Here is his speech:
Thank you. Happy New Year!
I’ve heard it said that leaders take the blame when things go wrong, but give credit to others when things go well. In that spirit, I’m delighted to be able to stand before you here today, so to begin, I’d like to express my thanks to the Maplewood Democratic Committee for their endorsement last spring, and for their support and for all that they do for Maplewood.
And also a big thank you to my campaign team - my campaign treasurer, Linda Gadsby, and my campaign manager, Lynne Robinson, and to all the volunteers who put in so many hours and helped make today possible.
Thanks to all of you who made contributions - money, time, even opening your homes and hosting coffee klatches to give me an opportunity to meet more of the residents of Maplewood.
I’d also like to extend my additional thanks to the ongoing members of the Maplewood township committee - Jerry Ryan, our deputy mayor Fred Profeta, our Vice Mayor Kathy Leventhal and our Mayor, Vic DeLuca, - for their years of service - I look forward to working with all of you.
I’d also like to acknowledge and thank my predecessor, Mr. Lester Lewis-Powder for his years of service on the township committee as well.
To my good friends and my family, some of who are here today, and most especially, to my wife Jeaniene and our two children, Marques and Simone....I love you, and thank you for all your support and encouragement.
And finally, I’d like to thank you, the 24,000 residents of Maplewood, for entrusting me with the opportunity to serve you for the next three years.
I’ve heard it said that leaders take the blame when things go wrong, but give credit to others when things go well. In that spirit, I’m delighted to be able to stand before you here today, so to begin, I’d like to express my thanks to the Maplewood Democratic Committee for their endorsement last spring, and for their support and for all that they do for Maplewood.
And also a big thank you to my campaign team - my campaign treasurer, Linda Gadsby, and my campaign manager, Lynne Robinson, and to all the volunteers who put in so many hours and helped make today possible.
Thanks to all of you who made contributions - money, time, even opening your homes and hosting coffee klatches to give me an opportunity to meet more of the residents of Maplewood.
I’d also like to extend my additional thanks to the ongoing members of the Maplewood township committee - Jerry Ryan, our deputy mayor Fred Profeta, our Vice Mayor Kathy Leventhal and our Mayor, Vic DeLuca, - for their years of service - I look forward to working with all of you.
I’d also like to acknowledge and thank my predecessor, Mr. Lester Lewis-Powder for his years of service on the township committee as well.
To my good friends and my family, some of who are here today, and most especially, to my wife Jeaniene and our two children, Marques and Simone....I love you, and thank you for all your support and encouragement.
And finally, I’d like to thank you, the 24,000 residents of Maplewood, for entrusting me with the opportunity to serve you for the next three years.
As I stand here today, I am grateful and humbled for that trust that you have given me, allowing me to serve on the Maplewood Township Committee. It is not a responsibility I take lightly. We live today in challenging times, no doubt. But I embrace this challenge.
What I most enjoyed the most about the campaign was having the opportunity to go all over town and talk to you, my Maplewood neighbors. I heard about how much you love Maplewood. The people, the houses, the sense of community. This is truly an amazing town. And I share that love of this town with you.
When my wife and I moved here 19 years ago, it was because we wanted to live in a diverse, suburban real community and we wanted our children to grow up in an environment that would enrich their lives academically and socially. Looking back on these 19 years, Maplewood has absolutely been everything that we hoped that it would be - and more. So many different kinds of people - different ages, different races, different religions - so much socioeconomic diversity, lifestyle diversity. In many ways, we are truly living the American dream here in our little town - there’s so much going on in the four square miles that we live in!
What I most enjoyed the most about the campaign was having the opportunity to go all over town and talk to you, my Maplewood neighbors. I heard about how much you love Maplewood. The people, the houses, the sense of community. This is truly an amazing town. And I share that love of this town with you.
When my wife and I moved here 19 years ago, it was because we wanted to live in a diverse, suburban real community and we wanted our children to grow up in an environment that would enrich their lives academically and socially. Looking back on these 19 years, Maplewood has absolutely been everything that we hoped that it would be - and more. So many different kinds of people - different ages, different races, different religions - so much socioeconomic diversity, lifestyle diversity. In many ways, we are truly living the American dream here in our little town - there’s so much going on in the four square miles that we live in!
At the same time, while we cherish so much about what we have here, we would be remiss if we didn’t also acknowledge that our town faces challenges as well. Like so many other towns and cities across America, Maplewood also faces daunting economic challenges as we fight to hold on to what we have here. We want the things that our taxes help pay for - clean and safe streets, strong schools for our children, a healthy business community. And the costs of providing these services has been growing, and that has translated into a tax level that is becoming increasingly burdensome. If we are to maintain or even improve the services that we provide, and limit tax increases, we are going to have strive as best we can to operate more efficiently and cost-effectively.
I spoke during the campaign about our need to ramp up our efforts in the area of shared services - our municipality sharing the responsibility for delivering the services that our taxes pay for with other municipalities, the county and even the state. I believe that Maplewood should be at the forefront of these kinds of efforts, just as it has been at the forefront of other initiatives, for example:
I spoke during the campaign about our need to ramp up our efforts in the area of shared services - our municipality sharing the responsibility for delivering the services that our taxes pay for with other municipalities, the county and even the state. I believe that Maplewood should be at the forefront of these kinds of efforts, just as it has been at the forefront of other initiatives, for example:
· on issues of diversity and racial integration
· On gay rights
· And on being a “Green” community, promoting environmentally friendly practices
We’ve done a good job at starting to look at opportunities to work with other towns to get things accomplished in a way that benefits everyone, economically and efficiency-wise. And we’ve accomplished some good things as well. But I believe we can do more, and that we must.
My focus on this is manifested in some of the committees that I have chosen to be a part of, specifically:
the shared services committee,
the shared services advisory committee,
and the Essex County Municipal Council Exchange, a group of nearly 20 municipalities in Essex County that are working together to expand shared services and help shape legislation and policy at the state and local levels.
My focus on this is manifested in some of the committees that I have chosen to be a part of, specifically:
the shared services committee,
the shared services advisory committee,
and the Essex County Municipal Council Exchange, a group of nearly 20 municipalities in Essex County that are working together to expand shared services and help shape legislation and policy at the state and local levels.
Another committee that I have chosen to work on is the communications committee. It is a core belief of mine that an informed, engaged community is a stronger one. We need to work together, and in order to do that, you need to be informed about what is going on. I am pleased that the township web site has been redesigned and will be rolled out later this month - this will make it easier for you to obtain information there about various town matters. But I also think that it’s important to have opportunities to meet face-to-face so that we and you can hear about things directly as well, so I look forward to that also.
My pledge to you is that as issues arise, I will listen to the varying ideas that you may have and while we may agree on some things and disagree on others, you will know that my decisions will be based on what is best for our entire community. Because from Jacoby Street to Wyoming Avenue, from Villa Terrace to Peachtree Road, from Wellesley Road and Amherst Court to North Terrace, Maplewood Avenue and Springfield Avenue - it's all Maplewood to me.
In closing, I just want to thank each and every one of you for coming today, and for allowing me the opportunity to serve you for the next three years. I look forward to working with you to move our wonderful community forward in the face of the challenges we have today. I am confident that if we do this, if we work together, then just as my wife and I can look back on our time here today and say that Maplewood has been everything that we hoped it would be and more, we will all still be able to echo those same words together years from now.
Thank you again, and Happy New Year everyone!
My pledge to you is that as issues arise, I will listen to the varying ideas that you may have and while we may agree on some things and disagree on others, you will know that my decisions will be based on what is best for our entire community. Because from Jacoby Street to Wyoming Avenue, from Villa Terrace to Peachtree Road, from Wellesley Road and Amherst Court to North Terrace, Maplewood Avenue and Springfield Avenue - it's all Maplewood to me.
In closing, I just want to thank each and every one of you for coming today, and for allowing me the opportunity to serve you for the next three years. I look forward to working with you to move our wonderful community forward in the face of the challenges we have today. I am confident that if we do this, if we work together, then just as my wife and I can look back on our time here today and say that Maplewood has been everything that we hoped it would be and more, we will all still be able to echo those same words together years from now.
Thank you again, and Happy New Year everyone!
