By Barbara A. Preston | Posted May 13, 2025
Michel “Mike” Martin of Skillman is a pharmaceutical executive and current member of the Montgomery Township Committee — the five-member governing body elected to lead the township. He is one of four candidates running in the June Primary Election for two slots on Democratic Party ballot in the November 2025 general election.
Montgomery Township Committee unanimously voted to appoint Mike Martin at its Feb. 20 meeting, making him the newest member of the township’s governing board. He filled the seat vacated by former mayor Devra Keenan.
Martin is head of commercial analytics and insights for Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America in Jersey City. He has 25-plus years of experience in life sciences. He was on the List of Top 100 Global Pharma Executives in strategic data management by “CDO Magazine” in 2021.
He’s lived in Montgomery about 10 years, having moved to the township in June 2015. He grew up in Vermont on a 200-acre sheep farm near the Canadian border. His parents were teachers.
Managing Growth.
It’s about population growth. People want to come here and live here. I want to provide developers with additional opportunities to add housing while making sure it is done in a controlled way. For example, the Kenvue site could become a housing development.
The Environment.
I’ve talked to individuals who have been in town for 30-plus years. The residents really value the green space and tremendous parks that we have. We’ve preserved 40% of our land. I think that’s just about right. Our program for going out and buying undeveloped land to preserve it has been successful, but I don’t know that it needs to be increased.
Improving Walkablity.
“The vision to add bike paths and walkways from Orchard Road down to Village Walk, then over to the Promenade is an excellent vision. It will give our central part of town a walkable and social character. People could walk and enjoy the fresh air and meetup with their friends.”
“Montgomery is such an attractive town, with a strong school system, a great location between New York City and Philadelphia. We don’t have big box stores, we don’t have big malls, but we have the shopping and conveniences that we want and value in a way that does not create a lot of traffic.”
“I have experience managing large multimillion-dollar budgets; being part of a leadership team; and asking a lot of questions to get to the right solution. That’s essentially what I do: Data-driven decision making. I have experience using data to answer business questions. I have experience collaborating with others. Five values drive my work, and frankly my life: respect, collaboration, accountability, persistence, and bravery.
These values will also drive the work I do on Township Committee.” ■
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