Video: Meet Township Candidate Andis Kalnins

In a time when New Jersey towns are making difficult decisions due to state cuts, Republican Andis Kalnins, 41, said that if elected to Cranford Township Committee, he intends to bring his analytical skills to the table to help solve the budget problems.

"I think I would bring my engineering background, quantitative type understanding to the table," he said. With the 2 percent property tax cap looming on the horizon, Kalnins said the town committee will have to make tough choices in the future; whether they like it or not.

"I think the current committee has made a good start, what we need is sustainable change," he said. "We're going to look at all the departments to look at which things are mandated and which things add to the community."

To make the decision of what would stay and what would go, he said, he believes the committee will have to evaluate in the coming year what the value each township service holds to the community, and choose to keep the services most valuable to residents.

His analytical skill set, he said, comes from his education – he holds a degree in civil engineering and a master's in business administration from Montclair State University. He also has worked as a manager for numerous companies. At Port Authority, Kalnins worked in construction management for five years. Thirteen years ago he switched careers, working as an engineer for Verizon, and now is a strategic planner for the corporation.

Kalnins also brings experience from other aspects of municipal government, he said. After moving to Cranford 10 years ago with his wife and three children, he joined the Zoning Board of Adjustment, helping to interpret land use laws. He also lends a hand as  the Chamber of Commerce director – hosting car shows and street fairs.

Then there's his more lighthearted volunteer efforts: Hanging wreaths all around town as part of the holiday decorating committee, planning walks and family fun day as part of the Cranford Jaycees.

As an active member of the community, running for township committee was a logical next step, he said.

"Since then, I got more involved with a couple of committees, I got involved in a lot of things, and it just seemed like a natural progression," he said.

In fact, if elected, he said he wants to make community volunteer groups a core focus. Throughout Cranford's history, there has been a tight-knit bond between committee members and these groups.

"There's a history of cooperation between the township and community groups to improve the town.  I want to continue to foster that, whether it's the garden club, the parks in the town, great work done at the Hanson park conservancy, making that park a hundred times better than it was. Cranford always comes through, the citizens always come through to make the town a better place," he said.

Kalnins is running with Republican Mark Smith, the current mayor and Township Committee incumbent.

Opinions: Township Issues

Kalnins is in favor of the Solomon Schechter School purchase, a 4-acre parcel bought by the township for $1.9 million. While some residents, along with Democratic commissioner Daniel Aschenbach, have objected to the purchase on the grounds that the township does not need to borrow any more money due to the current fiscal issues surrounding all municipalities in New Jersey, Kalnins said the purchase kept it out of the hands of developers looking to build high density housing.

After all, he added, Cranford is currently dealing with vast legal expenditures, the ramifications of two builder's remedy lawsuits. If Cranford gets handed another suit, it would mean more legal expenses in the long run.

"What (the purchase) did was, it kept (the parcel) under township control. Currently we have two lawsuits on our hands – so I think that's probably a good place for it to be," he said.

Kalnins is also in favor of the township's current settlement with developer Lehigh Acquisitions Corp., which will allow the company to build 163 units at 555 South Avenue East.

"I think that's very unfortunate situation – but I think the settlement is the best possible outcome at this point in time," he said.

The township originally objected to the developer's request to build filed a lawsuit against the township, citing Cranford's unmet affordable housing requirements.

Although four members of the Township Committee ultimately decided it would be best to settle the lawsuit, Commissioner Daniel Aschenbach objected, saying that he'd rather fight it out in the hopes of gaining back more control over the piece of land.

Like the rest of the township committee, Kalnins said he believes Aschenbach's stance flies in the face of common sense. If the township committee continues to fight it,we'd end up with more units than what was settled for and we would lose all control of the property."

And that's the last thing he'd like to see happen. One of the aspects of Cranford which Kalnins really loves, he said, is its small-town feel.

"Before Cranford I lived in Bergen County – what they were doing in the town I was in, they were ripping up one-family homes and putting in  two, three and five-family homes. We were looking to get out of that type of density," he said of his move to the township.

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