Deputy Mayor's New Year's Resolution: Work on Lowering Taxes

At Cranford's reorganization meeting Ed O'Malley began his third term on the township committee. Now, as deputy mayor, he said he wants to work across partisan lines to help lower taxes. "What surprised me most about getting politically engaged," said O'Malley after the Jan. 1 meeting, "is the caliber of people in this building," he said referring to the gathering of township officials in the committee chambers. 

Of his New Year's resolution, O'Malley said one thing: taxes. "We need to do more on controlling taxes, which is easy to say," he said. "I want to be a catalyst and agent for making it happen," he said.

O'Malley, a Democrat, said the town has to act in every way it can to fully realize what commercial property can do to offset residents' tax burden. He said it was important to consider commercial property ratables going into 2013.

Another area he wants to focus on is maintaining township services, including the department of public works and police forces, among others. He gave the example that the police force was down 45 officers from 52. "We've squeezed that stone," he said about cutting department budgets and personnel.