Crossing the Chasm

Lately there has been a lot of talk, political pandering and misinformation about the recent proposal to Outsource the Crossing Guards in South Orange. It is clear this is a very sensitive and complex issue with a lot of emotion involved. In light of ongoing negotiations, it is important to limit some commentary. However, it is also important to ensure that FACTS are being discussed. Many of the following points were made by Village President Newman at Monday's Board of Trustees Meeting and are worth noting:

1. No final decision has yet been reached by the Board of Trustees on how to proceed on this issue

2. IF Outsourcing were to proceed, the same 22 Crossing Guard posts that exist today would continue to exist

3. IF Outsourcing were to proceed, the current Crossing Guards would absolutely have the ability to apply for the jobs, and the Outsourcer would be required to give them consideration.

4. IF Outsourcing were to proceed, it would be with the terms outlined in the RFP issued earlier this year, which includes provisions for background checks, testing the physical ability of the crossing guards (which does NOT happen today) and having Police Officers provide backup (which IS done today) when a Crossing Guard is absent.

5. Currently, the Crossing Guards are part-time employees, working an average of 3.7 hours per day for 180 days per year. These PART-TIME positions are paid a generous hourly wage PLUS fully-paid Healthcare, fully-paid Pensions, paid Vacation days, paid Holidays and paid Sick days. This compensation is simply unsustainable

6. The safety of our residents and our children is of utmost importance to the Board of Trustees

At Monday's Board of Trustees Meeting, some opponents of Outsourcing tried to use fear as an argument against this proposal. Everyone is sensitive to the fact that we are talking about people's jobs. However, using fear is just wrong. This is an issue that can and should be thoroughly debated by a discussion of facts. Spreading misinformation on one side or grandstanding for political gain on the other side simply divides a community instead of trying to productively work together towards a fair solution.

The budget process has been long and painful, but unfortunately a thorough examination of every budget line item was long overdue and we are having to make difficult decisions across many departments, even though it would simply be so much easier to maintain the status quo. However, that was not what we were elected to do. We were elected to do things differently and look at things from a different perspective. I am convinced that if the Crossing Guards are as passionate about their jobs and our children as they emphatically stated Monday night that an equitable solution can be found. I am cautiously optimistic that the ongoing negotiations can be productive. As we were told Monday night by a representative for the Crossing Guards "it's not about the money, they care about the kids". I hope that actions follow those words.

Barak's in the House

After a long and exhausting journey, Barak arrived at our house this morning and will be staying with us for a chunk of the Summer. No...not THAT Barack. Welcome Barak Lilian, a counselor at Stephanie's Summer camp who is here from Israel as part of the "shlichim" program. He will be a counselor for the Ropes course at Gesher Summer Program in Livingston and staying with us until the end of July. This is his first time in the United States and he is very excited to be here. He got a brief tour around South Orange today, including the obligatory trip to Eden Gourmet with Amy. We are happy to be hosting him and hope that everyone who gets a chance to meet him over the coming weeks will give him a warm welcome to South Orange and the USA!

We're all connected

Lately, I've become more and more intrigued by the various Social Networking sites. I've been a user of LinkedIn.com for a very long time, but it seems to have finally gotten quite mainstream over the past few months. When you search for people you know, it's remarkable how many people you recognize from your personal or professional life. I find it to be a great tool to keep up with what people are doing with themselves and their careers. When I was interviewing for a job, I also found it very helpful as a tool to get some insight into the background of the person who would be doing the interviewing. It's always helpful to know your audience!

Most recently, I have finally succumbed to the lure of Facebook. I had previously resisted getting involved because I assumed facebook was more geared towards college-aged students and younger. I was really shocked to learn how many "older" folks like us are out there with Facebook profiles. So, I created a profile, added a few applications and have been enjoying keeping up with friends in a much more informal & casual version of LinkedIn.

I still think each site has it's strengths and can see them co-existing for quite a while. It's clear that marketing has been revolutionized by Social Networking as people are far quicker to trust the recommendation of a friend than by some anonymous commercial they watch on Television. I think we are just seeing the infancy of this phenomenon and it's exciting to see where we are heading. It's amazing to see all the various relationships and connections between people you didn't think had a connection. Eventually, I can see how we will all be connected in some way which has endless possibilities. If nothing else, it'll just be easier to play "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon!"

President Obama!

Wow...after a long hard battle, the Democratic primary season has come to a close and Barack Obama has finally clinched the nomination and is now on his way to become the next President of the United States!

I must say it was one of the most exciting and interesting primary seasons that I ever experienced, but I am glad to see Senator Obama come out ahead. As I said back in February, both Senator Clinton and Senator Obama were well qualified, but I think that a) Senator Obama is the voice of change that we so desperately need right now and b) he simply ran a better campaign.

Now, we move on to the General election campaign against Senator McCain. Personally, I thought Senator McCain portrayed himself well as a moderate back in 2000, but since then he has pandered way too far to the right and the more I learn about him, the less impressed I am. In my mind, he is simply the next in a long line of candidates who felt "their time had come" (like Bob Dole & Walter Mondale) while in reality their best days were already behind them.

The General election should come down to such crystal clear contrasts of age vs. youth, experience vs. change, pro-Iraq war vs. anti-Iraq war, pro-choice vs. anti-choice, that I will find it hard for someone to claim to be "undecided".

Let's hope that Senator Obama makes the right VP choice later this summer to ensure a victory a November. Although many people have suggested Hillary Clinton, I do think that she (and Bill) bring too much baggage to the table that Senator Obama may be much better served with someone with the foreign policy experience, without the baggage. Ironically, 2 outstanding choices - Joe Biden and Wesley Clark don't help with the Electoral College battle, but would be well suited for the job. However, the same was said about Dick Cheney and (unfortunately) we know how that turned out.

In any event, we only have:



left until we can all (hopefully) welcome President Obama!

Midterm Year-in-Review

It's hard to believe that this Wednesday, May 21, 2008 marks the 1 year anniversary since being sworn in as a Trustee in South Orange. It's even harder to believe that my term is now half over. There are many times it feels like nothing has been accomplished other than countless hours of meetings and literally thousands of emails. However, in preparation for the Village President's State of the Village report which is "coming soon", I started to itemize things I have personally been involved in or accomplished and it has been reassuring to realize how much has actually been done:

• Held numerous neighborhood meetings with residents around Grove Park & Fairview Ave area to address their concerns
• Implemented prohibition against parking from Sunset to Sunrise on Park Place
• Explored possibility of automated traffic light cameras at the Public Safety Committee
• Had the Police implement enhanced enforcement of traffic violations in Sloan Street area
• Had the Police shift the hours of SOPAC security detail to later in the evening to better coincide with SOPAC/Clearview hours
• Worked on the Old Stone House Task Force which created a recommendation report focusing on 3 options: Adaptive Reuse for Commercial use, Conveyance and Demolition
• Implemented Project Status report which is posted to the Village website after each Conference Agenda Meeting to better inform the public about ongoing projects in town: http://southorange.org/StatusReport/VillageStatusReport.pdf
• Held first Allcomers/Newcomers Day to encourage Volunteerism in town
• Performed a review of all Village Committees and eliminated over a dozen inactive committees
• Finalizing Village-wide Volunteer Directory which identifies all Village and private volunteer opportunities in town
• Assisted in the formation of the Village Planting Initiative to help beautify the downtown area.

In addition, we have also seen great new businesses like Eden Gourmet, Bonte and Robyn Ross open their doors and many new business poised to open in the next couple months. We have seen the completion of the new employee parking lot at 3rd/Valley, the long-awaited demolition of the adjacent MAP building, the reconstruction of the Sloan Street Parking Lot, completion of the initial phase of the River Corridor project and initiation of an RFP to begin a full Visioning Process for the downtown later this year.

I've also had the honor to attend Celebrate South Orange, Village Halloween Parade, President's Harvest Ball, Governor Corzine Town Hall Meeting, Be About Peace Forum: Can Liberals & Conservatives Find Common Ground on Iraq, South Mountain students assembly on anti-idling, Baseball Parade, Holocaust Remembrance Service, Annual Rahway River Cleanup, Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting, Main Street Annual Meeting and Montrose in May

Despite some other "distractions" and the frustration of the continued failure of the Beifus site, I am proud that we have managed to move forward and have actually made real progress towards alot of the issues we outlined in our platform last year:(http://www.pureprogress.org/platform.php)

So, now that I have reached my "midterm", I frequently am asked if I will be running again next year. The answer simply is that "I really don't know". Certainly, alot depends on my obligations with my "real job" and my family. I also don't want to commit either way at this point so my day-to-day decisions are not tainted by politics. I really do try to give serious consideration to every single vote and don't want to consider whether or not something is "politically correct", but rather whether or not something is "right" and in the best interest of the Village and the taxpayers of the Village. That was my mindset one year ago and I am proud to say that I feel just as strongly about that today.

Coming Soon...Really!

For many years, "Coming Soon" was the motto of South Orange. I am so pleased to see that after so many years, the opening of Eden Gourmet has become a reality and with it, a tremendous sense of pride has been brought to South Orange. It's hard to explain all the excitement over a "market" to people who don't live here, but the eyesore of the former Shop Rite, coupled with the endless delays and simply the lack of good grocery options has been a sore subject for all Villagers for a long time. It is so refreshing to visit this gourmet market for a truly special and pleasant shopping experience. The owners have thought of virtually everything to please customers and if there is anything that they overlooked, they are more than willing to listen to customers to try to accommodate their needs.

The other amazing facet of this store is what a sense of community it has fostered. It is virtually impossible to visit the store and not run into someone that you know. In addition, it has attracted countless people from surrounding towns and other local merchants have commented on the increased pedestrian traffic this has brought to their businesses.

Also, recently in the old "Gio Tech" space, Robyn Fields and her husband Ross have opened Robyn Ross, an upscale women's clothing and fine jewelry store. The couple, Glen Ridge residents, came to South Orange for dinner one night and decided to locate their business here because of the transformation they saw happening in South Orange.

They are not the only ones, because soon there will be even more additional businesses to visit, as well. Coming in June (hopefully), Kitchen ala Mode will be opening in the old "Yeva Hair Salon" space. This store, owned by resident Ben Salmon, will carry unique merchandise for the kitchen and is a perfect compliment for Eden Gourmet.

Coming in July (hopefully), Sparkhouse: Creative Kid’s Stuff will be opening in the old "We've Got Movies" space. The store also owned by a Village resident will carry a variety of merchandise for kids to help them explore their creativity. This store certainly will be a welcome relief for those always scrambling for a last minute birthday present.

Also coming in June or July (hopefully), Village Trattoria of South Orange will be opening in the old "Dancing Goat" space. The restaurant is the latest expansion from the owners of the Village Trattoria that already exists in Maplewood and is well known for their fantastic Italian food at reasonable prices for the whole family.

I wish all of these merchants tremendous success and am very excited that they are all "Coming Soon" (really!)

Never Again!

Last night, I was honored to join other elected officials from South Orange/Maplewood, Senators Menendez and Lautenberg, local Clergy and several hundred residents in the 31st Annual Interfaith Holocaust Remembrance Service. We began with a small gathering in Grove Park and the crowd steadily grew as we marched toward Congregation Oheb Shalom, which hosted the service this year.

The service was a very moving tribute to the memories of the 11 million people (6 million of them Jews) who were systematically slaughtered by the Nazis during World War II. There were numerous Guest speakers from various representatives of the State of NJ, including both of our United States Senators. One of the most moving portions of the evening was during the candlighting that was done by numerous survivors who endured unspeakable atrocities and righteous gentiles who risked their lives to help others.

For me, the evening was personal, as well. My Grandparents were fortunate to come to this country in 1937 from Poland to escape the rising anti-semitism. For a while after they arrived, they corresponded via letters with their siblings and other relatives back in Europe, but after a period of time, the communication ceased. To this day, we have never been able to locate them and can only assume they were victims themselves of the vicious Nazi monsters.

I was very impressed with the enormous turnout that the Remembrance Services received last night. I would certainly like to thank all the members of the Committe that planned and coordinated such a moving tribute. As many people have said, each year we lose more and more survivors and remembering the atrocities becomes even more important for all of us to ensure that NEVER AGAIN shall the world see such hatred and destruction.