Local Election Guide 2011

Cranford voters will be asked to head to the polls tomorrow and cast their votes for the two available seats on the Township Committee.

This year's race will see Mayor Dan Aschenbach and fellow Democrat Tom Hannen face opposition from former candidate Andis Kalnins and his Republican running mate Lisa Adubato Nesi.

Kalnins is making his second bid for Township Committee, having finished third in a four-way race in 2010. He is a member of the Cranford Zoning Board of Adjustment. This is Adubato Nesi’s first race for a seat on the governing body. The local attorney is a member of the school advisory board at St. Michael’s School and has been active in a variety of township civic affairs.

Aschenbach, a veteran of over a quarter century in Cranford politics, is seeking election to his seventh non-consecutive term on the Township Committee. His running mate served four terms on the Winfield Township Committee in the 1970s and 1980s. Hannen was also the mayor of Winfield for a number of years.

With some residents still coping with the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, issues involving flooding and mitigation are key campaign subjects. The recent change from property tax-based sewer bills to user-based fees may also arise. And there's always the Birchwood property and debate over how to handle the builder's remedy lawsuit that the town is facing.

Patch asked the candidates to answer five questions aimed at giving voters some information that will help them make their decisions when they step into the voting booth tomorrow. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

INCUMBENT MAYOR DANIEL ASCHENBACH, DEMOCRAT

Name: Dan Aschenbach
Age: 57
Address: 116 Cranford Ave.
Education: BA: Boston University; MPA: Rutgers University; Post graduate: NYU;Harvard University; George Washington University Family Life: Wife Eileen; six children and one grandchild.
Professional Life: Senior Vice President for a Wall Street firm evaluating credit of North American electric utilities Community/Political Activities: Mayor (four terms); Township Committee (six terms)


1. Please list the three most important issues facing Cranford in this election and explain your position on each.

More efficient and effective local government-the property tax burden is the signal biggest issue and we have to find ways to improve the local government. We are well served with strong public safety and public works department and we need to continue to be responsive to citizen.

Stop Birchwood and rationalize our planning and zoning. We will not allow Birchwood to be built. The developer has not be granted approval to do anything. Cranford will appeal the litigation and is moving to turn property into a retention basin to help protect against flooding.

Cranford's infrastructure has to be major priority which will require state and federal assistance.  Flood control, both local and regional mitigation projects have to be done.  Sewer inflow and infiltration should proceed to reduce leaks and save ratepayers. We need to take a more systematic look residential neighborhood by neighbor hood on improvements.

2. What made you decide to run for a seat on the Township Committee this year?  

I have served for many years and it has always been for the same reason.  I love Cranford and want to serve.  Those are what drove me to run again.  The negative politics of some just is not constructive.  Citizens want solutions and I believe my experience will continue to find those solutions.  We merged emergency medical service into the fire department and saved $200,000; we created a Conservation Utility to focus on ways to reduce water, sewer and electricity costs; and we have reworked the finance department to improve the controls needed for sound government. 2011 was the most incredible year I have ever served with storms and others problems.  We managed the local government to be as responsive as possible and I think citizens were well served.

3. In the area of shared services, what services that are currently not shared between local municipalities, or between the town and school district? How do you propose obtaining this goal?

We obtain the goal by continuing to work at strategies.  In 2011, we created shared services with Clark on finance; Roselle Park on building inspection; we continted Garwood on building service and Winfield Park on dispatching. In 2012, we will develop a shared services plan for our health department and a EMT program for our fire department ; we will work with school district on consolidation of some public works functions; and we will offer our cooperative pricing program to over 140 communities on materials we purchase.  We also joined the regional energy cooperative which could be a source of savings in 2012. I proposed a school-municipal cost sharing task force of a few board members and Township Committee members to bring forward recommendations.

4. How do you feel about the township committee form of government and the way in which the position of mayor is decided in the township?

The Township Committee serves all the community and as a member I believe I am responsive to all including concerns along Centennial Avenue and to the fight against the Birchwood project.  I have served as Mayor four times elected in the past by both Republicans and Democrats.  The committee form of local government should take the "politics" out decisions. Each commissioner has an equal vote and a majority of votes are needed to proceed. We have a professional administrator and managers of departments. The one benefit of changing the form of government is that an elected Mayor for a four year term would give continuity for a longer period. But citizens also then have a higher bar to reach and then 4 years to challenge a Mayor that turned out bad.  Cranford has a great many challenges and I pledge to work hard to meet the challenges to lay a better foiundation to make Cranford a better community.

5. What do you believe can be done to increase communication and transparency between the Township Committee and the residents of Union County?

During Irene I reached out to the other communities in Union County and Union County government and the response was incredible.  Communities like Union and Springfield sent trucks and personnel to assist us in our time of need.  Union County DPW was on every street helping residents to recover.  We do now have the task to convince Union County we need it on board for Lenape Park expansion; cleaning the river south of the High Street footbridge and fixing the levee system.  We also are asking for Open Space funds for a new Memorial Field fieldhouse and to contibute to the purchase of Birchwood for a retention basin.  Cranford is a great communiyu and county residents know that. 

LISA ADUBATO NESI, REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE

Name: Lisa Adubato Nesi
Age: 48
Address: 407 N. Union Ave.
Length of Time in Cranford: 20+ years
Education: B.A. Rutgers University; J.D. Seton Hall Law School
Family Life: Married, 3 daughters
Professional Life: Attorney with firm in Cranford.

Community/Political Activities: Volunteerism goes hand in hand with public service, and I have been volunteering since I was a child. Specific to Cranford, I have been a member of the St. Michael Church finance committee for over 10 years, and served as President of the St. Michael School Advisory Board. I have coached softball and basketball, both at St. Michael’s and in our town league. I participate annually, with my family, in Cranford’s Relay for Life, an event to raise funds for cancer prevention. I also served as a member and counsel to the town- sanctioned committee that challenged the underground placement of utility wires throughout Cranford.

1. Please list the three most important issues facing Cranford in this election and explain your position on each.

First and foremost, before we can begin to deal with the specific issues we are facing, we must address the fact that many citizens have lost faith in our government’s ability to deal effectively with those problems. Cranford is a town made up of educated and aware citizens. The budgetary problems we are facing – that all of New Jersey is facing – are well known, and will not be solved by rhetoric and sound bites. Nor will these issues be solved when decisions are made based on whatever is politically expedient at any one given moment – such as was the case with the sewer tax, wherein the current majority made promises which were then broken after they were sworn in to office.

On a broader level, it is incumbent on each of us to look at what we bring to the table, rather than what we can take from it. The lessons we teach our children – that just because you can do something does not mean that you should do it – must be a part of the discussion in this election. We must shine a light on all decisions made by our municipal government, and what is illuminated must be beyond reproach. Secrecy results in the cynicism of the electorate and a deterioration of the trust that should exist between elected officials and those that they serve.

More specifically, flooding must be at the top of the priority list, and it cannot no longer just be given lip service. We must immediately do those things at the town level that are in our control, and simultaneously spearhead a more regional plan. Dredging of the river must take place – it is unfathomable how the money allocated for that purpose has not been used – and we must move to complete
the phases of the flood plan.

Overdevelopment is a huge issue, and also plays a major part in the flooding. Past mistakes – such as not getting COAH certification which led directly to the builder’s remedy lawsuits and the absurd Birchwood decision – cannot be allowed to be repeated.

2. What made you decide to run for a seat on the Township Committee this year?

I was raised in a family where public service is valued in both theory and practice. I learned at a young age that politics can and should be used as way to serve and impact people in a positive way. For over 20 years, Cranford has provided my family with a wonderful place to live, work and learn. Serving on the Township Committee would allow me to give back to the town from which I have received so much.

3. In the area of shared services, what services that are currently not shared between local municipalities, or between the town and school district? How do you propose obtaining this goal?

There is no question that we should be exploring shared services for all municipal departments. The real issue is to insure that we are receiving real savings while still being able to provide an acceptable level of service. More importantly, however, we must first get our own municipal house in order: the fact that we do not have a full-time administrator, or CFO, and no health officer at all, is simply
unacceptable, especially in this time of trying to recover from the hurricane and its resulting flooding.

4. How do you feel about the township committee form of government and the way in which the position of mayor is decided in the township?

The Township Form of government has been in place in Cranford for so many years that it is difficult sometimes for people think about different approaches. Theoretically, having a mayor chosen by the majority of the Commissioners is supposed to result in less conflict and partisanship. Unfortunately, that does not always seem to be the case here. I supported the study of alternative forms of
government because there are definite drawbacks to our system in terms of continuity with the mayor’s seat. One year is not really sufficient time to effectuate a vision. If the public in fact directly elected the mayor, it would likely mean that the electorate shares that person’s vision and would support it. As Cranford moves forward and faces increasing complex challenges, it may ultimately be in our best interest to once again consider a change.

5. What do you believe can be done to increase communication and transparency between the Township Committee and the residents of Union County?

There does currently appear to be a lack of transparency in the Committee’s communications with the residents. Much of this stems from the continued use of redevelopment as a tool to allow developers to negotiate behind close doors with individual members of the Committee. The residents are kept in the dark, and the municipal boards that are in place to insure compliance with our Master Plan are cut out of the process. That must change.

There is also an issue with improper use of electronic communication that may directly lead to a violation of the Sunshine Laws – meetings are supposed to be Open and Public – and should not take place in private email communications between Commissioners.

Thomas Hannen Jr., Democratic Candidate

Name: Thomas H. Hannen Jr.
Age: 56
Address: 94 Belmont Ave.
Length of Time in Cranford: 21 years
Education: AA Union College, BA Rutgers University
Family Life: Married – Cindy Hummel Hannen, 4 Children Thomas, Erin, Katie, Dan
Professional Life: President of Patwin Plastics, manufacturer of profile extrusions, vinyl fencing, decking, trim parts
Community/Political Activities: Troop 80 Boy Scouts of America, Cranford Flood Advisory Committee, Budget Advisory Committee, Volunteer member of the Cranford Fire Department and the Roselle Park Fire Department

1. Please list the three most important issues facing Cranford in this election and explain your position on each.

Flooding – We need to execute the remaining phases of the 5 Phase flood control plan and mitigate flood issues arising on the South end of Cranford with the help of the County, State and Federal Government. In addition, we must find a way to increase the storage capacity of the Lenape Park retention basin to mitigate flow from upstream municipalities. 2. Control Development on Birchwood and South Avenue. On Birchwood, I believe a retention basin/soccer field would better suit
the area, and provide protection for the residents of Wadsworth, Casino, and Riverside Drive. The Township Committee will continue to oppose the current project, and seek condemnation for municipal purposes if necessary to accomplish this. On the 555 South Ave. property, I would like to see if we can collaborate with the County, State, and Federal Government to offer incentives to provide for Senior Housing on the current site slated for development. 3. Municipal Finances and Planning. Develop longer range planning on budgeting and capital improvement projects. We need to keep the emergency reserves at a level to help pay for the unexpected weather events. In addition, I would like to explore more ways that we can enter shared services agreements with
surrounding municipalities to keep down the cost of government.

2. What made you decide to run for a seat on the Township Committee this year?

When I learned that the emergency reserves had fallen to a level that made it difficult for the town to pay its bills, I decided that I had some experience in this area that I can offer some new perspectives. It starts with having the systems and people in place to know what your cash balances are on a monthly basis. You can’t plan if you are working with incomplete data. In addition, my experience of running a manufacturing business in this environment on a tight budget has parallels for dealing with municipal government. In the end, it’s about a willingness to serve the community. It certainly isn’t for the money.

3. In the area of shared services, what services that are currently not shared between local municipalities, or between the town and school district? How do you propose obtaining this goal?

Municipalities find it in their best interest to find ways to deliver services to their residents at a lower cost. When we had set up the police dispatch
service between Cranford and Winfield, Cranford had already installed a base containing state of the art equipment to do their job. The incremental cost for Cranford was negligible, and they could expect a greater rate of return for the dollars invested. On the Winfield side, we didn’t have to go through the expense of recreating that set up and hiring personnel to accomplish the same purpose. I think it is easier to accomplish this on a municipal to municipal level than it is to do on a county level many times, especially in the area of public safety services. These are the services that require rapid response times to their respective emergencies. Waiting long times for an ambulance to come from the other end of the county would not be in our best interest. We have a strong and trusted EMS service within the Fire Department. To improve its efficiency and reliability,
it could be expanded to cover neighboring communities during the daytime, when volunteers are in short supply. Cranford would realize the revenue generation from these services, while neighboring communities would have a reliable back up system for their own municipalities. The opportunities for the shared services for the school system could be in the form of landscaping and snow removal all the way to vehicle purchases.

4. How do you feel about the township committee form of government and the way in which the position of mayor is decided in the township?

I don’t think it is a major issue at this time. The advantage of the current system is that the individual who serves as mayor also has the support of the majority of the Township Committee to get projects approved, and keep government moving forward. It’s almost like the parliamentary form of government in other nations. The downside to this system; however, is that the mayor usually changes every year. Because of this, the continuity of emphasis is sometimes lost.

5. What do you believe can be done to increase communication and transparency between the Township Committee and the residents of Union County?

My focus is not to keep up communications with the residents of Union County, but instead keeping in contact with the residents of Cranford. I would like to try to use an online newsletter as a means of communication of information regarding Cranford. In addition, I would like use some of the social media opportunities available to us in the future.

ANDIS KALNINS, REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE

Name: Andis Kalnins
Age: 42
Address: 3 Omaha Drive
Length of Time in Cranford: 10 years
Education: BS in Civil Engineering – NJIT / MBA – Montclair State University
Family Life: Married to Joanne with 3 children in Cranford school system
Professional Life: Manager of Strategic Planning for an International Telecommunications Company
Community/Political Activities: I have been on the Cranford Zoning Board of Adjustment. I currently serve on the Board of Directors for the Cranford Chamber of Commerce. I am a member of the Cranford Holiday Decorations
Committee and I am a graduate of the Cranford Citizen’s Police Academy. I have served on the Cranford Charter Study Committee and have been the Treasurer of the Cranford Jaycees. I am also active in several school activities and sports teams. I have a large investment in Cranford and I want to make sure it thrives.

1. Please list the three most important issues facing Cranford in this election and explain your position on each.

 The three most important issues this year are taxes, over-development and food control. To control taxes we need to reduce spending. We will meet the 2% budget cap that is required by law. We will institute a line by line budget review with all department heads which was not done this year. This will insure we make a sustainable budget for the long term health of our town. We will not implement “gimmick” budget items like selling apartment units to meet the 2 percent budget cap requirement. We will restore the fair and open bid process for acquiring services that was done away with this year, but which is on the state checklist of best practices that is used to determine state aide.

To control over-development we will take aggressive action against developers who are trying to take advantage of legal loopholes and then breaking the law by working without permits. We will keep the control of development in the public’s eye by having it work through the planning and zoning process instead of “redevelopment” where backroom deals are made and the plan for the town does not have to be followed.

With flood control we will follow through with the projects that are within our control and work with the federal, state and other effected town governments to come up with a regional solution to this growing problem. We can dredge the river and complete parts of Cranford’s current flood projects as we work on the larger problem of detaining the water coming into our town and reversing the trend of having more and more impervious surfaces in the town upstream from us. Money was bonded last year for the dredging of the river, but the project was not followed through this year, that has to change.

2. What made you decide to run for a seat on the Township Committee this year?

I moved to Cranford a little over 10 years ago. Since that time I have been involved in several community events and organizations, including the Zoning Board, the Chamber of Commerce and the Cranford Jaycees. My kids go to Cranford Schools and play several sports. I am very invested in Cranford. I am a Licensed Professional Engineer and I have worked in the engineering field for
over 25 years; I am now in the corporate office running a strategic planning group. I believe that my engineering and business experience along with my strong ties to many of our community groups is an unique asset to the township committee and will help me with the tough choices that the committee will be facing over the next few years.

3. In the area of shared services, what services that are currently not shared between local municipalities, or between the town and school district? How do you propose obtaining this goal?

There are many opportunities to take advantage of shared service agreements. We have some in place with our Construction Code Official providing services to Roselle Park and our state of the art police desk dispatching to Winfield. Cranford needs to expand these opportunities and continue to take this type of leadership role in providing shared services to other towns. The are many other opportunities for some shared services in services that are not daily requirements of the town; such as some types of Emergency Management equipment, specialized Rescue equipment and specialized DPW equipment. I believe that we can set up local municipal coalitions to manage these types of
services so that all the towns involved benefit but share the costs. There needs to be a lot of scrutiny to these arrangements, for example we are paying now $80k for CFO services for the Clark CFO when we used to pay $89k for a full time individual. That person is also performing the function for Clark and South Amboy; so for $9k less we are getting 1/3 of the service, that does not seem like a bargain.

We have had promises of working with the school district on shared services but nothing coming to fruition. There are definite opportunities be had by working together on shared IT services, engineering services, and maintenance services, as well as many others. I would work with the Superintendent and the Board of Education to implement shared services which will lower the tax burden. The town and schools are already in energy consortiums for purchase of energy but we can look to enhance those opportunities.

4. How do you feel about the township committee form of government and the way in which the position of mayor is decided in the township?

The township form of government is one of the oldest forms of government in New Jersey; it has served Cranford since its inception in 1871. It serves this community well because the commissioners are part time positions and majority of the day to day business is managed by the township administrator and the department heads. At a time like this, when several of the department heads
have left the township this year, it does put the township in a precarious position. This form of government depends on the knowledge and dedication of those people; and their appointments need to be made in a non-political manner that best serves Cranford.

The downside of the township form of government is that you have the potential to change the mayor every year. This does provide a level of control by people who can usually change the majority by the annual elections, but it also adds a level of uncertainty which is a detractor to investment in the town. Having an elected Mayor would provide a higher level of stability, the leader of the council
would be in place for four years, but it also would require additional responsibility on the part of the population to elect a person whom they would want to lead the township for that long. There is a process available to study, make recommendations and put the decision before the people for their approval a change in government.

5. What do you believe can be done to increase communication and transparency between the Township Committee and the residents of Union County Cranford Township?

Lots of progress has been made over the last few years with the televising of Planning and Zoning Board meetings, I would like to see those meetings continue to be televised as well as televising other
meetings like the flood advisory board. We have a great asset with TV-35 and I would like to create programs that would expand its volunteer staff and programming. When elected, I will work to reinstate the “Fair and Open” process for service acquisition (RFQ/RFP processes) which was done away this year.

We also need to put more information on the website, like the township budget, so that citizens have ease of access and which will in turn reduce the number of OPRA requests on the staff. I will work to make more web based transactions – licenses, taxes, permits. To implement these changes we need to elect Kalnins and Adubato Nesi so that we can work with Commissioner Robinson, who is committed to the same ideas, and the other committee members to put Cranford on the right path.