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As a two-term Councilmember, I understand that the most important challenge facing Morris Plains is keeping taxes low for our senior citizens, families and residents in the face of rising costs. I am actively seeking an alternative for the Borough’s employee health coverage which projects a 2026 rate increase of 36%. Similarly, electric rates in NJ increased 20% this June, and I will pressure utility companies and the BPU to freeze rates, expand access to available clean energy sources, and drive down costs. I will continue to advocate for state-wide solutions to the affordable housing shortage for teachers, healthcare workers, veterans and seniors that do not overburden our environment, infrastructure or taxpayers.
It is time to prioritize the safety of our residents over those who use Morris Plains as a drive-through town. I voted to add a traffic enforcement officer to the MPPD. I also voted “yes” to the resolution supporting the development of a Complete & Green Streets Policy to deter speeding and create safer roads, crosswalks, and sidewalks for all users. We are currently developing an ordinance to regulate e-scooters/e-bikes to prevent traffic injuries and fatalities.
I am a proven leader in the Community of Caring, serving in my second 3-year term on the Borough Council. I Chair the Council's Finance Committee, and have chaired the Public Safety, Ordinances, and Health & Sanitation Committees. As a 27-year resident of Morris Plains with my husband John and four children we raised in the Borough, I understand the joys and struggles of young families, and the challenges faced by our retired and senior citizens.
During my tenure, I created new advisory boards to bring more residents’ voices to the table. I am a founding member of the Business Development Committee and led the effort to create the nonprofit organization Downtown Morris Plains to help foster a vibrant downtown and business districts. I championed grants for pedestrian walkways, crosswalks and open space; voted to develop a Complete and Green Streets policy to make our roadways and sidewalks safe for all users. I used my professional background in corporate communications to redesign the Borough's website, improving access to services and information including the ability to pay taxes, recreation programs, and permits online.
I am actively working to make it easier for new businesses to open in the Borough by supporting a revised, online construction permitting process. One current application is 30 pages long and requires legal expertise to understand the requirements. In addition, we are working to revise an ordinance to ensure we are attracting the kinds of businesses suited to each commercial zone in our community. I voted against this ordinance in 2023 for several reasons, including the blanket approval of all warehouses types in certain zones and a prohibition of apartments above food establishments. With our mid-town direct train station, I would like to see the Borough pursue the "Transit Village" designation, which provides DOT grant opportunities to make the areas near train stations more vibrant, attractive, and accessible for people with disabilities. As a founding member of the Borough's Business Development Committee, I would like to see the current committee members do more to follow the "Main Street Model" - a framework to guide revitalization using design, public/private partnerships and community input.
As a local elected official, I believe in home rule when it comes to law enforcement and will work to ensure that our five-time accredited local police department continues to emphasize community policing and building trust, not fear, in the residents they serve.
According to the American Immigration Council, in the state of NJ in 2023 immigrants make up more than 30 percent of the labor force, including more than 36 percent of small business owners and 48 percent of healthcare workers. In addition, more than 13 percent of NJ residents live with at least one immigrant parent. Morris Plains, like any other community, relies upon the economic contributions of non-native born workers to keep our local economy thriving. Common-sense immigration policy reforms are desperately needed to reduce illegal immigration, grow the economy, and keep hardworking families together in Morris Plains and across the state and the nation. The solution lies in Congress. I will continue to urge my representatives in Congress to work together in a bi-partisan way to pass legislation that will make our nation a safer, more prosperous place.
I initiated the Green Team in Morris Plains in 2023 to help ensure an environmentally sustainable and thriving future for the Morris Plains community. The Green Team is an advisory board to promote and support environmentally sustainable practices through research and outreach. Its primary focus is to implement the Borough’s Community Energy Plan, which we completed with a grant from the NJ BPU. We are seeking a Local Government Energy Audit of Borough buildings and property to identify sustainable solutions; applying for grants for EV charging stations; and educating residents and businesses about clean energy upgrades. The Green Team also is researching an Environmental Sustainability Element of the Master Plan to help prepare Morris Plains to comply with the state’s goal of achieving 100% clean energy by 2050.
I will urge the Council to engage the public in identifying the vision we would like to see for the Borough in the decade(s) ahead. A unified vision can help us make better decisions about sustainability, community spaces, services, and spending to ensure our taxpayers’ dollars are being used in ways that position us to maintain our small-town feel for future generations.
