Letter to the Editor: Dominick Bratti Supports Democratic Candidates, Glover and Gialanella

From the Desk of Dominick Bratti

An Open Letter to the Residents of Scotch Plains:

When I was recently asked by a neighbor who I would be voting for in the upcoming mayoral election in Scotch Plains, I immediately said Kevin Glover and Colleen Gialanella.  For those of you who know me, the fact that I support Councilman Glover even though we belong to different political parties should come as no surprise.  

In the years that I have known Kevin, I have found that he and I share the same philosophy.  That is, that elected officials at every level should do what they believe to be right and not simply take their directions from unelected party bosses.

When we served on the Township Council together, I saw Kevin Glover put this philosophy into practice every day in dealing with such issues as hiring a new Township Manager, revising a failed school budget and attempting to lessen the tax burden upon Scotch Plains residents while maintaining municipal services.  

On those occasions when we disagreed about a policy or the solution to a particular problem, we each knew that the other’s position was based upon what they thought was right rather than upon politics or polls.  In addition, I often saw Councilman Glover take the initiative and bring issues to the table that others were willing to ignore and/or afraid to address.  

In my opinion, this is the type of leadership that we need to see in the Mayor’s chair.  

By the same token, Colleen Gialenalla is a dedicated educator and mother of two beautiful children. In her position with the Clark public school system, she is part of an administrative team that improved their high school's ranking from 101 to 40 in just two years.  

Colleen is ready and willing to put this type of effort to work to create a more vibrant downtown, stronger recreation programs, and to make Scotch Plains a more affordable place to call home.

That said, I would ask that in choosing your next Mayor and Councilperson, you consider the views and character of each of the candidates as well as their respective records, and I am sure you will come to the same decision that I have and cast your vote for Kevin Glover and Colleen Gialenalla.

Sincerely,

Dominick Bratti