An open letter to South Orange residents, employees and business owners:
When I think back on the past 6 years, I realize how much has changed. Nationally, we now have a different President and have gone through and slowly recovered from the worst economic recession in history. In South Orange, Eden Gourmet came (and is now Ashley Market), Blockbuster (and the whole idea of renting videos) went. The firehouse construction completed and the Beifus site finally has a groundbreaking scheduled for next week, officially putting an end to the "Coming Soon" era that was so prominent when I first ran for Trustee back in 2007. There have been a multitude of changes to businesses, village staff, residents and the Board of Trustees (BOT). While it's easy for anyone to list out everything that occurred "on their watch", I think it is also pretty disingenuous to take credit for things that simply happened, whether you were involved or not. So, I as I reflected back on things that I consider some of the highlights of the past 6 years, I wanted to focus on items that I was personally involved with.
- I'll start with Public Safety, since I chaired the Public Safety Committee for 6 years. While I would love to take credit for the slight decrease in crime, that honor belongs solely to the men and women of the South Orange Police Department, who do their job every day whether ANY member of the BOT is here or not. However, I did strongly advocate for the installation of surveillance cameras downtown which were put in place in 2011 and hopefully more will be forthcoming soon. I helped to create the "Downtown After Sundown" series (in conjunction with Main Street) in direct response to the "flashmobs" that were occurring and to help re-attract families back into the downtown. I advocated for the creation of an online Police Blotter at the suggestion of a resident, Craig Goldstein, to help bring awareness to crime, and I helped in the selection of the firm to complete a Best Practices Study of the Police Department. We ultimately awarded the contract to ICMA who provided a comprehensive long term roadmap for increasing efficiency in the Police Department. I urge the next Board to not let that report go to waste and to ensure it is reviewed frequently and that portions are actually implemented.
- A huge focus of my time has been focused on open/honest Communication and real Transparency for taxpayers. Some highlights of that include responding to EVERY single email, phone call or letter received from residents (which numbered literally in the tens of thousands), Sending out periodic email blasts to residents and business owners (including daily updates during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy) to share information that I thought everyone needed and wanted to know, Addressing residents concerns on Maplewood Online, Asking questions at meetings that I thought the public needed and wanted to hear, Creating and posting an online "meeting recap" after each BOT meeting for the past two years and creating and maintaining an online Volunteering Directory to help facilitate residents getting involved with the community. These are just some examples and I hope it made the long and sometimes tedious meetings more accessible to people.
- Probably the most impactful thing I was able to do was to advocate for strong Fiscal Responsibility and opposing wasteful or inefficient spending, such as being willing to vote "no" on Municipal or School Board budgets that were not fiscally responsible, opposing wasteful and inappropriate spending such as no-bid contracts and no-show contracts and questioning virtually every expenditure of YOUR money. The absolutely obscene tax burden that all residents face in this town continues to be an enormous problem that will threaten our long term viability and needs to be a factor in EVERY decision the Board considers.
- Lastly, I placed a great focus on Quality of Life issues - whether by trying to help all residents who came before the Public Safety Committee with concerns about speeding, parking, crime or other issues, helping to initiate the Village's Community Garden with former Village President Newman, helping initiate the South Orange Village Center Alliance to improve downtown by participating in the SID Advisory Committee and helping to create additional commuter parking by literally walking with Village President Newman along all streets within a reasonable distance to the train station to identify where on-street commuter parking could be and, ultimately was, created.
While I could probably go-on, I'd rather use the reminder of this letter to say Thank You to a number of people.
First, none of what was accomplished would have been possible without the remarkable staff of the Village and I want to recognize some of them now:
Robin Kline - our amazing Village Clerk and so much more. Robin is truly the glue that holds everything together in Village Hall and ensures that all agendas are published, all meetings are advertised, all resolutions are written, all legal notices are filed, all protocols are followed and so much more, all while also dealing with the daily barrage of inquiries from residents who come into Village Hall. None of what happens during a meeting and elsewhere in Village Hall would happen without Robin (together with assistance from her Deputy). Her work ethic and professionalism is unparalleled and should be a model for all to follow. Thank you, Robin!
Chief Chelel and Chief Markey - in addition to leading the Police and Fire Departments, you had the "lucky fortune" to join me for Public Safety Committee each month so I got to know you both a little better than many others. Despite the long meetings and all the challenging issues that residents brought to us, you both always managed to keep your cool and do whatever you could to help find a solution for them. I appreciated your professionalism and dedication to our town and thank you both for everything, along with all the men and women of your departments that keep us all safe every day. Thank you!
Tommy Michetti - You and the DPW crew you lead are the backbone of our Village. You have always been incredibly responsive anytime I have noticed something in town, or when a resident brought something to my attention that I passed along, such as a pothole, downed tree or anything else. No job was ever too big, too small or ever a burden. It just got done. Thank you!
Tony Grenci and Ellen Malgieri and John Festa and Kate Schmidt and Stan Wilkinson and Sal Renda and Melissa Kopecky and Mark Hartwyck - likewise, you have always been incredibly prompt to look into and follow-up on any issue that I shared with you and you made sure a proper resolution was found. Your dedication and counsel was immensely valuable. Thank you!
To my Colleagues who are also leaving the Board with me:
Janine Bauer - You and I have had an incredibly complicated relationship over the years. Initially, as allies as we fought to stop the overdevelopment of the Quarry, than as adversaries in the campaign over the "Open Space Tax" and the 2007 election and then finally, as running-mates as we put all that behind us and ran for election together in 2009. We have agreed and disagreed on the Board, but always managed to maintain a healthy respect for each other. The deep analysis you brought to every issue raised the conversation to a much higher level and I know your presence and intellect will be greatly missed on the Board. However, I know that South Orange certainly has not seen the last of you.
To my colleagues remaining on the Board (and to the new Trustees being elected on Tuesday), be sure to always:
To all of the Residents and Business Owners, it has been a genuine honor and privilege to serve you. For all of your support, input, feedback and ideas over the years - Thank you! To all Village Staff, it has been a pleasure working with you. Through this amazing experience, I have learned an enormous amount about the town, and an even larger amount about myself and my values. As I said when I announced I would not be seeking another term, despite the multitude of meetings, challenging personalities, late nights and difficult issues, it has been a true pleasure volunteering to help our Village. Far too many people run for office for the wrong reasons - whether to advance a personal agenda, obtain a better job or for their own self-promotion. For me, it was always simply about representing our residents and I tried to do that as best as I know how. While I am well aware there have been plenty of people who disagreed with me on various issues and that I made my share of mistakes, I can only hope the legacy of my tenure can be that as a watchdog for fiscal responsibility, ethics, transparency, process and open communication, which were many of the tenets that I initially ran on back in 2007.
Probably the greatest thing about serving the community is all the amazing people that I met along the way and the number of truly great friends I made as a result. My wife quickly learned that if she sent me to pick up milk at Eden by myself, it would usually take about an hour, because I would inevitably run into someone that would either say hello or stop to share an issue with me. While I didn't always have all the answers, I don't think there is a single person who could say I didn't listen or try to help in any way I could, and for me, that was always the most rewarding part of this experience.
I plan to continue to make myself available on Maplewood Online, as I always have, and will likely continue to send out periodic email updates or post periodic blog posts on Patch, Alternative Press and at trusteegoldberg.blogspot.com, which is a blog I started very shortly after I started on the Board back in 2007. I love to periodically look back at older posts to see what the hot topics were at a particular point or to see if my opinion on an issue has evolved. Fortunately, I can stand proud of what I wrote about the opinions I held and it stands as a virtual scrapbook of my 6 years on the Board. Again, I know that there were many people who disagreed with me, but I don't think there is anyone who didn't clearly know where I stood on any issue.
Lastly, none of this would have been possible without the support, love and encouragement of my incredible wife, Amy, and daughter, Stephanie. They selflessly gave up so many many nights with me to allow me to devote time at countless meetings, on long phone calls or answering emails (not to mention the periodic interruptions during Dinner in a restaurant when we would run into someone we knew, or who knew me).
In closing, "Goodbye" certainly doesn't seem right since I will still be living here and as a taxpayer, I expect to continue paying close attention to what is going on in town, sharing information and calling out any perceived improprieties, just as I did before my time on the Board and as I always did while serving on the Board.
So perhaps, as always, a quote from Bruce Springsteen says it best - "let's take the good times as they go. And I'll meet you further on up the road".
Thank you, South Orange!
Sincerely,
Michael Goldberg
South Orange Village Trustee 2007-2013
I also want to recognize some former employees of the Village and related entities that were of enormous help to me over the past six years, notably Mario Luciani, Carole Anzalone-Newman, Michael Bollinger, Laura Harris, Marj Smith, Lynn Cuccinello and Sherri Golden - thank you for all you did for the Village. Of course, I cannot forget John Gross, with whom I have had one of the more unique relationships - initially as adversaries when I stood at the podium asking questions about the Quarry or Tau, then as colleagues when he was our Administrator, then in an awkward middle ground when I could not approve his contract to remain as CFO, after he resigned. Despite the issues, nobody can question the commitment and enormous amount of time John gave to the Village. Thank you!
I also want to mention some former Board members without whom I never would have been here myself - Specifically, Trustee Patrick Joyce who laid the groundwork for a non-politician to run and serve as Trustee. Patrick was always willing to ask the hard questions and ensure the right thing was done, something I always strove to do. Likewise, Trustee Eric Devaris followed a similar model and it was through his early resignation from the Board that initially allowed me to run and ultimately serve out his unexpired term. Having your independent voices on the Board was so critically important. Thank you!
Last but not least, former Village President Doug Newman - without a doubt the most intelligent man I have ever known. His grasp of complex issues and his retention of facts and figures is simply astounding. Combined with the highest level of integrity, ethics and consensus building, he brought solid judgement and true leadership to the Board and to the Village for four years. Thank you!
To my Colleagues who are also leaving the Board with me:
Nancy Gould - While we were often outnumbered and lost our share of votes, we fought the good fight. However, I am so proud that we never lost sight of who we are and what we stood for. You leave office with as much grace and integrity as when you arrived and you made a tremendous impact on Recreation, SOPAC and the South Orange Village Center Alliance, to name just a few areas you improved. You have become one of my closest friends and Amy and I look forward to many more dinners together with you and Paul.
To my colleagues remaining on the Board (and to the new Trustees being elected on Tuesday), be sure to always:
- Remember what motivated you to get involved in the first place and/or the behaviors of your predecessors you were looking to replace.
- Utilize the Vision Plan and ICMA Recommendations which both cost the taxpayers a lot of money and which provide a clear and tangible roadmap for the future.
- Spend less time and money on petty issues like talking about creating expensive line charts and archiving "tweets" and spend more time figuring out how to pack up Village Hall. Better yet, now that the project is estimated to cost $7M+, closely reconsider undertaking the multi-million renovation before it is too late. If you do actually decide to proceed, provide frequent factual public updates and do not repeat the mistakes of the fiasco that occurred with the firehouse or the misinformation that happened with Tau.
- Don't talk about transparency - simply BE transparent. Provide frequent and factual public updates on where things stand without resorting to "spin" to cover-up less positive news. We are all adults. We deserve the truth and I assure you, we can handle it.
- Treat all residents and employees with respect. Never forget that you are no better than any of them. The best ideas almost always come from residents and employees. You simply volunteered for this job to implement them. As an example, you should embrace the passion and dedication of people like Scott Greenstone and thank him for all he did to fight NJ Transit to restore adequate train service to South Orange, and do not be threatened by that.
- Lastly, be sure to spend much more time publicly discussing the CONTENT of the budget and ways to control it and stop talking about the file format of it.
- On a special note to the new Trustees that will be elected on Tuesday, I remain available and accessible to you for any advice or background information on issues as they arise. Do not be afraid to ask questions and do not accept everything that is presented to you at face value.
The Village faces formidable issues. As a resident, I want nothing more than for you to succeed in addressing these difficult issues heads-on. I wish you luck.
To all the Boards and Committees I had the honor to work closely with as an official liaison - from the SID Advisory Committee, to the Old Stone House Advisory Committee, to the Citizens Public Safety Committee, to the Parking Authority, to the Community Garden, to First Night, to the Board of Health, to Main Street - thank you. I got the chance to work with so many amazing volunteers who stepped up to simply help the community on activities and projects they were passionate about. I continue to urge others to find a way to get involved and see what a difference you can make for the community and how personally rewarding it can be for yourself. Learn about all the opportunities at http://southorange.org/volunteerApply/.
To all the Boards and Committees I had the honor to work closely with as an official liaison - from the SID Advisory Committee, to the Old Stone House Advisory Committee, to the Citizens Public Safety Committee, to the Parking Authority, to the Community Garden, to First Night, to the Board of Health, to Main Street - thank you. I got the chance to work with so many amazing volunteers who stepped up to simply help the community on activities and projects they were passionate about. I continue to urge others to find a way to get involved and see what a difference you can make for the community and how personally rewarding it can be for yourself. Learn about all the opportunities at http://southorange.org/volunteerApply/.
To all of the Residents and Business Owners, it has been a genuine honor and privilege to serve you. For all of your support, input, feedback and ideas over the years - Thank you! To all Village Staff, it has been a pleasure working with you. Through this amazing experience, I have learned an enormous amount about the town, and an even larger amount about myself and my values. As I said when I announced I would not be seeking another term, despite the multitude of meetings, challenging personalities, late nights and difficult issues, it has been a true pleasure volunteering to help our Village. Far too many people run for office for the wrong reasons - whether to advance a personal agenda, obtain a better job or for their own self-promotion. For me, it was always simply about representing our residents and I tried to do that as best as I know how. While I am well aware there have been plenty of people who disagreed with me on various issues and that I made my share of mistakes, I can only hope the legacy of my tenure can be that as a watchdog for fiscal responsibility, ethics, transparency, process and open communication, which were many of the tenets that I initially ran on back in 2007.
Probably the greatest thing about serving the community is all the amazing people that I met along the way and the number of truly great friends I made as a result. My wife quickly learned that if she sent me to pick up milk at Eden by myself, it would usually take about an hour, because I would inevitably run into someone that would either say hello or stop to share an issue with me. While I didn't always have all the answers, I don't think there is a single person who could say I didn't listen or try to help in any way I could, and for me, that was always the most rewarding part of this experience.
I plan to continue to make myself available on Maplewood Online, as I always have, and will likely continue to send out periodic email updates or post periodic blog posts on Patch, Alternative Press and at trusteegoldberg.blogspot.com, which is a blog I started very shortly after I started on the Board back in 2007. I love to periodically look back at older posts to see what the hot topics were at a particular point or to see if my opinion on an issue has evolved. Fortunately, I can stand proud of what I wrote about the opinions I held and it stands as a virtual scrapbook of my 6 years on the Board. Again, I know that there were many people who disagreed with me, but I don't think there is anyone who didn't clearly know where I stood on any issue.
Lastly, none of this would have been possible without the support, love and encouragement of my incredible wife, Amy, and daughter, Stephanie. They selflessly gave up so many many nights with me to allow me to devote time at countless meetings, on long phone calls or answering emails (not to mention the periodic interruptions during Dinner in a restaurant when we would run into someone we knew, or who knew me).
In closing, "Goodbye" certainly doesn't seem right since I will still be living here and as a taxpayer, I expect to continue paying close attention to what is going on in town, sharing information and calling out any perceived improprieties, just as I did before my time on the Board and as I always did while serving on the Board.
So perhaps, as always, a quote from Bruce Springsteen says it best - "let's take the good times as they go. And I'll meet you further on up the road".
Thank you, South Orange!
Sincerely,
Michael Goldberg
South Orange Village Trustee 2007-2013
