12/20/2023
Farewell, Caldwell.
Borough Council Meeting
Farewell Remarks
12/19/2023
Mayor Jones, Councilman President Alonzo, Councilwoman Buechner, Councilman Brown, Councilman Danielowiz, Councilman Cole, and residents of Caldwell:
Tonight’s Council meeting concludes my 2nd term as an elected member of local government. It is a very bittersweet moment for me. Nothing can replace the deep satisfaction of being a member of this body. After 6 years, however, I am looking forward to having more time to spend with my family.
Speaking of family, I would not be sitting here today without the support of my wife, Melissa, and our two amazing daughters, Aubrey and Josie. To Melissa: thank you for your patience with Borough matters that twice a month took me away from evenings at home as well as with the frequently long phone calls or emails that kept me in the office. To Aubrey and Josie: I hope you have learned something of what it means to represent others from the conversations that we’ve had about Caldwell.
In 2017, I started paying as much attention to local politics as I did to national headlines. I soon discovered a few decisions by Council members that I thought I could have made differently for the better. So, I decided to run for a seat on this Council. I found a great running mate in Henderson Cole, who initially told me he would rather loose with high voter turnout than win with low voter turnout (that’s just how passionate he is about voter participation). We formulated a campaign that centered around building a better Borough with specific policy ideas regarding public safety, transparency, and the environment. We received the endorsement of the local Democratic Committee, whose members supported our campaign. We walked every district, knocked on doors, had several Coffee with the Candidates events, and made several new friends who were also eager to get involved. We avoided any personal attacks and stuck to the issues. The voters paid attention and gave us a chance. We ran again in 2020 and were given another opportunity to serve.
Over the past 6 years, Henderson and I have worked successfully together on the following efforts:
-Getting the Council to rescind the 52% pay raise that it gave itself in 2015. Mission Accomplished!
-Revising the Borough’s official seal (literally giving it color) and official website, making it user friendly and ADA compliant
-A resolution passed regarding the Borough’s use of social media
-A 4-way stop installed at the intersection of Forest and Hatfield
-Getting pedestrian signage installed beside every Borough crosswalk
-Passing an ordinance that formalizes the office of Borough Clerk
-Passing a Redevelopment Plan that will allow our Downtown to develop at a proper pace
-Restructuring the Borough’s budget to clarify and streamline the various envelopes of public money
We did not always agree on every vote, but any disagreements have always been agreeable, as it should be.
Allow me in closing to share a few lessons I’ve learned and recommendations I’d like to make as I leave this office:
Lessons
1. Nothing good ever happens in government without people following-up. Didn’t get a return email or phone call? Send another one. Be the squeaky wheel. Hold everyone to account. Pay attention to the
details. Read the meeting minutes.
2. Political parties are a means to an end; not an end in themselves. I believed this before taking office,
but I’ve learned this truth deeply and somewhat painfully from my own experience. When political
parties become an end in themselves, they become political idols and are no longer worthy of your
support. People and the right policy must always be the priority over party.
3. The health of our Borough depends upon people getting involved. Elections have consequences, and
the only people who get elected are the people who actually run for office. I believe firmly that more
residents should take their turn standing watch over our Borough by running for Council seats.
I recommend that the Borough Council pass the following ordinances:
-One which requires potential developers to disclose any political campaign contributions, just as it does for contractors. This is currently a glaring loophole that is ripe for exploitation.
-One which establishes public interest threshold beyond which any potential Council vote gets automatically sent to the ballot in November so voters can give direct input.
-One which prohibits any Administration from purchasing products for the Borough made in the
People’s Republic of China. They are the #1 pacing threat to the United States, and we in Caldwell can do our part to ensure that the Borough supports America and other pro-democratic countries to help prevent a Communist near-peer adversary from gaining more of economic hegemony and influence over us.
Mayor Jones, thank you for your leadership and your friendship. Both have been a breath of fresh air. To my colleagues, thank you for your commitment to doing what is in the best interest of our residents. To Brittany, Kim, Mario, and all the staff members; Chief Bongiorno and the Caldwell Police Department; Chief Pollara and the entire Caldwell Volunteer Fire Department; the West Essex First Aid Squad and all the volunteer residents who serve to help make Caldwell better: thank you for your service. Local government is a team sport, and all of you are first-string players.
President Grover Cleveland said, “Every citizen should be ‘politician enough’ to bring himself within the true meaning of the term, as one who concerns himself with ‘the regulation or government of a nation or state for the preservation of its safety, peace, and prosperity.’ This is politics in the best sense, and this is good citizenship.” Thank you for allowing me to serve Caldwell for the past 6 years. I hope that I have contributed in some lasting ways to help build a better Borough. I hope see you all here again sometime in the future.
May God bless the Borough of Caldwell.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays
