Ewing Nj Mayor May 2026

His administration has launched “Operation Smooth Asphalt,” a data-driven program that repaved 22 miles of local roads last year—a visible win for suburbanites. But he’s also pushed through a controversial zoning change allowing “missing middle” housing (duplexes and townhomes) near the Trenton border, angering some residents who fear density.

“Private equity wanted to sit on the land for 20 years,” says Councilwoman Jennifer Keyes. “Bert said, ‘We can’t afford to wait. We’ll clean it up, subdivide it, and sell it piece by piece.’ It’s boring, granular work. But it’s working.” Ask any resident about Ewing, and you’ll hear two different towns.

“He doesn’t have the charisma of a Christie or the fire of a Fulop,” says Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics. “But in a small town like Ewing, charisma fades. Competence doesn’t. He’s turning Ewing from a pass-through town into a destination.” Steinmann is running for a full third term next year (Ewing operates under a non-partisan municipal election system, though he is affiliated with Democrats). His likely opponent? A Republican small-business owner who claims Steinmann is “soft on crime” following a string of car thefts. ewing nj mayor

That balance—between the daily pothole complaints and the decade-long strategic vision—defines the Steinmann era. Steinmann didn’t grow up dreaming of the corner office. A lifelong Ewing resident and former township councilman, he was known as the quiet numbers guy. When Mayor Lester “Lee” V. Carlson Jr. died suddenly in office in September 2019, the council turned to Steinmann to steady the ship.

That’s why the GM site—now rebranded as “Ewing Logistics Park”—is so critical. When fully built, it’s projected to bring 2,500 warehouse and light manufacturing jobs and contribute $4 million annually in property taxes. It’s a bet on logistics over retail, trucks over trendy coffee shops. “Bert said, ‘We can’t afford to wait

“This town was built by General Electric, by Roebling Steel, by GM,” he says. “Those companies left. But the people didn’t. My job isn’t to bring back 1955. It’s to build 2035.”

EWING, N.J. — On a crisp autumn morning, Mayor Bert Steinmann is doing something that would make his predecessors nervous: he’s standing in the parking lot of the old General Motors plant, smiling. “He doesn’t have the charisma of a Christie

Steinmann’s challenge is to serve both.