I am running because the current Council members are not listening to their constituents that voted them into office. Some community members have been silenced in Town Hall meetings while others wanted to present their concerns and were not given the floor to express their concerns. I want to restore the right to free speech. No matter how small the concern, every resident of Boonton should be heard. The Council has taken advice and listened to concerns of those residents that reside outside of the Town of Boonton because their children attend a certain school in Boonton. The tax payers of Boonton should be the voices that are heard. One way to ensure that our town residence are heard is to enact an ordinance that would allow only residence of the town to bring forward concerns that need visibility through town hall meetings. Surrounding towns need not apply. The Council needs to be reminded that they cannot ignore their constituents especially if a vote for or against a certain enactment reached a threshold of 75% in votes.
I have had a career in a trade’s industry for 35 years in which 20 of those years I have been leading and training team members to become better negotiators and leaders using diplomacy to propose discussions based in fairness. I lead by example, and I would not ask a certain task of my team that I could not perform. I do ask for dedication and do propose challenges but never without a proposed solution that can be discussed. Every member of my team has the opportunity to express challenges and offer what they see as solutions to every day problems in the field. We collectively and respectfully listen to every member of our team. I am an active listener and I use questions to start group discussions and illicit the root of the problem through this questioning. I am a leader that wants my team to excel. I want the brightest and most forward thinking team members to one day hold my position and continue the leadership that had been afforded to them.
Propose that the council and town residents agree on a safer downtown. Boonton Main Street needs updated lighting, visible crosswalks, available and convenient parking plus commercial and residential landlords that are willing to update and renovate those buildings that they own. Our Main Street is county road and is shared with large trucks that can create accidents with other motorists using this street. The Town of Boonton should research the validity of commercial vehicles restriction hours to try an alleviate truck traffic and the possibility of motorists accidents. The town also needs to explore the increased need for liquor licenses in our downtown restaurants. With the State revamping the law, we as a town need to understand these laws and make them work for our food service businesses. The Council needs to be proactive in budgeting for repairs like the Towns water system and not be reactive and place the full burden on the residents. Through fiscal responsibility and proper budgeting, we could perform repairs yearly for different upgrades without drastically impacting the communities wallet.
The current policy is a sad reality of our time. Under current Federal leadership, the need to homogenize America is just plain unAmerican. The Boonton Democrats have taken the lead in hiring a group that is able to assist those that might be forcefully removed from their homes, place of work or worship by federal officers. This group has published a video that explains how every resident may legally resist such an arrest. We are promoting a know your rights campaign and will stand with any town resident that is legal or going through the process of becoming a citizen or holds a student visa or green card to fight to keep those citizens safe in our community. I consider my home as a safe haven for all Boonton residents that fear illegal deportation.
Boonton is considered a transit town and we need to continue to work towards receiving grants to assist our downtown renovations as such. We have had ample time to review architectural plans and begin the approval process. This opportunity needs to move forward and the council needs to cut through the red tape of the bidding process and put a shovel in the ground and begin the project. Our commuting community members need a better transit line. Whether this be a proposed bus depot or restructured train station. As a council member, I would make sure that this project stays in the forefront and is no longer pushed aside. The town of Boonton has far too many stop and go redevelopment plans that have not been completed. These sites are becoming unsightly and a point of contention on social media. Boonton needs a leader to step in and find out why we have not able to complete a project.
Boonton provides great services to our residents. An example is our recycling center that allows for responsible disposal of not only recycling but yard waste, rigid plastics and scrap metal to name a few. Being able to continue to offer this service and others we offer is important and just as important is ensuring we maintain the costs to offer them as cost- effective as possible. The Town controls about 25% of the budget with the Schools, County and Library receiving the rest. Factoring in contract obligations and ever-increasing costs like trash disposal and insurance costs makes it imperative the Council and professional staff work together to keep the costs as low as possible.
Another challenge is communication. With social media and other outlets available today. many people rush to judgement when they read or see the first piece of information on an issue concerning the Town. Often these sources are rushed and contain inaccuracies and mistakes. By the time they read an official version of the story, the reader has already formed their opinions on the topic for good or for bad. I encourage an open dialogue not only with my Ward 3 constituents but with all Town residents. I
I’ve been running a small business for over 30 years. In that capacity, you need to wear many hats and as such get exposed to all facets of business, from accounting to shipping to human resources. Running a small business is similar to running a small-town government like Booton’s. You need to be adaptable and wear many hats. We have that in our Town Hall Staff and the Town Councill needs to work to ensure we maintain that level of high-quality employee.
Further, my work experience has allowed me to become familiar with the request for proposal bid structure as well obtain knowledge on infrastructure items. This experience is not only helpful for my DPW committee responsibilities but most government procurement opportunities as well.
It is important to get people to our merchants and keep them there. In our Main Street business district , convenient parking can be challenging, As the current parking committee chair, we have explored, and continue to explore many options for both paid and free parking options. This has included reaching out to surrounding communities for their thoughts and opinions on what works and doesn’t work. We are currently discussing the results for a recent request for services proposal to help with these issues. A Tap Grant Project the Town won in 2023 will soon start to update the sidewalks, signage, and pedestrian safety in general. Further, a dialogue with business owners is encouraged to help everyone understand and pursue what is the best course of action for Boonton.
We have a fantastic Police Department in Boonton from top to bottom. They do a great job in keeping us safe from many types of threats. One aspect of the federal immigration policy that helps our Town has been a closer scrutinization of those trying to enter the United States. With this scrutinization, the flow of illegal drugs, firearms and counterfeit products has been slowed significantly. As a result, the population of the country, and Boonton as well are safer without these and other illegal items being distributed throughout the country.
With over thirty years’ experience in providing products that help promote clean air and clean water, this topic is especially relevant to me. The “hot button” topic in the country’s water supply is the clean-up of forever chemicals also know as PFAS. Many technologies are being tested for this application but only a few are showing promise as a means to remove. Being part of a team that is working on this issue to provide clean water both now and in the future, I am keenly aware of what technology and equipment is needed to ensure that. Here in Boonton, new water filtration systems to address these and other issues are already being planned to be installed in the very near future.
Our Town has been working with the New Jersey DOT towards pursuing a Transit Village designation for some years now. This plan focuses on revitalizing the Boonton Train station and improving parking, pedestrian access and creating a more walkable, transit-oriented community. I support this plan to achieve this designation and encourage the use of mass transit to help reduce air pollution and road congestion.
