Candidates for Council: PRNJ Q&A
In advance of the June 7th Primary Election, Preserve Rutherford NJ reached out to the Candidates running for Council, both Democrats and Republicans, with questions pertinent to our readers. We present their responses here, without commentary and in the order received, for our readers to consider.
We encourage you to read the responses from all three tickets as some information presented within conflicts.
The Primary Election takes place this coming Tuesday, June 7th, from 6:00am to 8:00pm.
Q&A
1) Would you promote and support the issuance of RFPs for future Redevelopment Areas, including the upcoming development of the former RPD building?
Mullahey-Ackermann (D)
First and foremost, I (Matt Ackermann) wanted to thank Preserve Rutherford for taking the time to reach out. We had the opportunity to meet some of the organization’s members when we were knocking on doors around town, but it is a pleasure to answer your thoughtful questions. As the borough continues to evolve and grow, progress and preservation need to continue to work together to ensure we always reach the best outcome for all of our neighbors of both today and tomorrow.
Redevelopment is a critical component of that evolution, and we all need to be open to every solution that is out there. From working as a volunteer, I know that the borough is committed to RFPs for most of its large projects. Being able to look at the full spectrum of solutions is essential as we continue to look for the best outcomes for the borough and for every project that can help our neighborhoods thrive.
O’Connor-La Bruno (R)
Yes, we would promote and support the issuance of RFPs for any development of the current RPD building and others owned by the Borough.
Utilizing an effective process an RFP can define what the Borough wants with respect to the Master Plan and the type and density of a development desired.
Transparency and openness are critical in this matter and the Borough would be able to control what is built on these sites.
More importantly, we do not believe that the Borough’s standard operating procedure should be to designate a property as an area in need of redevelopment for every large-scale redevelopment a private entity wishes to construct under the rationale that Rutherford and this area should be urbanized.
Quatrone -Del Rey-Cone (D) (Everyvoice07070)
Government agencies typically use RFPs (Request for Proposal) for important large scale projects such as redevelopment projects. Rutherford has not been issuing RFPs for large scale redevelopment projects, and we believe they should do so. Opening the process up to competition and bidding from different organizations would allow the Borough to attract a wider array of potential developers, give more participants the opportunity to be involved, and ensure that the developer with the proposal that is most cost-effective and best fits Rutherford’s needs would be chosen.
2) How would you ensure future Redevelopment Plans adhere more closely to the tenets of the Master Plan? How can Rutherford encourage Development while adhering to the Master Plan?
Mullahey-Ackermann (D)
The Master Plan is a constantly evolving and changing document. In my research, I had the pleasure of reading the original Master Plan dated July 1945 from the planning board, which was chaired by William Carlos Williams’ brother Edgar, who is really an amazing unsung hero in the history of Rutherford.
In the original Master Plan, the board made certain to note that it never intended to “strait jacket” Rutherford into an elaborate plan. In the plan they wrote that “towns are not built that way. They develop as the result of countless actions taken daily, monthly, yearly by its citizens.”
The best way to encourage development while continuing to preserve Rutherford is to take a page from this playbook. Rutherford’s elected officials need to continue to listen, compromise and lead. We need to use the Master Plan for guidance while continuing to evolve and flourish from there.
Great leaders are always listening. They are always available and prepared to help craft a new course. We need to see the Master Plan as a playbook, but like any good coach will tell his team, a playbook is a jumping off point for team success. It is never meant to be a “strait jacket.”
O’Connor-La Bruno (R)
Rutherford’s Master Plan is meant to be a guide to help the Borough create a strategic vision of where they see themselves presently and in the future. By continuously referring to the plan it helps in decisions on preservation and land use development. It gives decision makers a point of reference for taking action when it is needed.
With the effort that goes into creating a comprehensive Master Plan the fundamental idea is that it must be followed, referenced and adhered to. This includes the Council, Planning Board and Board of Adjustments.
Exceptions to the Master Plan and Local Zoning Ordinances should not become standard operating procedure for certain property owners and redevelopers, as appears to be the recent practice.
Quatrone -Del Rey-Cone (D) (Everyvoice07070)
The Borough of Rutherford Master Plan, written in 2007 and re-examined in 2018, is an eloquently written explanation of the vision that Rutherford planners had for the future of the Borough. Promoting a mix of land uses, preserving the residential character of neighborhoods, promoting preservation of historically and architecturally important structures, preserving and maintaining open space and natural resources, reducing potential for flood damage and encouraging policies to reduce sprawl and incentivize green buildings are all goals articulated in the Master Plan. These are laudable aspirations, and the Mayor and Council should initiate a public conversation about how to achieve some that have been neglected, like infrastructure maintenance and preparation for the potentially disastrous effects of climate change. While the Master Plan is not a guarantee of progress, it should serve as a constant reference point for planning and the community deserves to be part of that collaboration.
A step toward ensuring future Redevelopment Plans align with the goals of the Master Plan would be for the local Planning Board and Council to confidently and truthfully provide assurances indicating that the Plan and its tenets are constantly under consideration. This would demonstrate that the local authorities know and understand its contents and promote its dissemination to the public. As a community, we cannot ensure compliance with the goals of the plan if we do not understand or appreciate its importance. A tenet of our campaign is to encourage smart, focused development that creates modern, diverse multi-use living spaces while preserving the scale, history and character of the town. We believe in redevelopment, but it should become a more public process, involving community stakeholders, competitive bidding, and discussion by the local governing bodies about what the advantages and disadvantages of the process are and what constraints should be placed on developers. Community education and participation is paramount. This public discussion should be animated by the goals and principles outlined in the Master Plan.
We believe the Planning Board should ideally be composed of a diverse membership representing many different community stakeholders - designers, planners, historic preservationists, environmentalists, financial experts, average residents. Additionally, the Planning Board's recommendations should be given considerable weight by the Mayor and Council. In 2021, the Planning Board recommended that the Williams Center Redevelopment Plan contain stronger language ensuring that the Redevelopment Plan hewed more closely to the Master Plan, but the Council (except for Maria Begg-Roberson) voted against the recommendation. Given the Planning Board's expertise and jurisdiction over these matters, we believe their recommendations should be given more weight and involve more extension public review and discussion by the Council than is currently happening.
3) PILOTs can be an effective tool in managing Development and Affordable Housing. Many feel, however, that we are offering too many at the expense of the long-term health of the community. Explain how you would view the use of PILOTs for developers? Are we granting Developers too much?
Mullahey-Ackermann (D)
Over the course off the past several months as I considered running for office, I have been carefully studying PILOTs and their impact. I have listened to neighbors and the rumors about PILOTs and I wanted to better understand what they are, and how they worked.
From my research, I found that PILOTS are critical for boroughs and municipalities to compete for the best developers. Without PILOTs many builders can’t get the necessary financing for the type of projects we hope to see in Rutherford.
Because of the development of the Parker, we have seen a renaissance of great stores and restaurants coming to Rutherford. Development help makes Rutherford a magnet for commerce and business.
The good news is that our local elected officials and our committed public advocates control the development process. Tax abatements have to be approved by ordinance after a public hearing and everything is disclosed.
The funds from a PILOT go directly to the Borough and can have a more direct and immediate impact than traditional property taxes.
Unfortunately, PILOTs have gotten a bad rap from certain corners of the public but they are essential to continuing the evolution and development of our wonderful borough.
O’Connor-La Bruno (R)
The Council has been granting too many PILOTS (payments in lieu of taxes) at the expense of the long-term health of Rutherford. The Council claims they are not giving the town away. We disagree.
Under appropriate conditions, the granting of PILOTS can be effective to stimulate development and manage affordable housing requirements. However, during the time period when the Council has granted PILOTS, the economy was near a high point with real estate values and investments increasing appreciably. Nevertheless, the Council contractually bestowed on at least four development projects (including the AMAZON warehouse property) the right to make PILOT payments for 30 years.
PILOT payments due each of those thirty years replace and are significantly less than conventional property taxes that would normally be due. Conventional property taxes are calculated as assessed value multiplied by the tax rate. PILOT payments for a development project typically start at a value of 30% of the cost of conventional property taxes. Essentially, a PILOT is a Borough subsidy of the developer’s project that allows the developer to keep the yearly difference between the amount that would be due via conventional property taxation and the amount actually paid to the Borough according to the PILOT agreement. As a result, the developer pays less their fair share of the total costs required to run Rutherford and Rutherford taxpayers will have to bear and pay for these yearly subsidies through our tax dollars for the next thirty years. Basic fairness and equity demand that each Rutherford taxpayer be treated equally.
Quatrone -Del Rey-Cone (D) (Everyvoice07070)
Rutherford offers large 30-year tax abatements in the form of PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) projects to developers to incentivize them to build large complexes in town. These PILOT projects are controversial with many residents because they reduce the amount of tax revenue that the town collects over that 30-year period and replace it with an annual (lesser) payment. PILOT projects were intended to be utilized to attract developers to communities that had difficulty bringing in this type of investment. But Rutherford is a highly appealing location for developers due to our proximity to New York City and access to transportation. Incentivizing developers to build here is probably unnecessary. Our community needs to have a greater understanding of the proposed PILOT projects, how they will benefit the community, and why local officials feel they are useful. We should also study how much tax revenue will be lost if a PILOT project is implemented. We believe the process of approving development and redevelopment projects in Rutherford should be a public one involving community discussion and input and ideally should be competitive, with potential developers putting in bids for large, important projects.
4) How would you promote more transparency to the Public?
Mullahey-Ackermann (D)
Transparency is critical in local government. It is essential to eliminating corruption. A lack of transparency threatens good governance, harms the perception of our elected council and mayor, and distorts policy.
So the first question I had to examine: Does Rutherford lack transparency?
As a new candidate, I began closely checking out our local elected officials because I have heard the word “transparency” being thrown around quite a bit. So, I started examining minutes, going to meetings, reading the website, and searching for places where our mayor and council weren’t transparent.
What I found was that this administration has not only been very transparent but it has improved transparency adding social media channels, websites and even a borough communications officer over the course of the past two years. During Covid, this mayor and council even created daily videos to update the town as to what was happening on a hourly basis.
If that isn’t transparency, I don’t know what is.
I dug deeper and found minutes, open public forums, clear and concise records, and regular meetings. Then, I started to read about parliamentary procedure and Robert’s Rules of Order. I learned about the need for certain issues (like staffing and human resources) that required Closed Sessions and “Hearing of Citizens” that required the borough and council to LISTEN but required them not to respond so that public meeting wouldn’t become a circus of yelling and debate.
After careful examination, I realized how fortunate we are to live in an amazing borough with a incredible transparency. I also realized when we need an answer, sometimes it is best to knock on a door, pick up a phone, or send an email to a specific person and they’re more than happy to help.
Our borough and council is an incredible group of public servants working tirelessly for each and every neighbor in Rutherford. This isn’t a place buried in corruption and malfeasance. Government requires transparency – and Rutherford is transparent.
So how do we promote even greater communication so that no one feels in the dark? As community leaders, we listen and we make ourselves available. We bring compassion and kindness to opponents and supporters alike, and we search for compromise. I think we are off to a great start because we have a group of elected officials that are available and friendly and willing to work to always make Rutherford a better place. And, when they falter - because they are human - we are all kind and forgiving enough to help them get back on track.
O’Connor-La Bruno (R)
Real transparency in government helps residents see how there government is working for them and also promotes a level of trust and open communication. It hold official’s accountable to residents of the community.
This transparency can be segmented into a number of categories but the most important of these is a proactive communication between Members of Council and the Residents they serve.
To achieve this We will hold general and special town hall meetings that will be for information purposes and question/answer sessions. We will further continue and enhance social media interaction. We will provide all Borough financial information to residents in a comprehensible manner. We will work with the Borough Clerks office giving them the tools needed to enhance the records management system of the Borough and the requests made of it. We are proponents of permitting dialogue between attendees and the Residents during the Hearing of Citizens.
As Members of Council We will share all information and act in an Open manner.
Recently, there has been some concern and frustration that certain Members of Council have not answered Residents questions.
We will answer All questions from Residents and explain All decisions and votes.
Quatrone -Del Rey-Cone (D) (Everyvoice07070)
As we campaign, we sense a feeling of disconnection between residents and local authorities and frustration that officials are making too many decisions behind the scenes without soliciting feedback and engaging in discussion and collaboration with the community. Increasing transparency, responsiveness and accessibility of local government is the cornerstone of our campaign. To achieve policy goals that residents care about – budget transparency, reduction in residents’ tax burden, smarter development, increased funding for the arts – we need to empower citizens to feel they truly have stake in what happens in Council meetings. We are envisioning a more accessible and transparent way of governing, beginning with our campaign. We have hosted Coffee with the Candidates sessions on Saturdays mornings at a local café so that residents can chat with us about their interests and concerns. We are both lawyers and we communicate, discuss, debate, persuade and negotiate for a living. We will bring the ability to clearly explain matters, provide reasons for decisions, and promote dialogue to the Council.
During last year’s controversy over the Williams Center going to auction, Susan and several members of our campaign team, organized a community movement to ensure that the Center and its beautiful, historic Newman theater, was protected by the local government. When we first spoke to Council members, we were told that there wasn’t much that could be done – the County owned the property, it was in danger of demolition and we should speak to the County about it. But we didn’t take that deflection as an answer. We wrote a petition that garnered 3000+ signatures, organized hundreds of residents to speak on Zoom Council calls about their connection to the Center, held a large rally in town and attracted the attention of local NJ newspapers. After exerting this type of public pressure, members of the Council began to listen to our concerns and realized they needed to act. They eventually brokered a deal with the County at the eleventh hour to transfer the Center to Rutherford for $1 and then found a local resident developer who is steeped in the arts and committed to preserving the historic nature of the theater to take ownership and redevelop the property. Even after the deal was brokered, many residents were confused about what had happened. The Council did not clearly discuss and explain the process by which the Center was transferred and for the most part, did not credit the community movement that helped to pressure the deal into being. The Council should embrace and encourage the involvement of residents who deeply care about the town and should be openly work with residents in a public way to make important decisions, like the future of the Williams Center.
Recently, we had another major victory regarding transparency. Our campaign team discovered that the Borough had been given nearly $1 million in COVID relief funds in summer 2021 and was due to get another installment of nearly $1 million in June 2022. This is money that can be used for a variety of purposes, including helping residents who have struggled during COVID, aiding small businesses, infrastructure improvements, storm mitigation, and much more. We searched the records and there was no indication that the Mayor or Council had disclosed or discussed this tranche of money publicly. We confirmed with the Borough that the first installment had been received and was sitting in the town’s coffers. On May 24, our campaign released a press statement about this money, calling on the Borough leadership to appoint a diverse committee of residents to give input on how this money can best serve Rutherford’s needs. In response to our disclosure, on May 27, the Mayor belatedly released a statement in his Rutherford Report announcing the receipt of the funds in 2021, though there does not seem to be a plan yet to involve residents in decision-making about the money, as we recommend.
We are proud of our role in these important victories, but we don’t think residents should have to fight that hard to be heard. We want the Council to embrace and encourage the involvement of a diverse residents who deeply care about the future of our town and are willing to spend time and resources to take on local projects to make Rutherford stronger. We want the Council to be more open and transparent about the resources we have and the challenges we face. As public servants and activists with a track record of victories, we plan to serve on the Council as true representatives of the community once we are elected.
5) Citizens have may reasons for which they cannot attend meetings in-person: Children and family to care for, conflicting work and commute times, physical disabilities, etc. Would you commit to offering the public a method of engaging from home in the Hearing(s) of Citizens at Mayor and Council meetings. Would you further commit to offering distance attendance for all Board Meetings?
Mullahey-Ackermann (D)
A global pandemic for the past two years required many people to pivot and innovate. We saw the rise of Zoom meetings and Webex and Microsoft Teams. Our borough communications’ team kept us all informed and running with aplomb and they deserve kudos for everything that they accomplished.
I’ve been impressed with how they’ve innovated. They wired our Borough Chamber with the necessary technology so that borough council meetings could be streamed on YouTube and people that cannot attend can still have access to watch important publics meetings from their homes. Distance attendance through YouTube is an amazing way for people to remain engaged, even when they are unable to attend in person and people that cannot attend always have the opportunity to send in public comment to our borough clerk so that they can be read into the record during the meetings.
With some of this technology still in its infancy, it is important that people that want to comment or speak are in attendance in the Council Chambers or at a Board of Education Meeting. As a technology geek, I know that there are a lot of cybersecurity concerns around these platforms, especially as we increase the number of participants.
O’Connor-La Bruno (R)
The Open Public Meetings Act of New Jersey establishes a required basic level of openness and transparency. It requires the Borough’s meetings be held at a location at which the public can attend in person to petition the government. If the location for a meeting is not able to provide for public attendance, the location must be changed and that change advertised to the public. Meetings can be held by electronic means when there is a state of emergency. We can do better than that basic level of openness and transparency.
The ways that people work and interact have changed tremendously with advanced communications technology and the onset of the pandemic. We would advocate for offering the public a method of engaging from home during the Hearing(s) of Citizens at Council meetings and offering distance attendance and interaction for all Board Meetings. The Council Chambers is now wired to allow broadcast of meetings, and may already or could easily be upgraded to allow the public to interactively engage from home using funding from the Borough’s Federal COVID Relief. Why would any Councilperson not agree to an option that would enable the broadest possible involvement for Residents?
Quatrone -Del Rey-Cone (D) (Everyvoice07070)
During the pandemic, the Borough offered a Zoom option for Mayor and Council meetings and resident attendance increased dramatically. Although we are happy the Mayor and Council are livestreaming the meetings, they have eliminated the Zoom option that allows residents who cannot attend because of work, family demands, disability or other reasons to ask questions and interact remotely. Attendance at live in person Council meetings has been dismal since the Zoom option was eliminated. We believe some form of interactive Council meetings should be restored, and we will work to do so if elected.