Doug Singleterry for County Commissioner

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Douglas Singleterry is Deputy Director of the Board of County Commissioners where his focus has been on education, workforce development, and public health. He previously served fifteen years on the North Plainfield Borough Council, including a term as Council President. As a councilman, Singleterry spearheaded initiatives on economic development and sustainability.

An attorney, Singleterry is a recipient of the Service to the Community Award from the NJ State Bar Young Lawyers Division. He was a Board Member and Chapter Chair of the former Tri-County Red Cross, which provided disaster relief services for municipalities in Somerset, Union and Middlesex counties. He is a past president of the Somerset County Governing Officials Association and has experience as a municipal prosecutor.

A prolific legal writer, Singleterry co-authored a book on commercial transaction law published as part of the New Jersey Law Journal Book series. He also wrote an article on the international law of genocide published in a peer reviewed journal. This article has been cited in other scholarly publications.

Singleterry earned a BA in economics from Drew University and a law degree from New York Law School. Following law school, he clerked for a Superior Court judge.

Singleterry resides in North Plainfield with his wife and 3-year-old son.

Paul M. Drake is a County Commissioner responsible for the county Human Services Department, which includes Mental Health, Aging and Disability Services, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Veterans Services, and Volunteer and Youth Services.   He is also the Commissioner liaison on the Somerset County Planning Board, Park Commission, County Board of Agriculture, Somerset County Energy Council and Board of Social Services.

Paul previously served on the Township Committee in Hillsborough, the Hillsborough Planning Board, and Board of Adjustment.   He also served as a Park Commissioner on the Somerset County Park Commission and as a member of the Somerset County Energy Council.

Paul is a trained Professional Planner and an environmental expert, educator and advocate in the fight against climate change.  Paul is a Certified Environmental Planner from the American Institute of Certified Planners.  He has a Masters of City and Regional Planning from Rutgers University and a BS in Environmental Science from Stockton University.

   
Paul’s graduate work focused on designing sustainable, walkable communities, which included the design for the Hillsborough Main Street.  Paul presented graduate research at the Society of Wetland Scientists conference in Alaska entitled “Land Use Changes effecting the frequency and severity of floods.”   Paul also studied and photographed Alaskan Brown Bears at the McNeil River Brown Bear Sanctuary in remote Alaska.

  
He has worked for the National Park Service, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and the State Planning Commission, before his current position with PSE&G as a Public Affairs manager. He also teaches Urban Design & Planning courses at Rutgers University.

A lifelong resident of Somerset County, Drake grew up in Somerville and currently lives in Hillsborough where he and his wife, Mary, raised their two children. 

County Commissioners are the leaders of the county government. They are responsible for all the things that make our county run smoothly. County parks, waste management, Raritan Valley Community College and the Somerset County Vocational & Technical School, county roads and bridges, county health department and more are all influenced by the Board of County Commissioners. Somerset County has five county commissioners, and this year Doug Singleterry and Paul Drake are running for re-election.