All or Nothin' At All

Washington, D.C is not the only place with a budget stalemate. Here in South Orange, we are currently facing our own stalemate, with the Board of Trustees evenly split over the proposed tax increase for this year. Myself, Trustee Gould and Trustee Bauer are advocating for a 0% municipal increase. Trustees David Ford, Levison and Rosner are advocating for a 2% increase.

While I cannot speak for my colleagues, I can certainly share MY opinion.

1. While there is now a 2% "cap" in place for tax increases, I do not think that maximizing increases should be our goal. We have such an enormous tax burden to begin with, every increase on top of that is "real" money and we should do what we can to minimize the increases.
2. We can actually accomplish a 0% increase this year, without ANY additional cuts in services. The most significant source of the revenue is from our recent settlement with our Police and Fire Unions. Over the past 3 years, we have been budgeting "x" for Police/Fire increases. However, until the arbitrator provided their ruling this year, that money has been accruing. The arbitrator's ruling was quite a bit less than had been budgeted, so the "excess" taxes that had been collected over the past 3 years should rightfully be returned to the taxpayers. We can accomplish that and STILL have additional funds in "surplus" to deal with any unexpected events next year.
3. This year Maplewood passed a budget with a 0% increase and it is important that we stay in close parity to them since our towns are so comparable in many ways.
4. Lastly, although we are being told we need a higher increase this year so as to not face a steep increase NEXT year, let me share that we have heard that same argument for each of the past 3 years, as per the following table. Things always look bad for the subsequent year and somehow, we always manage to significantly reduce the looming increase:

Year	Initial Tax Increase Estimate	ACTUAL Tax Increase
2008	13%	6.5%
2009	27%	3.9%
2010	29%	1.94%

Taxes have been spiraling out control for way too long, in South Orange, and throughout New Jersey. The time is finally right to take a stand and hold the line for once.

As always, I'd love to hear what you think.

From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come)

As many have heard, earlier this year, the Board of Trustees created a Special Improvement District Advisory Committee. This Committee was formed after several business and property owners came forward to express concerns about the state of the downtown. (I blogged about this last Summer http://trusteegoldberg.blogspot.com/2010/08/dirty-boulevard.html) They provided hundreds of photographs of litter, poor maintenance and unsightly conditions all around the downtown. After discussing a variety of options and realizing the limited financial and human resources available to the Village to address the problem, the idea of creating an Improvement District was raised and the BOT created a committee to study the feasability.

The Special Improvement District Advisory committee, consisting of representatives from Main Street, the Parking Authority, Board of Trustee liaisons and a majority of business/property owners, has been meeting every other week since April. Since that time, the committee has prioritized potential goals for the Improvement District, outlined a potential boundary for the District, created a potential budget and is now ready to share the findings with the business community at large and residents. While all meetings have been open to the public, the committee wanted to hold a special open forum where they could present what they have been discussing and solicit input from the wider community.

The public forum will be held on Wednesday, July 20 at 8pm in the SOPAC loft. All business and property owners are invited to attend. In addition, the committee would like residents to also attend since they also have a vested interest in the success of our downtown. Please mark your calendar and join us.

For further information, you can visit http://www.southorange.org/downtown/or send an email to downtown@southorange.org your comments or questions.

When the Lights Go Out

Is a gas lamp near you malfunctioning? As I travel around town, I notice MANY gaslamps that do not have all 3 mantles glowing and it would be incredibly helpful if everyone pitched in to report them.

South Orange’s signature gas lamps offer less illumination than a normal street lamp, so it’s important from a public safety perspective that they always work at maximum capacity.

The Village is asking residents to take an active role by being aware of how to recognize a problem and report it to PSEG. If there is a gas lamp in front of your property, we would like you to adopt it. Keep an eye on it and report any malfunction. It takes only minutes to save $'s and gas.

Here are the basics to know:
• All gas lamps operate with a triple mantle burner.
• Each lamp should have three glowing mantles 24 hours a day. In addition, the globe should be clean and clear. Reporting a malfunction or dirty globe is easy. Simply go to the Village website, http://www.southorange.org/, and from the opening page, top left, under “Easy Access,” click on “Report Streetlight Outage. ”You’ll be connected to a PSE&G Customer Service form, where you can report your observations.
• Or call 1-800-436-PSEG (7734) to give the location of the gas lamp, and the nearest cross street.

Local Hero

It is with great sadness and great pride that we complete our final Board of Trustees meeting  tonight with Doug Newman as our Village President.  Sadness, of course, because we are losing our leader and someone who has been a great inspiration to many.  Of course, I often disagreed with Doug as he did with me.  However, he always managed to keep his cool and work calmly to find a workable compromise to almost any issue.

 

As anyone who watched these meetings or got to know Doug quickly saw, he truly does know something about everything. (although he sometimes would like you to think he knew everything about everything)  His grasp of facts, figures and infinite details for a wide variety of critical issues that were happening at any given time is incredible.   Watching Doug navigate through the issues in excruciating detail, even into the wee hours of the morning, was exhausting, yet impressive.  Yet, I would often awaken the next morning after a late Executive session to find numerous additional emails from Doug that were written even after the meeting or before I had awaken.  Doug is never one to toot his own horn, but he literally did work for the Village 24 x 7 these past 4 years.

 

However, it is difficult for anyone to sustain that level of commitment for anything, so it wasn't a huge surprise when Doug announced he was not going to run again so he could regain his life and focus his energy elsewhere.

 

I have great pride for having served with him and the things that have been accomplished under his leadership these past 4 years.  When I think back to the way things were just 4 years ago, it was a very different Village – just looking around the room here, we have a new Clerk, a new attorney and a new Director of Recreation.  Meetings are more focused, agendas and ordinances are posted online in advance of the meetings and we always announce Executive Session agenda items publicly.   We also rarely have long lines of residents standing at the podium to complain about issues - although that is partly because many of those complainers are now sitting up here on the dais.   Looking around town, there are many things that have happened on Doug's watch - Eden Gourmet is open and thriving, the Firehouse renovation is complete, and the first phase of the River Greenway is completed.  While Doug cannot take direct direct credit for these items, just 4 years ago, we thought these were all "Coming Soon" and they are now all realities. 

 

There are so many memorable events and activities I shared with President Newman over the past  4 years, from literally measuring streets for commuter parking spaces with a tape measure, to  attending ribbon cuttings for new businesses, to hosting Mock BOT Meetings with the Cub Scouts to probably one of Doug's most enjoyable tasks – establishing the Community Garden.  Of course, we have also had our share of challenges – from potential layoffs of employees, to a very public issue over a private conversation between 2 Trustees, to "flash mobs", to continuously scrutinizing the budget to mitigate the insane tax burden we all bear.  However, through it all , Doug has provided leadership and remained focused on doing everything he could, solely for the benefit of all residents. 

 

As we end a Chapter in South Orange history, I may be biased, but I can honestly say that South Orange is a better place than it was 4 years ago.  It truly does "take a village" to make things happen – from all the employees, to the residents, to all of us up here, to the business owners.  We should all be proud of our town and be thankful for the endless time and energy that Doug Newman contributed over the past 4 years.  It has been an honor to serve with him and I thank him for his service to our community.

 

Be True

Right after the Board of Ed election this week, comes the latest Board of Trustees election on May 10. For those people who do not follow local politics, there are four seats up for election this year - 3 Trustee seats (currently held by Mark Rosner, Howard Levison and Deborah Davis Ford) and the Village President seat (currently held by Doug Newman).

Several weeks ago, we learned that at the filing deadline, the 3 Trustee seats will be uncontested by the 3 Trustees currently occupying them. Congratulations to my colleagues on being willing to serve another 4 years.

We also learned that Doug Newman decided not to run again and the Village President seat is being contested between current Trustee, Janine Bauer, and newcomer, Alex Torpey.

As most people know, I ran together with Janine Bauer two years ago (along with Nancy Gould) and I wholeheartedly endorse her taking the next step as our next Village President. As an attorney, Janine has an incredible depth of knowledge on many issues. I've worked closely with Janine over the past 2 years and have seen her logical and analytical approach to every issue. Having worked alongside President Newman these past 4 years, I have seen firsthand the incredibly complex and difficult issues that must be addressed by the Village President. From contract negotiations, to legal issues, to personnel issues, to financial issues, to public relations issues, and overall leadership - the job of Village President is incredibly demanding and requires tremendously broad experience. Janine Bauer in the only candidate that has the experience, maturity and demeanor to lead our Village for the next 4 years.

I actually know Alex reasonably well, think highly of him and commend him for stepping up to run for a difficult and often thankless position. However, having seen what the role of Village President really entails, I simply cannot discount the one quality that only comes with time - experience. Janine Bauer has the experience. I hope you will join me in supporting her for Village President on May 10.

The Rising

In past years, I have resisted getting involved in Board of Education elections for a variety of reasons. However, this year, the stakes are simply too high and I could no longer sit on the sidelines without expressing my opinion. This year, I wholeheartedly am endorsing Marian Cutler and her running-mate, Jim LoStuto.

Not that many years ago, our school district was top-ranked in the state. However, most recently, NJ Monthly Magazine ranked our High School 75th out of 322. That is simply not good enough. (By comparison, our neighbor in Millburn was ranked 1 and Glen Ridge was ranked 4) We need members of the Board of Education that are focused on increasing rigor in our curriculum, so our District can re-capture the "prestige" it once had. There is simply nothing more important to our community and our property values than the quality of our school district. In addition, we need members of the Board of Education, who realize that a "one size fits all model" simply does not work. The School District needs to take into account differing abilities and objectively provide varied levels that work to the students' varied abilities.

As I said in my letter to the News Record,we need people on the Board who are willing to make tough decisions and fight to ensure that our kids receive the best possible education. In these challenging economic times, that requires creativity and a willingness to think outside the box and beyond the status quo. As a member of the South Orange Board of Trustees, I know firsthand how difficult it is to balance state mandated caps, the demands of Union contracts and the passionate needs and wants of our diverse community. The balance that the School Board must find is no different. However, with the School Budget consuming over 56% of every resident's incredibly high tax bill, it is critical to elect someone who is vividly aware of the tax burden but is willing and able to look at things differently to move our District forward, despite the challenges.

I have known Marian Cutler for several years and know that there is nobody more passionate and dedicated to our kids and our District. Marian Cutler is willing to devote the time and energy required to be an effective leader and an advocate for a strong rigorous education that fully prepares all of our kids for the intensely competitive world that we all live in. Her corporate expertise in Public Relations will bring increased transparency to the Board so we can all be further engaged in decisions that impact the education of our kids. Finally, as an outsider to the Board of Education she will bring a fresh perspective, innovation and creative thinking to education, yet ensuring our excessive tax burden is controlled. Together, her and Jim LoStuto bring a wealth of professionalism, passion and knowledge which will benefit all of our kids and the entire District.

I urge you to join me in supporting Marian Cutler and Jim LoStuto for Board of Education on April 27.

The Wish

At our most recent Budget Workshop held on March 3, we reviewed a number of departments, including Recreation, Code Enforcement and Health, as well as funding for one of the nonprofit organizations - the Community Coalition on Race (CCR) which consumed the largest portion of time.

I have made no secret that I have issues with much of the "politics" of the CCR, including their lobbying of the School District for delevelling and their lobbying of Trenton on Affordable Housing legislation. However, politics aside, in reviewing their financials & financial model in comparison to other nonprofits, both supported and not supported by the Village, it became apparent that something is not right. First, unlike the other organizations supported by the Village, they pay rent plus a significant amount for telephone and internet connectivity. To rectify this, I proposed that we locate appropriate space within either Village Hall or The Baird and provide them space in lieu of a financial subsidy.

Secondly, reviewing a list of other nonprofits in our community, I identified numerous valuable organizations that receive ZERO Municipal dollars, utilizing other models to sustain themselves. Finally, many supporters of the CCR claimed that if we support integration we MUST provide them a subsidy. My response is that we (both as individuals and as a community) support the following organizations, yet we do not provide a taxpayer subsidy to prove it:

Achieve
Improves the academic skills of children in-need by matching them with trained volunteer tutors from the local communities. Every year, 150 ACHIEVE volunteers provide over 2,500 hours of free tutoring to 250 students in grades K-12, who are referred for extra help by their teachers and guidance counselors. ACHIEVE recruits volunteers - professionals, retirees, parents and high school and college students - from local groups and organizations and the community-at-large.

Adult School of South Orange/Maplewood
Offers a wide array of affordable, high-quality classes, lectures, and trips to more than 1,600 local residents each semester

First Night of Maplewood/South Orange
Provides an alcohol-free family-friendly way for the Community to celebrate New Years Eve

Jersey Animal Coalition
Provides homeless dogs and cats with medical attention, shelter, and boarding, and find them permanent loving homes. Based in South Orange, New Jersey, but place animals throughout the state and nearby states. Since its founding, rescued over 6,500 stray and abandoned pets. Without JAC's intervention, these animals would most likely have been euthanized in pounds or left to die on the streets.

JESPY House
An extraordinary program for adults with learning and developmental disabilities who demonstrate the ability to live independently and gain competitive employment.

Lions Club of South Orange
Lions are an international network of 1.3 million men and women in 202 countries and geographic areas who work together to answer the needs that challenge communities around the world. Known for working to end preventable blindness, Lions participate in a vast variety of projects important to their communities. These projects range from cleaning up local parks to providing supplies to victims of natural disasters.

Montrose Park Historic District Association
Promote, preserve and beautify the Montrose Park Historic District, maintain its integrity and enhance the quality of life for its residents. Promotes promote public awareness and sensitivity to the history and architectural significance of the Montrose Park Historic District through house tours, lectures, beautification programs and other projects.

Newcomers Club of South Orange/Maplewood
Extends a warm welcome to newcomers in both South Orange and Maplewood. Has about 100 member households and run 15 to 20 activities each month. Hosts a monthly General Meeting and offer a wide variety of activities, programs and services in an effort to acquaint new residents with the area and to promote camaraderie and lasting friendships.

South Mountain Peace Action
A community organization based in the towns of Maplewood and South Orange, New Jersey. Works for peaceful alternatives to war and for changing our national priorities to reduce excessive military spending and to increase resources for human needs and the environment. Holds an annual Be About Peace Day in March and many events and actions for peace during the year.

South Orange Historical & Preservation Society
The goal of the organization is to further the study of the history and architecture of the Village of South Orange, New Jersey.

South Orange Rescue Squad
The primary emergency medical service for South Orange Village. Provides basic Life Support ambulance service free of charge to residents and visitors and provide assistance to our neighboring communities. On duty every night from 6:00 PM until 6:00 AM and on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday around the clock. When not on duty, provides back up service to the paid agency that covers the town. Approximately fifty members are unpaid volunteers who received their initial medical training from the Rescue Squad

South Orange Rotary
Rotary club members are a diverse group working to address various community and international service needs. Through community service, Rotary club members help promote peace and understanding throughout the world.

South Orange / Maplewood Interfaith Holocaust Remembrance Committee
Dedicated to preserving and honoring the memory of the six million Jews and 5 million other victims of the Nazi reign.

I certainly don't think anyone in good conscience could critique the value these organizations bring to the community, yet they do so without funding by the taxpayers. Other financial models do exist and the CCR must find which alternative model works for them in order to cease reliance on the taxpayers.