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I am a married father of three, and newly a grandfather. My family and I have lived in Frelinghuysen for about 14 years. I have been involved with Frelinghuysen’s Recreation Committee for many years, and have coached multiple youth sports. When I originally decided to run for Township Committee three years ago, it was because I did not agree with some of the decisions that the governing body was making at that time, and thought that I could make a difference. I will always do what I think is best for the group, team or town.
Fiscal responsibility (balanced budget, reduction in debt with a path to becoming debt free, increase the value of our town), transparency, installation of our Fire Department, and access for all residents to high speed internet.
One way is through our website. We have worked very hard to revamp our website, making it more informative and inclusive of what’s important, not only in our town, but our community as a whole. Additionally, I will continue to make myself accessible to the members of our community. Being accessible and transparent to our residents helps keep them connected to what’s going on in the community, and gives me a chance to have a real conversation and receive an unbiased view of their concerns and issues that I may not be aware of. I also encourage all interested residents to attend our Township Committee meetings. We all have our plates full with responsibilities and obligations, whether it be work, running our kids to practices, attending games, school functions, doctor appointments, etc. All of these take precedence and are important, but so is the direction of our township. It truly takes a village to make real progress and ensure that what we collectively love about our township today is preserved for our children tomorrow.
Budget, Infrastructure (Roads), Infrastructure (High Speed Internet).
To deal with budget challenges, you need a fiscally sound plan. This would be a pretty long piece if I had to outline what goes into a fiscally responsible budget, at least in my opinion. To keep it short, you must first understand the process, put needs above wants, and do a cost justification for all requests. You also must keep capital debt moderate to reduce debt, and raise the value of your town to help with interest on notes. There is a lot more that goes into it, but these, in my opinion, are the essential points.
Road infrastructure, like your budget, starts with a good plan and will go hand in hand with your budget. Understanding your roads, their needs and costs, is a crucial step in laying out a plan. With proper budgetary allocation, funding through grants and yearly maintenance, our road infrastructure should improve.
When discussing high speed internet, using the word infrastructure is key. For many years, our government and state officials have viewed high speed internet access as a matter of convenience. With the world moving to a paper-free and fingertip accessible type of environment, high speed internet is no longer a matter of convenience but a matter of necessity. During the pandemic, I had the chance to speak with our Congressman, our Governor’s office and State Senators about this issue. While in my opinion, high speed internet should have been considered infrastructure even prior to the pandemic, since then, there has been a shift and it is now considered an essential part of a town’s infrastructure. The goal is to have 100% of our town have access to high speed internet. I have worked closely with our high speed internet providers and, while this is still a work in progress, we are making great strides towards achieving this goal.
I’m not sure we should be convincing voters of anything. Our actions and deeds are what should resonate come election day. As you know, in today!s world, social media is the way in which we share information. Unfortunately that information is often incorrect, incomplete, or misinformed. I am not someone who needs a pat on the back or to be told I’m doing a good job, but I am proud of some of the accomplishments that have been made during my three-year term on committee. Below are some of those accomplishments:
These are just some of the things we have accomplished as a committee over the last 3 years, all during a global pandemic, supply chain crisis and labor shortages. What I would really like the voters to know is that I have raised two of my three children in our town. I have made incredible friends, memories and moments in our town. I have coached and volunteered for our town, and I am grateful and passionate about our town. Most of all, I am committed to doing what is in the best interest of our town, in the short and long term. I think if what I have accomplished and hope to still achieve resonates with the residents, then they should vote for me. If the residents are unhappy with the changes and decisions I have made, then they should place their vote with another candidate that could exact the change they are looking for. This is what is great about our country and our democratic process.