Meet Our Candidates
Shanel Robinson
BIOGRAPHY: Veteran, U.S. Air Force Reserves, Avionics Specialist; three children, three grandchildren. Professional: Assistant Borough Administrator, Roselle, NJ. Education: Bachelor of Arts, Labor Studies and Employee Relations, Rutgers University-New Brunswick; Minister of Dance-School of Dance (Theology), Eagles International Training Institute, Frisco, Texas; attended Southern University A&M College, inducted into Sigma Pi Sigma (Physics Honor Society).
COMMISSIONER RESPONSIBILITIES: Ex officio to all county departments and divisions and liaison to Constitutional Officers, Courts and Criminal Justice. Liaison to Finance & Administrative Services – Human Resources, Weights & Measures, Adjuster, Finance, Information Technology (I.T.), Telephone Services, Purchasing and Records Management.
LIAISON: Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Local Advisory Council, Business Partnership, Board of Social Services (alternate), County Alliance Steering Subcommittee, Cultural Diversity Coalition, E-Newsletter, Healthier Somerset (alternate), Health Insurance Commission (alternate), Homelessness Trust Fund, Joint Insurance Fund, Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (alternate), Library Commission, Mayors Roundtable/Shared Services Coordinating Council, New Jersey Association of Counties (voting member), Office of the Prosecutor, Planning Board, Somerset County Improvement Authority, Superintendent of Schools, Vocational Board of School Estimate, Workforce Development Board (alternate), Youth Services Commission.
PUBLIC SERVICE: Somerset County Board of County Commissioners, Member, January 4, 2019-present; Franklin Township Council, Member, 2015-2018, Deputy Mayor, 2018; Franklin Township Financial Oversight Committee, Hamilton Street Business Advisory Committee, Housing Authority, Fire Prevention Committee, Public Safety Committee, I.T. Steering Committee and Fire Chiefs Committee, Former Member/Council Liaison; Puerto Rican Action Board, Vice Chair.
AFFILIATIONS & COMMUNITY SERVICE: 2022 New Jersey Association of Counties, 2nd Vice President; State Planning Commission, Member; JFK Democratic Club, Franklin Township, President; Somerset County Democratic Black Caucus, Chair; Municipal Democratic Committee, Recording Secretary; Franklin Township Crisis Response Team, Lead; Municipal Ethics Board, Franklin Township, Member; Community for Change, Media & Communications Director; Franklin Warrior Parents Club, President; Franklin Track Club, Business Manager; Franklin Pop Warner Cheer, Head Coach; Cedar Hill Preparatory School, Board Member; United States Air Force Reserves, Avionics Specialist (Flight Leader); Mt. Zion AME Church, Missionary and Dance Ministry Director; and North Stelton AME Church, Children’s Choir Director, Children’s Dance Ministry Co-Director and Former Corresponding Secretary.
AWARDS/RECOGNITION: Named to InsiderNJ.com’s 2019 African American Political Power List; Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award, First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens, 2019; New Brunswick Area NAACP Political Action Award, 2018; Hidden Physicist (featured in Radiations magazine), Fall 2015; Community Service Award, Remarkable Women Awards, 2014; Eleanor Roosevelt Award, Somerset County Federation of Democratic Women, 2012; Excellence Award, Leadership Development Team, Saint Peter’s Healthcare System, 2010; Appreciation Award, Franklin Warriors Parents Club, 2008-2011; Diamond Award, NJ Conference Women Missionary Society, 2019; Service Award for Global Impact, P.E.A.R.L.S., Inc., 2019; Public Service Award, New Jersey Federation of Democratic Women, 2019; Perth Amboy NAACP Military Service Award, 2019; Business Woman of the Year Finalist, BWNICE Somerset Chapter, 2019; Political Citation Award, Phi Delta Kappa, Inc. (Epsilon Alpha Chapter), 2019.
Sara Sooy
BIOGRAPHY: Lifelong resident of Somerset County. Professional: Sara Sooy, MBA, Commercial Real Estate Industry. Education: Saint Francis College, Major: Economics, Minor: International Economics, 2014; Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, MBA, Real Estate Development, 2018.
COMMISSIONER RESPONSIBILITIES: Ex office to Constitutional Officers, Courts and Criminal Justice; Finance & Administrative Services (alternate).
LIAISON: Business Partnership, Commission on the Status of Women, Cultural Diversity Coalition, Health Insurance Commission, Home Investment Partnership Program, LGBTQ+ Advisory Board (alternate), Mental Health Board (alternate), New Jersey Association of Counties (second alternate voting member), North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, Raritan Valley Community College (alternate), Raritan Valley Rail Coalition (alternate), Regional Center Partnership Committee (alternate), Richard Hall Community Mental Health Center Community Advisory Council, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Somerset County 4-H Association, Youth Leadership Somerset (beginning July).
PUBLIC SERVICE: Somerset County Board of County Commissioners, Member, January 4, 2019-present; Somerset Hills School District Board of Education, Member, 2015-2018.
AFFILIATIONS & COMMUNITY SERVICE: Somerset County Business Partnership, Member; Somerset County Commission on the Status of Women, Former Commissioner; Bernardsville Senior Center, Volunteer; Morristown Soup Kitchen, Volunteer; Heart Works, Member; Kiwanians, Member.
Biography (Continued): The Honorable Commissioner Sara M. Sooy, recognized as one of New Jersey’s most “Powerful Women in Politics”, began her career in public service at the age of 22 – earning her the distinction of being the youngest female elected official in NJ State history. She is currently serving her second term on the Somerset County Board of Commissioners, overseeing an annual municipal budget of $250m. Ms. Sooy was previously elected to serve on the Somerset Hills School District Board of Education, a post she held from 2015 to 2018.
With a life-long focus on sustainable community development, the tangible improvement of the treatment of the underserved and the protection of the environment, her public service extends beyond the Board of Commissioners. Ms. Sooy also currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (a federally-funded municipal planning organization with a $2b annual budget focused on sustainable development), as well as the following Boards or Advisory Boards: Somerset County Business Partnership, Commission on the Status of Women, Cultural Diversity Coalition, Health Insurance Commission, Home Investment Partnership Program, LGBTQ+ Advisory Board, Mental Health Board, New Jersey Association of Counties, Raritan Valley Community College, Raritan Valley Rail Coalition, and Rutgers Cooperative Extension. She also serves on the Advisory Board of the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.
Ms. Sooy was also previously worked for the NJ State Economic Development Authority and as a Senior Analyst for Investors Bank. She is the founder of Alpha Strategies Group, LLC and a member of the Board of Directors for a NASDQ-listed public company focused on extending banking and remittance services to the Latino community. Commissioner Sooy holds an MBA from Rutgers University and a BA from St. Francis College.
Support Fiscal Responsibility, Sustainability, and Opportunity.
Help strengthen Somerset County by re-electing Shanel Robinson and Sarah Sooy