What's Next for Scotch Plains and Fanwood in 2012?

As residents rushed around the two downtowns running last minute errands and preparing for their New Year’s Eve celebrations, the overriding sentiment was how the towns could help them withstand tightening economic conditions.

“The town needs to focus on making the downtown more attractive. The new stores should have a uniform style so people will want to shop here,” said Angelo Zanfardino, longtime owner of in Scotch Plains.

Zanfardino lives in Hillsborough but loves running a business in Scotch Plains. “This is a great town to work in. I love the people but the taxes should be lower because it makes things more difficult,” said Zanfardino.

Next door at L’Espirit Elena, owner Elena De Fabio was not as happy.

“The town acts like we don’t exist,” said De Fabio, who was still upset at the town’s lack of consideration during a power outage several months ago.

“We lost a transformer in front of the store and were never told that the electricity was going to be pulled in ten minutes. I lost my lights and cash register and all our equipment so customers left the store with chemicals in their hair and nobody could pay. It was pretty chaotic,” said De Fabio.

Despite her dissatisfaction, Defabio, of Cranford, was quick to admit she would not move her business because she likes the location.

Conversely Steve Willis, longtime owner of in Scotch Plains, has few complaints about the business climate. Willis likes the free parking available for his customers, and also appreciates the safe atmosphere. Still, he realizes his business is different than many downtown.

“We pull our own customers in so we may not be the typical Scotch Plains business,” said Willis a long time resident of Scotch Plains, who has children in the school system.

“Our school system is really good. I support the budget every time because few things are more important than having good schools,” added Willis.

Although the sidewalks of downtown Fanwood were empty on Saturday, the employees at were busy preparing for New Year’s Eve parties. Despite Fanwood’s downtown revival, owner Jeannie DeJesso is not happy with the lack of foot traffic in the area.

“There is not enough reason for people to stop here. We are just a destination without any walkup traffic. There is an abundance of hair and nail salons but other than that, there are few businesses that can survive here,” said DeJesso.

Mayor Mahr addressed the concerns expressed by downtown business owners noting that while traffic may be slow, there are still no vacant store fronts. Mahr added that with any luck, private investment will help business owners see Fanwood as an exciting place to plant their roots. 

“I predict that our Business Professional Association will enjoy historic numbers of new members who are bringing great energy to town. The BPA will be rolling out an exciting marketing campaign promoting our many opportunities,” said Mahr.

2011 was bookended by two beautiful winter days but in between local residents experienced some of the stormiest and most volatile weather in recent memory. The local political and economic climate was no less stormy in Fanwood and Scotch Plains with political leaders hoping for calmer skies in 2012.

For Fanwood Mayor Colleen Mahr, 2011 will be thought of far more positively than her Scotch Plains counterpart Nancy Malool.  Mahr received a rousing mandate in winning reelection in November with over 70% of the vote and her coattails added two Democratic councilmen, giving her a 5-1 advantage as the year begins.

Scotch Plains held no elections in 2011, leaving Malool with a slight 3-2 edge as she grapples with many of the same challenges faced by many small town mayors. Malool is aware of the momentum shared services has gathered and is pushing ahead despite a council divided by party lines.

“I think we owe it to our taxpayers to find out, at the very least, how much a consolidation of the two towns will save and what kind of efficiencies can result. I believe all members of both governing bodies need to put aside their own personal and political interests and agree to begin the process," Malool stated.

Malool also noted that if a consolidation committee were to recommend merging the two towns, the final vote would be up to the residents of both towns.

Mayor Mahr also expressed her views on what a merger would mean for this community, noting that she is aware of the comments made by individuals outside of Fanwood on this matter.

“I expect our new municipal council to be taking this topic up early in the New Year understanding that our focus has been on shared services with other entities and not municipal consolidation,” said Mahr.

Mahr elaborated noting that she is committed to continuing to discuss a with Scotch Plains.

 “I feel strongly, as does Police Chief Trigo that we need to see this through and expect to take our findings to our residents within the next few months with a community meeting,” added Mahr.

Responding to concerns expressed by her residents, Malool, a Scotch Plains resident herself, realizes the needs of her constituents and hopes to move forward in 2012 with improvements in the downtown and a push towards shared services.

“We are getting to dedicate to downtown - and to progress on shared services. Along those lines, I am not happy with how slow things are moving with our potential police merger so I have proposed revisiting the idea of pursuing a consolidation study with Fanwood,” said Malool.

Taxes are on the minds of many home owners in each town. Mark Solomon, who has lived in Scotch Plains for 15 years, easily expressed his frustration with the town's high price tag.

“It is getting too expensive to live around here. The taxes are too excessive for the average homeowner and will eventually cause more people to leave and find more economical places to live,” said Solomon.

Like Malool, Mahr aspires to do more with less in order to keep property taxes manageable in 2012.

“I see my responsibility as mayor in my new term to advance policies that benefit Fanwood taxpayers. I believe we need to reinvent how we govern and how we provide the essential services expected of us,” Mahr stated.

For Mahr, 2012 will see continued economic development and investment in Fanwood with the completion of which will bring new stores and rental apartments located across the street from the train station. Redevelopment will continue with the former Sovereign Bank and Livingston Wilbur sites being developed next.

“As the residents know, Fanwood is not afraid of taking on any issue in the name of property tax relief. We were the first town to outsource our emergency dispatch to Union County and are enjoying 240,000 dollars in savings. My focus in 2012 will continue to be on how we can capture savings or tax relief now for our residents, not years from now,” said Mahr. 

John Quinones has lived in Fanwood for eight years. He expressed that he enjoys the proximity to New York as well as the small town characteristics Fanwood has to offer.

“Our taxes are high but you get a lot for your money. The schools are very good and the town is safe,” said Quinones who when asked what the schools could do to improve, he deferred to his eight year old son Jack.

“We need more laptop time,” said Jack.

For both Scotch Plains and Fanwood, 2012 should be an interesting year.