By Cathy Miller

Savoring a fine fall day at his Spring Ridge Farm in Asbury, cows mooing melodically in the background, Richard “Rick” Gardner spoke candidly about life in politics and pastoralism in Franklin Township.

The end of 2020 marks the end of an era in Warren County, with the retirement of Freeholder Richard G. Gardner. After 18 years in office, he’s the longest-serving member of the current freeholder board, and it seems, the longest-serving Warren County freeholder in 100 years.

Rick won his first term as freeholder in 2002 and was sworn in on Jan. 1, 2003. After six terms, he’s retiring Dec. 31, explaining that the freeholders will be reorganized in early January and he wanted to “retire as a freeholder” (The next board will be called County Commissioners. The term ‘Chosen Freeholders’ will no longer be used).

A New Jersey State Legislative Resolution, initiated by Senator Mike Doherty and Assemblymen John DiMaio and Erik Peterson, was presented to Rick, who is the outgoing director, at their Nov. 24 freeholder meeting. The resolution recognizes Rick’s outstanding tenure and commitment to help others.

In addition to his dedicated service in the public sector, Rick is a gentleman, farmer, history buff, and family man. With his wife of 40 years, Janette, they take great pride in their adult children, Kristen, Daniel, and Stephanie, and 2-1/2 year-old grandson, Colin [who will become a big brother in March 2021].

Growing in Franklin Twp.

A life-long native of Franklin Township, Rick attended Franklin Township Elementary School. “My first year, in kindergarten, was at the former Franklin Township Municipal Building. That was in 1960, with both kindergarten and fourth grade at that location. We actually had no indoor bathrooms!” he said, laughing. “It all changed with a movement to consolidate all the schools into one. The busing was crazy – you bused to Broadway, you bused to New Village, and you bused to Asbury.”

Asbury housed most of the grades in the brick building on School Street [currently a private residence]. Directly across the street is another large building [currently condos], which used to be a church. Rick and Janette were the last ones to be married in that church, after a fight with the Presbytery of Newton to open it up for their wedding. He recalled, “We had to clean up dead pigeons and try to stoke the boiler because we were married the end of January.”

A Farmer’s Life

Rick grew up in the house where he and Janette raised their children, and still reside.

Rick’s family has been farming in Warren County for at least five generations, he said, with the Gardner side of the family localized in the Pequest-Oxford area.

“My parents bought this farm two weeks before Pearl Harbor happened. It’s been in the family since 1941 although they didn’t actually move here until the spring of 1942. You couldn’t even get up our lane, it was so overgrown.”

At the time, the main road [Asbury-Anderson Road] didn’t exist. When Rick’s parents purchased their home, their now-private lane was still a public road to Washington, winding through their property and onto Cemetery Hill Road. The township officially vacated it in the ’80s.

What does Rick like best about living in Franklin Township? “Since 1970, I think we have only gained about 1,000 people in population, maybe a little bit more. It still has a great rural character. The scenery is bucolic. It’s the best county in the state of New Jersey, as far as I’m concerned. We have an interstate that touches Franklin Township, Route 78, and Route 80 just a little bit to the north.” It remains a rural county where farms are common.

Spring Ridge Farm, the Gardner farm, isn’t a dairy farm. “I’m considered a general livestock farm. I have the beef cattle, I have the poultry and I do buy pigs to finish out for private customers.”

Farming is full-time, with no downtime. “I will continue farming til I stop kicking,” he stated. Along with everything else he does, is there time for hobbies? Laughing, he said, “I do like to go with a lifelong buddy of mine to flea markets and antique shops. I enjoy collecting steins. I have about 40 now. I’m very discerning because so many steins are mass-produced today. I want high-quality steins. A lot of my collection is from out of state. Wherever we go for vacation, we’ll take a day off and go antique hunting. It’s pretty cool.”

A Library Legacy

Besides farming and antique hunting, Rick’s life the past 18 years was filled with his freeholder duties. Does he have a crowning achievement? “Number one would be the Warren County Library. We’ve always had a great staff, but years ago the system was in serious need of an overhaul. We weren’t even on the radar for the State of New Jersey Library Association.”

After a meeting many years ago with then-Assistant Library Director Rich Moore, the wheels were set in motion.

“After I started the Warren County Projects Committee in 2005, we sat down with the road map to overhaul the library system,” Rick said. “It took different paths, but we achieved the goal of improving the library.”

The road included the “fortunate circumstance” of purchasing a former market on Route 46 to establish Independence Township’s Northeast Branch, improving the library system’s headquarters in Belvidere, and opening the Southwest Branch in Stewartsville in 2018, which the is “crown jewel of the Warren County Library System.”

In 2017, Warren County was awarded the “Most Improved Library System” by the New Jersey Library Association. Rick added, “That’s pretty exciting to come that far, to really bring high quality service to our patrons and ultimately to the taxpayer.”

Another project he’s proud of? “The first building that we renovated, the old Warren Haven,” Rick said. The project recognized that the “spectacular” building—the second built in the county, in the late 1820s—was just the right size for what they needed.

“We brought that great building back to life—the history, everything about it, and it now serves a modern function. I view that as a win-win for the taxpayer, and for the public we serve.”

From the resolution presented to Rick by the legislature: “Throughout his life’s work…Richard D. Gardner has established…a level of excellence toward which others might strive.”

Best wishes in retirement, Rick!