The Westfield Leader Newspaper
The Times of Scotch Plains-Fanwood

CYAN YELLOW MAGENTA BLACK

In Business Since 1988 License & Business Permit # 9314

Republicans Not Waiting Until Fall for Campaign

WESTFIELD –Although it is only June, Westfield Republican Town Council candidates are already planning their campaign strategy for the fall.

GOP Council candidates this year want to increase Republicans’ slim 54 majority on the governing body. The GOP holds five of the eight council seats. Running for the council seats this year are: First Ward, Peter Echausse of Tuttle Parkway; Second Ward, Rafael Betancourt of Golf Edge; Third Ward, Gerald Boyle of Dorian Road, and Fourth Ward, Karen Trzesniowski of Starlite Court.

Mr. Echausse has 12 years of combined experience in municipal finance and public service. An eightyear resident, he has been a credit analyst his entire career. He has reviewed bonds backed by property taxes in cities such as Boston and

Atlanta. “My experience in municipal finance will help ensure that we plan prudently for our future needs and that we bond in the most costeffective manner for taxpayers,” he said. He favors longterm operating budgets. He also noted that his expertise on bonds would be “invaluable” as the council considers construction of a parking deck or decks.

Mr. Echausse is a member of the Westfield Recreation Commission and served on Mayor Thomas C. Jardim’s Westfield Expenditure Review Commission. He also has served on the Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church Finance Council, which oversees the parish’s finances.

He listed improvements to Brightwood and Clarke Parks along with adding curbing to the town’s sidewalk improvement program as areas he would push for on council.

Mr. Betancourt, who just concluded an eightyear run as municipal prosecutor in town, is an attorney and former FBI agent. Prior to being

town prosecutor, he was public defender for two years for the Westfield Municipal Court.

He is a former President and Treasurer of the Board of Governors of the Nomahegan Swim Court, an organization with a $300,000 budget.

“I believe I have a good understanding of the diverse concerns of town residents, from public safety to traffic to parking to taxes,” Mr. Betancourt noted.

As a prosecutor, he stated, he helped reduce a case backlog to a

manageable size. He is running for council to effect public policy which enhances the community as well working on issues including public safety, traffic, parking and taxes.

Mr. Boyle has spent nine years with an investment and insurance business in Cranford after 20 years with the stare Department of Human Services.

He has been involved in a number of local organizations including the Optimist Club of Westfield and Goodwill New Jersey as well as Westfield High School’s alcoholfree graduation program.

His campaign will center on the parking crunch in downtown Westfield.

“The first step toward solving the parking issue in building a consensus among residents and business owners. To do that, we have to answer many questions regarding the cost, the tax implications and the traffic impact of any proposed deck, irrespective of where it may be built,” Mr. Boyle stated.

Mrs. Trzesniowski, the owner of a title company in town, has pledged to “lead the fight against an obtrusive parking deck on the south side of the train station.”

“It wouldn’t fit in with the smalltown charm of our community,” she stated.

She favors implementing a jitney service for commuters.

Gerald Boyle Rafael Betancourt

Karen Trzesniowski Peter Echausse Mountainside Borough Council

Moves Forward on Bonds By KIMBERLY A. BROADWELL

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

MOUNTAINSIDE —Mountainside’s proposed project for bonds needed to fund borough road repairs and to fix storm drainage systems and resealing sewer lines was passed on first reading Tuesday evening by Borough Council.

The ordinance states that $2.7 million will be used as a down payment for the $5.4million project, which has a timetable of approximately two years.

In the spring, the borough announced the need for the bond for these various capital improvements, which included updating approximately 60 roads.

The mayor had noted that the Borough Engineer, Michael Disko, had done a study of the borough’s engineering needs and reported that about 75 percent of the borough’s 90 streets were in “dire need of repair as well as the repair of caved in drainage systems and sewer lines.”

Originally, it was announced that this bond would be for approximately $7 million, but was then cut due to grants and money used from the Capital Surplus Fund for drainage and storm sewer improvements.

The mayor noted that details of what was going to happen in the project would be outlined in literature and will be sent out to all residents within the next few weeks.

He also stated a public hearing on the ordinance was scheduled for Tuesday, July 18.

A discussion concerning the dumping of debris into the borough’s storm sewers continued on Tuesday evening. The discussion had been started at last week’s agenda setting meeting.

Mayor Robert F. Viglianti addressed residents encouraging them to call and report to the police any landscapers that are seen dumping or blowing leaves, grass or other lawn debris into the public sewer system.

The mayor said, “These individuals are acting irresponsibly and unethically, because they are charging homeowners to discard the debris and then illegally dumping it. This is also a health concern because the dumping leads to a clogged drainage system which causes flooding.”

During last week’s meeting the mayor relayed a story of how very recently he

caught a local landscaping company dumping yard clippings into the sewers.

He noted that currently the fines for this offense were $250-$ 1,000 for a first offense and $1,000-$ 2,000 for a second offense.

The mayor stated that he felt because landscapers were “continually dumping lawn debris” a third offense should be added mandating a $5,000 fine and the confiscation of landscaping equipment.

Councilman Thomas Perotta had added that he thought the minimum first offense should be raised to $500.

However, during Tuesday’s meeting there was no further discussion regarding these fines.

In other business, resident, Karen McQueen, addressed the governing body stating that she saw an article in The Star Ledger regarding the state’s Regional Efficiency Aid Program, noting that 131 municipalities were getting tax breaks because of shared services programs that they had developed in their communities.

She asked the governing body if Mountainside was included in that number.

Mayor Viglianti addressed the audience by stating that although the borough did participate in shared services agreements with neighboring communities that because they were done so long ago; they were not eligible for the program.

The mayor stated that he thought it was a shame that communities such as Mountainside that were resourceful enough to think of sharing services on their own have been penalized.

The mayor also stated that many of these shared services agreements had been in effect for approximately nine years and included such departments as the Board of Health, Tax Assessor, Public Works, Building Inspector and Borough Engineer and include such communities as Clark, Cranford, Westfield, Scotch Plains and Kenilworth.

Finally, Councilman Paul Mirabelli stated that he would be presenting Salutatorian, Jennifer Hauser and Valedictorian, Marissa DeAnna, both of the Deerfield School, with a $200 and $300 savings bond during their June 21 graduation.

Homeowners to be Honored For Historic Preservation

WESTFIELD — The Westfield Historic Preservation Commission will hold its Eighth Annual Commendation Awards Reception tonight, Thursday, June 22, at 8 p. m. in the Council Chambers of the Westfield Municipal Building, located at 425 East Broad Street.

The Commendation Awards are given to recognize property owners who have established historic preservation standards when expanding, altering, restoring or maintaining their buildings and grounds and to encourage other owners of historic properties to incorporate these standards into their future renovations.

Award recipients were selected by a Judging Committee comprised of Harry A. Devlin, a local artist, and members of the commission.

Among this year’s award recipients are Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Baum, who recently renovated their Georgian Colonial home at 720 Lawrence Avenue.

Since purchasing the property in 1996, they have added a family kitchen area, breezeway, master bedroom and

bath, and have repainted, landscaped and installed period lighting fixtures to complement the 1920 residence.

Also being honored are Mr. and Mrs. Robert Depalmer, the owners of 225 Woodland Avenue, for their extensive renovations since moving into their home in 1994.

The residence, built in 1931, was previously owned by Mr. and Mrs. Norbert Weldon, who added a large family room during their ownership. Mr. and Mrs. Depalmer have since completed a new kitchen and master bedroom, enlarged the garage and added a portico.

Mr. and Mrs. Randall K. Packer of 114 Ferris Place will be recognized for their restoration and maintenance of a 250yearold home they purchased in 1996. As part of their restoration efforts, the couple have stripped walls and floors, done interior and exterior painting and renovated many exterior shutters.

Mr. and Mrs. John O’Leary, the owners of a home at 538 Lawrence Avenue that was built in 1850, will be honored for their maintenance, extensive landscaping and unique pool construction.

Mr. and Mrs. Bruce H. Adams will be cited for an extensive addition they recently completed on their French Normandy style home, as well as their renovation and landscaping efforts. Built in 1929, the home is located at 335 Woodland Avenue.

The new section enlarged their living room and family room/ den, while adding a master bedroom. Special care was taken to ensure that the home’s new windows matched the original leaded glass windows.

All interested residents are invited to attend tonight’s Awards Reception.

DISTINGUISHED HOMES… The owners of the Westfield home pictured above will be honored tonight, Thursday, June 22, at the Westfield Historic Preservation Commission’s Eighth Annual Commendation Awards Reception at 8 p. m. in the Council Chambers of the Westfield Municipal Building. Award recipients will include Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Baum, the owners of the Georgian Colonial at 720 Lawrence Avenue pictured above.