Nov 2012 - Nassau Journals

Recommendations

Info

12 THE JOURNAL NOVEMBER 2012 DAVID COOK AND JAY TAYLOR SEEK RE-ELECTION By Pravin J. Philip, Biz4NJ Dave Cook, Cranbury’s mayor, and Jay Taylor, incumbent township committee member, are hoping the voters will reelect them to another term on the Cranbury Township Committee. Cook was elected to the mayor position unanimously by his Democratic and Republican peers. Jay Taylor was first elected as a Republican and now stands for re-election on the Democratic ticket. Over the last term, he has served as liaison to a variety of departments, which, according to him, accounted for 33 percent of Cranbury’s budget. Jay recently had to retire as the township’s liaison to the Fire Department after joining the Fire Department. Mayor Cook: 2012 Version A financial advisor by trade, Cook had a baptism by fire, when first elected to the township committee in 2009. In his first year as mayor, Cranbury’s ratable had shrunk by a sixth. The $300 million in reduced ratable that fell off the town’s books was a rude awakening. Given these difficult circumstances and the need for bipartisan management, Mayor Cook says that he “created an environment for decision making” that shaved $500,000 off Cranbury’s operating expenses in three years. He said he did this by looking at fiscal policy, capital projects, as well as expanding the town’s commercial zones, and diversifying beyond warehouses, within the framework of Cranbury’s Master Plan as last updated in 2010. The township committee he led was also able to preserve 250 acres of open space. The mayor points out that “open space reduces the need for infrastructure” even as it “improves quality of life.” His advice to Cranburians was to “attend budget meetings” even if it seems like “watching paint dry.” While presiding over two consecutive budgets that gradually raised taxes, the mayor was, in his words, Re-elect DAVE COOK and JAY TAYLOR Cranbury Township Committee Success and Experience • 247 acres of farmland preserved with the town paying only 17.6 % of the purchase price • Decreased budget by half a million dollars since 2009 • $2 million in debt reduction since 2009 • Sponsored purchase of traffic safety equipment providing additional driver and pedestrian safety for residents Paid for by the Cranbury Democratic Committee We Will Never Forget forced to look at the “sacred cows,” looking for savings through attrition in the Police Department as well as reductions in the Municipal Alliance budget. In response to charges that taxes were still too high, Cook points out, “our job is not to come in with a machete and start hacking.” Jay Taylor Looks to the Political Middle Like David Cook, Jay Taylor grew up in Cranbury. Unlike the mayor, however, Jay was elected to township committee on the Republican ticket. Jay soon developed a bi-partisan view that prompted him to change party alliances. “I had some philosophical differences with the Republican Party,” recounted Jay. “They moved away from me,” not the other way around. Moving across the aisle, in Jay’s words, was not easy, as his family had been traditionally Republican. Jay’s father served in the 90’s served on Cranbury’s Township Committee as a Republican. Cook and Taylor cite other measures they’ve taken to reduce costs, like merging the positions of Township Administrator and CFO, renegotiating police contracts, and putting together a 911 contract with Hightstown that purportedly saved $80,000 per year. Jay and David also assert that they have achieved even more savings by reducing an employee in the construction department, removing medical benefits for future township employees who retire, and consolidating suppliers. Both men have taken heat for approving the construction of a shed, budgeted at over $300,000, to house Public Works Department vehicles. This is making it harder for future administrations to merge PWD functions with nearby townships or outsource them to for-profit providers. Their defense is that the shed will extend the life of expensive vehicles and allow the township to purchase and store supplies in greater bulk. It is worth noting that the decision to construct the shed was opposed by township committee member Dan Mulligan, a Republican. Unlike their challengers, both Democratic candidates are not in favor of outsourcing any more functions of the Public Works Department. They point out that two Public Works employees currently volunteer with the Fire Department for an extra dollar per hour added to their wages. This is especially useful because the township is, according to them, saving an estimated $125,000 for each employee they would need to hire to address a recurrent shortage of Fire Department volunteers. Candidates on both sides have paid lip service to the need to encourage residents to stay on after their children are educated. The Republicans talk about reducing costs, and the Democrats have talked about finding ways to provide more services to seniors. Township Committee Member Glenn Johnson and Dan Mulligan, the township committee’s liaison to the Human Services Commission, are into adding some of the administrative services needed by seniors to the Recreation Department, which has a part-time employee who can help. The inexplicable disconnect here is that while it is the older more long-term citizens of Cranbury who vote in higher numbers, the township seems to spend far more of its resources on a school system that increasingly serves a younger, more transient population. One step in the right direction is an emerging effort by Cranbury School to engage more seniors as mentors. The people of Cranbury, the School Board, and both parties need to find ways to incentivize families who have benefited from Cranbury’s schools to put down deeper roots despite the higher taxes. As Mayor David Cook said, “at the end of the day we’re all Cranburians.”
THE JOURNAL NOVEMBER 2012 13 CRANBURY’S REPUBLICANS MOUNT CHALLENGE FOR TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE By Pravin J.Philip Challengers Cindy Smithers and Tom Connolly are campaigning for seats on Cranbury’s Township Committee. They promote the national Republican platform of lower taxes, less regulation, and more efforts to increase business opportunities, and thereby the tax base. As Tom Connolly said at a recent community meeting, “the only way we know that the government is not going to waste your money, is not to give it to them in the first place.” Partisan Affiliations Prevail At a recent “Meet the Candidate’s” event on October 10, Phylissanne Stehn, the Chairperson of the Republican Party in Cranbury, pointed out that this year’s younger Republican candidates deserved more encouragement. However, she observed that it was the older, more partisan voters, who attended political meetings for the community. According to the Township Clerk Kathleen Cunnigham, some 1,208, or 44.4, percent of Cranbury’s 2,716 voting worthies are unaffiliated. Of those with affiliations, 826 identify themselves as Democratic and 680 say they are Republican. The 5.4 percent advantage the Democrats have on paper is negligible, given the size of the unaffiliated voter group. Also, if primary participation is an indication, the Republicans appear to have a more enthusiastic base. According to data received from Tom Connolly, candidates racked up 267 votes together, while the Democrats had 171 votes between them. Cindy Smithers Cindy is a Penn State Graduate with a BS in Labor Relations. She is a product manager for testing software and publishing reviews of them. She served as Republican Committeewoman for District One (of three) in Cranbury. She has lived in Cranbury for over 10 years, had two children in the school system, and volunteered at various positions for the Boy Scouts, school, and township. Her husband, Rob, recently returned from an armed forces tour in Iraq. Though she supports Republican positions, she is “not looking at who is Republican or Democrat.” When asked what changes she would like to make in the way Cranbury was run, Cindy said, “I will work hard to bring more businesses into town.” She cited three parcels of commercial property that have been vacant for a long time. She wants to work harder at finding businesses that could use vacant properties like that. She feels it is harder than it should be for businesses to come in, particularly as variances are difficult. “I’m business friendly with a fresh perspective.” She also said she was in favor of “zero-based budgeting,” which questions all expense heads and builds the budget up from scratch. When asked if she thought the township committee was doing a bad job, she said, “We may disagree on specifics, but we are all friends here.” She was not overly critical of Jay Taylor’s decision to switch parties. “Jay must have had his reasons for switching,” she says. She feels that the township needs more female representation, Cindy Smithers and Tom Connolly as Susan Goetz is the sole female representative on the township committee. She made her point with a slow smile, “It would be nice to have another woman on board.” Tom Connolly Cindy’s co-challenger is all of 25 years old. He is a graduate of James Madison University Business School with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration. During his student days, Tom says he founded and led the local chapter of “Adopt a Platoon,” which supported troops by sending them care packages. Tom has lived in Cranbury for 22 years and is a product of the local school district. He is a manager at the Westminster Hotel, which he describes as a “AAA Four Diamond property.” When pressed about his youth, Connolly pointed out that Abraham Lincoln was elected to the Illinois General Assembly when he was 25. Asked what he would do differently if he were elected, Tom said he “would televise township committee meetings to increase public participation in township government.” He hoped to fund such an continued on page 15 Custom Kitchens, Baths and Renovations 145 West Ward Street, Hightstown, NJ 08520 609-448-5600 | fax 609-448-6838 | www.cranburydesigncenter.com PHONE (609) 371-4631 • FAX (732) 431-9379 • WWW.THEJOURNALNJ.COM Support Our Advertisers
Page 1 and 2: n o v e m b e r 2 0 1 2 of Cranbury
Page 3 and 4: THE JOURNAL NOVEMBER 2012 3 Intervi
Page 5 and 6: T A B of of 4 7 9 10 12 13 20 21 23
Page 7 and 8: THE JOURNAL NOVEMBER 2012 7 APOLLO
Page 9 and 10: THE JOURNAL NOVEMBER 2012 9 EW SCHO
Page 11: THE JOURNAL NOVEMBER 2012 11 A.F.E.
Page 15 and 16: THE JOURNAL NOVEMBER 2012 15 FREE R
Page 17 and 18: THE JOURNAL NOVEMBER 2012 17 calend
Page 19 and 20: THE JOURNAL NOVEMBER 2012 19 LOVE T
Page 21 and 22: THE JOURNAL NOVEMBER 2012 21 By Gle
Page 23 and 24: THE JOURNAL NOVEMBER 2012 23 CONTRA
Page 25 and 26: THE JOURNAL NOVEMBER 2012 25 TRIATH
Page 27 and 28: THE JOURNAL NOVEMBER 2012 27 Scarin
Page 29 and 30: THE JOURNAL NOVEMBER 2012 29 CHECK
Page 31 and 32: Not to worry…I won’t be giving

Nov 2012 - Nassau Journals

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?