Bart Albini

What I bring to the table is
- Over 35-years of network IT consulting and trouble shooting.
- Five years experience working with the CBAC (Citizens Budget Advisory Committee), and Chairing the Recreation's Department budget for the CBAC for the last 2-years.
- Un-usual business experience that has enabled me to analyze problems and issues and determine time saving, cost effective solutions for my clients.
 
I believe it is these skills and my love for Maplewood that is currently needed on the Township committee.  We, as residents, can no longer afford making decisions and taking the paths of least resistance.  It has cost us too much.
- Our property taxes have increased 62%, while the CPI (Consumer Price Index) has only increased 26%
- Our debt service has increased to just under 12% of our municipal budget.
- Our Main Library has been allowed to go to seed, and to make the necessary repairs we are now looking at a cost of at least $250,000.  Realize that the roof on the Main Library is Vermont slate (which has a life expectancy of 100 to 200 years.  The building is less than 50-years old!)  This does not include the costs to repair Town Hall, our two Fire Stations, the Community Center, the Civic Center, and the Hilton branch of the library.
- How many more municipal jobs can we afford to lose to pay for a 24 million dollar, green Police station that now costs us over $300,000 dollars a year to maintain and has a carbon foot print 5-times greater than the old police station.
We can stem this downward spiral by
1. Putting a moratorium on excessive spending
2. Lock up the Municipal "Credit Card"
3. Live within our means and setup a true transparent, zero based budget.
4. Implement a municipal buildings' inspection and maintenance schedule
5. Make it mandatory that all capital projects have a maintenance schedule and its cost as part of the biding and awarding process.  If capital projects have "Green" elements, they must justify the payback and cost savings of these projects.

If you are content with your current situation and that of our town then vote for the people who put us in this downward spiral.  Otherwise, vote for Bob Perez and me on November 3rd, and let's bring financial sanity and stability back to Maplewood.

Kathy Leventhal

Serving on the Maplewood Township Committee is a responsibility I am honored you trust me with.  I’m asking to work for you another three years.

I’m Vice Mayor this year and have almost six years as a Township Committee Member and the Board of Health President. I believe my RN and healthcare executive career, many volunteer positions, eagerness to listen, and energy, all contribute strength to our governing body.  

Today’s tough economy, combined with our high property taxes bring challenges not faced in many, many years by our residents and businesses – challenges I meet with determination and sensitivity.

Difficult but responsible decisions are being made in budgeting, in economic development, for our youth, in sharing services and for the environment.  I worked with my peers to cut the town’s budget $400,000 from 2008 which resulted in a tax increase at a low of 3.3%.  Economic development is moving ahead with the plan to build a Walgreens on Springfield Avenue and with the old police/court location under review.

My priority areas are shared services, our Open Space Trust Fund and the environment.

As Co-chair of the Shared Services Committees which include residents, administrators and elected officials of South Orange and the School District, I see each entity realizing improvements to quality and decreases in cost.  Projects include joint bidding for lawn cutting in the parks, sharing of equipment, maintaining automotive fleets, electronics’ recycling, computer-assisted recreation scheduling and purchasing of equipment. In addition, both towns improved Animal Control services with increased hours and less cost when staff started covering both towns with staggered work hours.

What could be the biggest shared project thus far is in the assessment phase – a shared Court and joint Violations Bureau.  This project would save on expenses for both towns through efficiencies that would not disrupt the court processes.

My leadership in bringing the Open Space Trust Fund to the voters twice has resulted in dedicated funding for open space, recreation and historic preservation.  Through the Advisory Committee’s recommendations, Maplewood’s playgrounds are upgraded, sports’ facilities improved, trees added, environmental projects funded, history archived, etc.  Without the Trust Fund, most of these projects would not be funded even though they are vital, especially for our youth.

As a member of the Green Team Executive Committee, I’m working on policy and to educate Maplewoodians about anti-idling, recycling, energy conservation and buying local.  Green Day Fairs and Green Drinks are fun, community-wide activities to promote sustainability.  

My running-mate, Jerry Ryan and I want to continue serving you with responsible leadership.  Please vote for us and the other Line ‘A’ Democrats on November 3rd.  Thank you.

Bob Perez

I am a retired private sector human resources executive. My forty years of experience has provided me with expertise in business planning and establishing goals and timetables. I managed people, money and assets to achieve objectives within budgets. Most recently, I was part of a management team that grew a small manufacturing company into a nationally recognized industry leader. I developed the overall human resources plan and oversaw, the opening of seven factories in seven states including the addition of five thousand new associates ranging from executives to hourly manufacturing personnel.  

These skills are now entirely missing within Maplewood's Township Committee.  Their absence contributes to a meandering approach. Overspending and relentless tax increases have resulted. For instance, in 2006 it was decided to vacate the former police building yet an initial and unacceptable development plan did not appear until September 2009. Where was the planning in 2006 when it was decided to vacate? 

Fellow Maplewoodians: our town's spending and taxing binge is pricing Maplewood out of the market. Potential buyers are being turned off, home values are being smothered and concerned retirees are relocating.  Taxes have gone up 62 percent in eight years; yet the cost of living rose only 26 percent. The present township committee thinks this is okay. It is not okay! No town can raise its "prices" every year, spend more than it receives every year and expect to prosper. 

We must stop over spending. We must balance our budget to our income. We must suspend borrowing for two years and get control of our finances. Developing and attracting rateables to Maplewood is an "A" priority. We need to ease the burden on residential tax payers. We must have an aggressive, publicized marketing plan of action complete with goals and time tables to attract appropriate commercial ratables to Maplewood.

In the final analysis, it is us the voters, who must decide Maplewood's direction.  Do we continue with the present township committee and its record of irresponsible and unsustainable spending, borrowing and tax increases?  Or shall we put partisan politics aside and vote for new leadership and accountability for Maplewood's future.  Time is running out. The choice is yours and hopefully mine.  I urge you to vote for the Bart Albini & Bob Perez team on November 3rd.

Jerry Ryan

I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to serve Maplewood as a member of the Township Committee. I have spent thirteen years as a member of the Township Committee and fifteen years as a member of the Planning Board. My service has been marked by a number of important accomplishments. Since I joined the Township Committee, we have made Maplewood government more open and accessible to all citizens. We forged important partnerships with residents and the business community, creating two successful Special Improvement Districts in town. We made important investments in marketing and sustaining our community for everyone by creating the Community Coalition on Race, an organization I am proud to have helped found.

In these challenging financial times, I worked to reduce the 2009 Township budget by $400,000 over 2008, and to keep tax increases below the increase in the cost of living. We have negotiated employee contributions for health care costs for the first time in Maplewood’s history.

I am also proud to have been a part of moving forward on the revitalization of Maplewood’s business districts. The Walgreens development is a substantial new commercial ratable on Springfield Avenue. Plans for appropriate and responsible development of the old Maplewood Police Station are proceeding as part of a deliberate and open public process that will result in the best possible solution for our Township.

After many years of work, we are finally moving forward with the necessary improvements to the fields and facilities at DeHart Park. This project will benefit everyone in our community, whether they live near the park or on the other side of town. The best part is that the improvements will cost much less than anyone projected they would, and will be substantially paid for by grants and low interest loans.

We continue to work with our neighbors in South Orange, and with our colleagues on the School Board, to reduce costs and improve the quality of services that we provide to the community. We have agreements to share services for animal control and vehicle maintenance, and are working hard to develop a plan for a joint violations bureau and a shared municipal court facility with South Orange.

There is no doubt that we have challenges in Maplewood, but we won’t solve them with partisan demagoguery, and we won’t solve them with empty promises. We will solve them with hard work, open dialogue, and responsible leadership for Maplewood. I ask for your support in the November 3rd election for Jerry Ryan and Kathy Leventhal, Democrats for Township Committee, so that we can continue to provide the responsible leadership that Maplewood deserves.