VOTE411 Voter Guide

I am running for re-election because I love New Brunswick and remain deeply committed to its future. NB has been my home my entire life, and serving its residents has been the honor of a lifetime. I believe public service is about producing results, solving problems, and improving the quality of life for every neighborhood. I bring a background as an attorney and deep knowledge of municipal operations, redevelopment, and public policy. Before I was first elected as Mayor in 1991, I served as Asst. City Attorney and worked closely with City departments on day-to-day governance and long-term planning. That experience gave me a practical understanding of how government works and how to make it work better for every family.

When I first became Mayor, this was a very different city. Today, through strong partnerships and a relentless focus on results, we’ve helped transform NB into a center for healthcare, education, jobs, and opportunity, with more than $11 billion invested, thousands of jobs created, and the lowest property taxes in Middlesex County. We have built partnerships with institutions such as Rutgers, J&J, RWJ Barnabas Health, St. Peter’s Hospital, Nokia/Bell Labs, Middlesex County, and community organizations while keeping our focus on residents first. Experience matters, relationships matter, and results matter.

But what matters most to me is what that progress means for people and every family’s future. It means safer neighborhoods, with crime down significantly. It means real investments in our parks, schools, and infrastructure. It means making sure we’re not just growing, but growing in a way that works for residents, with one of the highest shares of affordable housing in the state. I’m running because I know how to get things done, but more importantly, I know who I’m doing it for. To me, public service has always been about improving the quality of life and delivering real results for every person, every family, every neighborhood in our city.

My priorities are grounded in one simple goal: making sure New Brunswick continues to deliver for every person, every family, and every neighborhood.

First, public safety remains at the core of everything we do. We will continue investing in our police, fire, and EMS teams while strengthening community-based violence prevention and ensuring our departments have the modern tools they need to keep residents safe.

Second, we will keep advancing housing that works for everyone. That means ensuring redevelopment includes real opportunities for working families, seniors, and low-income residents, while also protecting longtime residents and maintaining strong quality-of-life standards across our neighborhoods.

We’re also focused on expanding economic opportunity—supporting our small businesses, attracting responsible investment, and ensuring residents are connected to the jobs being created right here in New Brunswick across our healthcare, education, and development sectors.

At the same time, we will continue improving the basics people rely on every day—clean streets, reliable infrastructure, well-maintained parks, and modernized water and utility systems that prepare us for the future.

And just as important, we will keep investing in people—by expanding programs and services for our young people and our seniors so that every stage of life is supported in this city.

We achieve all of this the same way we always have: through responsible budgeting, leveraging grant funding, building strong partnerships, and following through on our promises. That’s how we’ve delivered real results—and that’s how we’ll keep moving New Brunswick forward.

My approach is simple: listen first, lead with facts, and always focus on solutions, not rhetoric.

Local government works best when we move beyond labels and concentrate on solving problems. Residents care about safe streets, clean neighborhoods, good housing, strong schools, and opportunity, not dividing neighborhoods.

When issues become divisive, I work to bring stakeholders to the table: residents, business owners, faith leaders, educators, and community advocates, so we can have real conversations and find common ground. We may not all agree on everything, but we can move forward together.

A good example of this is redevelopment. It’s an area where people often have strong and differing views. Some see opportunity with growth, others worry about affordability or neighborhood impact. Our responsibility has been to strike the right balance – bringing in investment while ensuring strong, affordable housing, protecting longtime residents, and delivering real benefits like jobs, parks, and community spaces. That requires patience, transparency, and compromise.

We’ve taken that same approach to issues like public safety and infrastructure, focusing on data, working closely with the community, and making steady, thoughtful decisions rather than reacting to rhetoric.

At the end of the day, my job is to bring people together and keep New Brunswick moving forward in a way that works for every person, every family, and every neighborhood.

The Mayor’s role is to ensure every resident is treated with dignity, fairness, and respect under the law.

New Brunswick is a diverse City built by generations of immigrants, and it’s critical that all residents feel safe accessing schools, hospitals, emergency services, and City resources without fear. Maintaining trust between law enforcement and the community is essential so that victims and witnesses feel comfortable coming forward.

While federal immigration policy is set in Washington, DC, municipal leadership plays an important role. We advocate for fair treatment, provide clear and accurate information, support legal and community-based services, and ensure City operations both comply with the law and protect civil rights.

Here in New Brunswick, the City Council has passed an ordinance to reinforce those values and help ensure that residents can interact with local government safely while protecting their rights.

Like many cities, New Brunswick is facing several ongoing challenges that require thoughtful, steady leadership.

Rising costs continue to impact both residents and municipal budgets, so we remain focused on responsible financial management while aggressively pursuing state, federal, and private funding to ease the burden on taxpayers.

As a growing hub, traffic and transportation are also key concerns. We’re working on smarter planning, better coordination with regional transit partners, and improvements that prioritize pedestrian safety and accessibility.

We’re also preparing for the long term when it comes to climate and resiliency and investing in stormwater management, flood mitigation, modern infrastructure, and protecting our trees and open spaces so our city is ready for the impacts of climate change.

And just as important, we recognize the growing need to address mental health and substance abuse. That means continuing to partner with our healthcare institutions and community organizations to connect residents with the care and support they need.

We’ll meet these challenges the same way we always have through our strong partnerships, sound management, and a continued focus on delivering real results for every person, every family and every neighborhood.

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