Friday, December 21, 2012
Four of the 10 commissioners needed for the study have been chosen, two from Scotch Plains and two from Fanwood.
The group Courage to Re-Connect, which is leading the study on the consolidation of Scotch Plains and Fanwood announced the four commissioners chosen to represent each town. At the Dec. 18 Scotch Plains town council meeting Courage to Re-Connect NJ founder Fred Lange announced that the two commissioners from Scotch Plains are himself and Don Parisi. The two commissioners representing Fanwood are Ann Saltzman and Daniel McCarey, according to The Alternative Press. A presss release from Courage to Re-Connect provided additional information on the candidates: Scotch Plains: • Fred Lange, founder of Courage to Reconnect Scotch Plains & Fanwood, has lived in Scotch Plains since 1974 and has a MBA from Rutgers University. He is retired …
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Courage to Reconnect is extending the deadline to apply following Hurricane Sandy. Commissioners are required to attend one meeting a week for six months.
- GOVERNMENT
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Thursday, November 15, 2012
The following information was provided by Courage to Reconnect. Updated: Nov. 14 As residents of both towns continue to clean up from Hurricane Sandy, Courage to Reconnect Scotch Plains and Fanwood has extended the application period for those interested in serving on a municipal consolidation commission. Courage to Reconnect Scotch Plains and Fanwood, a non-partisan, grassroots group of citizens who have secured state approval for a municipal consolidation study for both towns, has extended the application deadline to November 30. The group has already received applications from a number of qualified individuals from both towns, but wants to ensure that every resident interested in serving on the commission has the opportunity to apply. …
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Michael Lewis of Fanwood voices opinion on appealing the study and his concerns with Courage to Re-Connect.
(The following was addressed to Fanwood Mayor Colleen Mahr, Fanwood's Borough Council and Borough Attorney) I was unable to attend the Mayor and Council Meeting of October 16, but as Fanwood contemplates spending a sizeable amount to appeal the decision of the Local Finance Board I did want to offer a thought. Two weeks ago I spoke out against spending the money on this appeal, largely because of my belief that - in the end - competent, accountable government combined with a sensible level of services would be recognized as worth a premium in any FAIR presentation of the facts. Over the past two weeks I have become convinced that this is ANYTHING BUT a fair fight in terms of resources and funding, and that Fred Lange is simply a …
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Mayor Mahr lead Fanwood residents into discussion about the Consolidation Study.
Around 30 Fanwood residents turned out for the special meeting on the approved consolidation study held Tuesday evening at Forest Road park. Mayor of Fanwood, Colleen Mahr, opened the meeting by addressing her decision to hold the meeting. "Because this decision[Approval of the Consolidation Study], I felt, has such an impact on our community, I felt motivated to have a conversation with you," Mahr said. "We do our best when we come together." Mahr outlined that the study has the potential to be woven into the community for up to the next three years. The consolidation of the Princeton's, Mahr said is not an example because that was led by both governing bodies, whereas Fanwood-Scotch Plains consolidation is led by non-government members…
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Fanwood will hold a special public meeting at Forest Road Park on Tuesday evening.
- GOVERNMENT
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Thursday, September 27, 2012
The following information was provided by the Borough of Fanwood. The Mayor and Council of the Borough of Fanwood are holding a Special Meeting for the Fanwood Community on Tuesday, October 2, 2012, at the Forest Road Park Building, Forest Road off Midway Avenue, at 7:30 pm. The meeting is being held to discuss the formation of a Consolidation Commission, to study the consolidation of the Township of Scotch Plains and the Borough of Fanwood, recently approved by the State of New Jersey Local Finance Board based upon an application submitted by Courage to Reconnect, an independent group. The meeting will outline the history of the effort by Courage to Reconnect to bring this consolidation study to Fanwood ; the Borough’s participation …
Monday, September 17, 2012
Mayor Colleen Mahr feels Fanwood residents lack support of study
The Mayor of Fanwood, Colleen Mahr, recently expressed that her concerns about a proposed consolidation study for Fanwood and Scotch Plains lie with who the Fanwood Courage to Re-connect members are and the fact that, to her knowledge, there are no Fanwood residents in support of the study. Courage to Re-connect is the organization leading the movement for consolidation of Fanwood and Scotch Plains. Three meetings have been held to gauge community support. At the second meeting, tensions ran high about Courage to Re-Connect and at the final meeting, residents were still voicing their concerns. In mid-August the Finance Board met to hear the application for consolidation and last week the Board approved a consolidation study of the two …
DePaola and Saridaki note the town will leave it up to voters
- GOVERNMENT
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Monday, September 17, 2012
This information was provided courtesy of the Scotch Plains Republican Committee. Mayor Mary DePaola and Councilman Ed Saridaki spoke today on the news that the Local Finance Board in Trenton acted to allow a merger study to move forward for the possible consolidation of Scotch Plains and the Borough of Fanwood. “We acknowledge the decision of the Finance Board and the actions of the Courage to Reconnect group thus far. The Scotch Plains Township Council will not be an impediment to this process and will in fact appoint a member to the study commission. Ultimately, if the process moves forward it will be the voters of both Scotch Plains and Fanwood that have the final say on the matter. We see no reason to stand in the way of …
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Study to join the two towns will now move forward
The Local Finance Board in Trenton approved the application to study the consolidation of Scotch Plains and Fanwood on Wednesday afternoon. Gina Genovese, Executive Director of Courage to Re-Connect, said this is a great day for taxpayers in New Jersey. Members of the Finance Board, Mayor Mahr and attorney were present at the meeting. To move forward, citizens will appoint two commisioners, one from each town. Additionally each town's council will choose a commissioner for the board. Then each four person group from each town will choose a fifth person for their group. In total, their will be 10 commisioners from both towns. The study will be completed over the next three years. The movement for this study has been completely driven by …
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
After hearing testimony last Wednesday, the Local Finance Board in Trenton will vote on the application on September 12
Both sides of the Scotch Plains-Fanwood consolidation debate testified in front of the Local Finance Board last Wednesday. The hearing, held at the Department of Community Affairs building in Trenton, lasted about an hour and saw a comprehensive discussion about the proposed Municipal Consolidation Study Commission. According to the Local Option Municipal Consolidation Law of 2007, three public hearings were mandated before Courage to Re-connect, the organization in favor of consolidating Scotch Plains and Fanwood, could move forward with a consolidation study. These took place in mid-June and early-July and elicited an impassioned reaction from residents. Prior to the public hearing, Courage to Re-connect had to get 10 percent of voters …
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
The council meeting began with regular business and ended with a discussion about Courage to Re-connect's initiative to consolidate Scotch Plains and Fanwood.
Monday’s discussions about a consolidation study commission spilled over into last night’s Fanwood Council Meeting, as both residents and council members spoke to Fanwood’s representation in the commission’s petition process. The council meeting, held in Fanwood’s municipal building, began as any council meeting might, with roll calls, agendas, and votes. However, once the meeting was turned over to the public for comments, the topic of discussion quickly turned to Fanwood residents’ distrust of Courage to Re-connect, as well as the council’s issues with the Fanwood petitioners’ lack of participation at the public hearings. Fanwood resident George Weiss said he contemplated his late wife’s favorite caveat when considering Courage to Re-…
bgporter
7:01 pm on Sunday, December 23, 2012
Here it is, from a posting on October 4th: IANAL, but looking at the actual text of S2 (which you can find here: http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bills/BillView.asp?BillNumber=S2) it appears to me that things are getting mixed up -- my takeaway from the discussion here was implied that if this process were followed, put to vote, and then voted down, the towns would lose some amount of state aid, but … more ›