what [you can] do for residents. Are we paving our roads? Are our police keeping our communities safe?”
Hathaway said that mindset is what he believes is missing in Congress, where he argues partisan divisions often prevent progress.
“I believe that Congress doesn’t lead by sending people to Washington who care more about their political ideology than anything else,” Hathaway said.“When you send people down who stand in their corners shouting at the top of their lungs, nothing gets done.”
For Congress to lead, it’s not about politics at all to Hathaway. It’s about being willing to work with people who don’t agree with your brand of politics, but that you can sit across from and say, ‘Listen, you’re not going to agree on my everything, and I’m not going to agree on everything, but we are down here representing the people of our district, and we have a job to do.’”
Before launching his congressional campaign, Hathaway served on the Randolph Township Council and was later elected mayor. During his time in local office, he said he focused on improving infrastructure, strengthening public safety and maintaining fiscal responsibility.
“One of the things I’m really proud of is how we were able to, in a bipartisan manner with Governor Murphy and his administration, bring long overdue safety improvements to Route 10,” Hathaway said. “Route 10 is really our main corridor in Randolph.”
Hathaway also noted efforts to increase staffing in the township’s police department, which had been understaffed for years.
“During my term, we were able to bring on five new police officers and right-size our police department,” he said. “Public safety is very important to all of our communities, so that was a big success.”
Those experiences in Randolph, Hathaway said, shaped his decision to launch a congressional campaign.
“We have to do everything we can to make our community a better place for our children and for the next generation,” he said.
That mindset now drives Hathaway’s congressional platform, which focuses on affordability, infrastructure and expanding workforce opportunities for young people.
Hathaway suggested a tax freeze for first-time homebuyers, which he said could help make homeownership more accessible in a state where housing costs continue to rise.
“Students that are graduating college shouldn’t have to wait 20 years to buy a house,” he said.
Hathaway also proposed capping federal student loan interest rates to prevent borrowers from paying what he described as “crazy interest rates” for decades after graduating.
“We can cap those student loan interest rates,” he said. “Make sure they’re not going above inflation, not driving northwards to a point where it becomes unaffordable for people to pay for anything else because they’re just paying off student loan interest.”
In addition to changes in higher education financing, Hathaway said he supports increased investment in vocational and trade programs. He pointed to programs at the County College of Morris as examples of pathways that allow students to gain workforce skills without accumulating significant debt.
“People are graduating sometimes much sooner than traditional four-year students with a more tangible skill set and are able to immediately get hired,” Hathaway said. “We need to be investing more federal dollars into vocational training.”
Beyond these educational avenues, Hathaway said infrastructure plays a key role in supporting the workforce.
Infrastructure is another priority for Hathaway, as the 11th District includes many commuters who rely on rail service into New York City.
“We need to support our rail commuters,” he said. “I’ve been promoting things like more one-seat ride options in and out of New York so people don’t have to waste time transferring and being slowed down.”
Hathaway also pointed to the Gateway Hudson Tunnel project, which includes constructing a two-tube tunnel between North Bergen, N.J., and Penn Station in New York, and repairing the existing North River Tunnel.
The project has been a point of contention between New Jersey officials and President Donald Trump. In September, Trump froze federal funding for the tunnel, though the funds were released in February.
“The political games [President Trump’s] been playing with the Gateway Tunnel is unacceptable,” Hathaway said. “It’s too many jobs right now. It’s too many commuters that need to get in and out of the city.”
Just as Hathaway focuses on reducing strain for commuters and improving local infrastructure, he is concerned about federal projects that could overwhelm towns in NJ-11, like the proposed ICE detention center in Roxbury.
“I oppose the recent acquisition of warehouse property in Roxbury Township by the Department of Homeland Security for use as an ICE detention center,” Hathaway said. “As a neighbor to multiple NJ-11 municipalities, the impact of this decision in Roxbury extends into our district and leaves many NJ-11 families and residents concerned.”
Drawing on his experience as a mayor, Hathaway said he understands the strain that large facilities can place on small communities.
“I know Roxbury deals with many of the same infrastructure and resource issues as towns like my own, and a facility of this magnitude will create unsustainable strain on our local water supply, sewer capacity, roads, and first responders,” he said.
While emphasizing the need to keep communities safe, Hathaway said federal agencies must also consider local realities.
“Make no mistake, we need to get illegal criminals off our streets, but we also need to work with our local partners to make sure we’re doing right by our communities and American citizens,” he said. “In this case, DHS failed to consider the real-life implications of this center, and I will always fight for practical solutions that put NJ-11 first.”
Running as a Republican in a state widely considered Democratic, Hathaway said his campaign is focused on appealing to voters across the political spectrum.
“We’ve built this campaign on common sense, practical solutions and on independent leadership,” he said. “That is the kind of leader that I believe voters want to send down to Washington.”
He said he hopes bringing a local-government perspective to Congress will help lawmakers focus more on the everyday issues affecting residents.
“If we have a representative who knows [local issues] and knows how to help local leaders and make things better on the ground,” Hathaway said, “boy, wouldn’t we be able to see so much more getting done in our communities.”
Disclaimer: The Setonian also sought an interview with Democratic candidate Analilia Mejia for a companion profile. Due to scheduling conflicts, an interview could not be arranged.
Megan Pitt is the head editor of The Setonian’s News section. She can be reached at megan.pitt@student.shu.edu.
