Courage to Connect NJ Encourages Consolidation of Scotch Plains and Fanwood

Is it necessary for New Jersey to have 566 separate municipalities?

This is the question that Courage to Connect NJ asks the citizens of New Jersey. Courage to Connect NJ will be holding a public forum in Scotch Plains on Wednesday, March 2nd. The meeting was orchestrated to encourage the effort to combine Scotch Plains and Fanwood.

Courage to Connect NJ's aims to reduce the number of municipalities in New Jersey  while retaining the individuality of every community. The organization believes that lessening the number of municipalities to 100-150 can make communication with the state government more effective and efficient, while also giving individual municipalities access to more funding. 

 Gina Genovese founded the group after serving as mayor of Long Hill Township and enduring a Senatorial campaign. She used her first-hand experience in state government to get a good sense of what can be done better, and how it can be done. At Wednesday's public forum, she will introduce the Courage to Connect NJ Guidebook. She hopes the guide will garner more support for her group's campaign at the local levels. The program is based around six steps: Organize, Prepare Application to Create Study Commission, Obtain Local Approval for Study Commission, Obtain State Approval for Study Commission, Study Commission Recommends Consolidation, and Obtain Local Approval for Consolidation.

 While it sounds straightforward, there will be plenty of opposition by those who worry consolidation will bring about job loss. The group addresses and acknowledges the clearing of 'redundant' positions in the new and merged towns.

 The organization believes that savings come from the elimination of redundant positions that are required for each town, including township administrators, clerks, tax assessors, CFOs, inspectors, attorneys, DPW management, et cetera. In addtion, Mayors, councils, and committees would come from a larger pool of qualified people. Dual office holding would be impossible to justify. This new structure also gives Mayors, councils, and committees more leverage with the state and contract negotiations.”

 Courage to Connect NJ uses Woodbridge and Millburn as its prime examples. Woodbridge consists of Woodbridge Proper, Fords, Keasbey, Port Reading, Hopelawn, Sewaren, Iselin, Colonia, and Avenel. While most areas have their own communities and services, they are governed overall by the township of Woodbridge. The group views Woodbridge as an ideal model.

Millburn, which encompasses the area of Short Hills, operates on a similar but smaller scale. This example is close to what Courage to Connect NJ is trying to encourage with Scotch Plains and Fanwood. 

Wednesday's forum will be held at 7:30pm in the multi purpose room at Brunner Elementary School at 721 Westfield Rd. in Scotch Plains. Citizens will have a chance to pick up their own copy of the group's guidebook and voice their opinion for or against the movement. Anyone interested can also get a copy of the guidebook at the website for the Courage to Connect NJ at www.couragetoconnectnj.org.