Politics & Government

Fanwood Debate: The Mayoral Candidates

Mayor Colleen Mahr, a Democrat, and Fanwood Republican Committee Chairman Joe Britt squared off Thursday night in their only debate before the election for mayor.

Fanwood's two candidates for mayor took part in a debate Thursday night hosted by The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Times. Mayor Colleen Mahr, a Democrat, is seeking her third term in office. Fanwood Republican Committee Chairman Joe Brit is seeking to unseat her.

The debate was moderated by Times assignment editor Paul Peyton.

1. Peyton opened the debate by asking each candidate to describe the management style he or she would bring to the mayor's office, if elected.
Mahr said she aims to "serve by example," such as by taking "my concerns to the county building or right to the halls of Trenton." She added that she also sees herself "as a communicator. When we had hard times, I took people to Forest Road Park to talk about the layoffs. I believe that when we look at the borough website today, the reverse-911 calls, the hands-on communication, the shows I do on Channel 35 with Inside Fanwood, I feel the people of Fanwood know what's going on."

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Britt used his rebuttal to address property taxes. He asked whether residents are "going to have the income in order to meet their mortgages and their taxes, in order to put money aside for schooling?" 

2. How can the borough work with the state and local school boards to keep property taxes under control?
Britt pointed to his current work at CSI Technology Group in Woodbridge, which includes managing data systems for county prosecutors and state law enforcement agencies, as well as his previous experience as chief of staff for the Department of Banking and the director of election services for the Department of State. "In those roles, I had significant coordination roles, not only with other state agencies, but with all 21 counties." He added that in communicating with the local school board, "it's very important that we express to them that we expect to have a quality education program with high benchmarks."

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Mahr replied that "it's all about relationships," arguing "it is very critical that you have a mayor that understands how all layers of government come together to affect our lives in Fanwood." She pointed out that as the head of legislative services for the New Jersey Conference of Mayors and a member of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, "anything that affects a municipality, I have my fingers on. We have a county freeholder that lives here. We bring the money back here. We know we don't always get the money we went back here." 

3. Looking at the state's 2-percent mandate cap, what are the ideas for creating additional funding sources? 
Mahr highlighted the "$9 million of new revenue that's been generated" by new businesses coming to Fanwood's downtown district. She also pointed out "all the money that got raised through the Fanwood 5K," which "goes back into the rec. programs. There were no tax dollars spent on those programs."

Britt pointed out that residents pay for municipal services outside of their tax bills, such as through "parking fees, construction fees, utility fees." He also voiced frustration about "the surplus funds," which he stated amount to "about $750,000, or about $275 a home each year. I'm very concerned that we have that much money that is not dedicated, that is in a surplus fund. And, on the other hand, we're borrowing over $1 million a year." 

4. What are the pros and cons of merging Fanwood and Scotch Plains, versus the shared services approach? 
Britt said that although he supports "the shared services approach," he has "some concerns" about particular shared services proposals, such as the potential merger of Fanwood and Scotch Plains' police departments. He went on to add, "As to consolidation, I have to be very honest with all of you, I've been hearing that for the 20 years I've been living here…. I don't know if we'll save money. But if I'm the mayor, I'm going to cost it out, and find out exactly what we'd save, lose or have to pay more if we do a merger."

Mahr responded that she doesn't "need to study anything to be honest with you. We are in the right direction. I have a police chief, Chief Trigo, who's standing by me, who believes we can have a joint police department and be just as safe as we are today." She continued, "Shared services, mergers, it's a lot of talk. I support only things that will save money and reduce your property taxes." 

5. Has Fanwood taken the right approach to downtown development? And how housed the borough proceed with development in the future?
Mahr called this her "favorite topic." She stated that "Fanwood is now a state model for how to do redevelopment in the State of New Jersey….We are going to be featured in a new redevelopment handbook about how we can rebuild New Jersey communities. We have $9 million of new ratable. We're on the right track."

Britt replied with one of his most forceful rebuttals of the night. "I happen to think this is one of the biggest mistakes the borough has ever made," he said. "In the fall of 2008, while the markets were crashing, the mayor and borough council decided to take out a loan for $2 million to purchase that Livingston Wilbur property [a one-story vacant machine shop once located on South Avenue, across the street from the Fanwood Train Station]…. Not only do we have to pay off the $2 million, but there is a huge contamination liability. That piece of property's been undergoing environmental testing for the past three years."  

6. How do you propose that Fanwood ensure that more county dollars are being spent in the borough and that the Board of Education is acting responsibly in spending borough tax dollars?
Britt pointed out that many county tax dollars are spent on law enforcement efforts, which "we're fortunate in Fanwood we don't have much involvement in that area." He added, however, "we have to take the initiatives in the schools to make sure we don't have gang activity and drug activity." 

Mahr opened her rebuttal by briefly returning to the topic of downtown redevelopment, asserting that her and Britt's divergent views of the borough's redevelopment efforts show "a mark of how different the two of us are." She added, "When a candidate speaks, he should know what he's talking about. That property [the Livingston-Wilbur property] is for sale. What I see today, I would not change one course." Returning to Peyton's question on county funds, she argues that "the county is a great resource for us. I look to the Carriage House, I look to the train station, I see the senior transportation helping move our seniors." 

7. Do you support or oppose the now-cancelled plan to merge the Scotch Plains and Fanwood libraries? Also, please discuss how Fanwood can enhance its cultural opportunities.
Mahr stated, "The reason why there was even a discussion of a joint library is because I went to Trenton and I got the money for it… I found there was a tremendous amount of interest in a joint library but there was no appetite for a new building. We understood that." She added, however, that as county, state and federal funds dry up in a still-weak economy, municipalities must explore all possible shared services. "The conversations with the joint library still need to go on," she concluded. In terms of cultural issues, Mahr pointed to the borough's cultural arts program and the Fanwood museum, located on the North Avenue side of the Fanwood Train Station, she helped create.

Britt criticized the joint-library study as a waste of public funds an a cause of unnecessary "alarm in our community." The Fanwood Memorial Library, he stated, "gets very high usage." He added that "we should have more" cultural programs, and that "we should should bring some of them downtown."  

8. The council is split into three Democrats and three Republicans. How would you work with a council majority of the opposing political party?
Britt said he thinks "it'd work very easily…. Once the campaigns are over, they come together, they come up here, and they all work for the best for Fanwood, it doesn't matter whether it's Democrat or Republican." He added, "I haven't seen, in the last three years, a political dispute on this council. I have not seen acrimonious words. I believe that is a real tribute to the kind of people we have in Fanwood."

Mahr highlight her experience working "with a truly bipartisan council over the last several years." She added, "I make no secret tonight that I want Kevin and Russ with me come Jan. 1. If elected without them, I do question my ability to continue the progress, because you heard how different some of our ideas are. I don't want us to go backwards. I want us to keep moving with the forward momentum."

Closing Statements
Britt pledged that the Republian candidates "will provide competition" for the Democrats. "There's a big difference between us," he continued, adding that in elections that are only "lightly competitive, trouble was soon to follow. You will see that trouble whenever you look outside Fanwood."

Mahr argued that through her six years as mayor, "we have accomplished things of historic proportions…. I see a revitalized downtown. I see a new level of shared services being done today that pales in comparison to other towns. I know I am working today with a smaller government than the one I inherited from the Republican-controlled mayor and council.... I see a transparent, more open government that communicates better than most." All of these initiatives, she said, represent "innovative ways to control spending without raising property taxes."


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