Issues

Spending and Taxes

Rich knows that this tough economy is hard on every one of us. He understands the simple and unavoidable truth that New Jersey has the highest overall tax burden, and the highest property taxes, in the nation. Morristown is no exception, we ranks among the highest in taxes per household, highest government costs per household, and among the highest municipal costs per household. In fact, the people of Morristown pay approximately 15% more for government services than the average town in Morris County. Rich will lead the charge to cut spending, consolide functions and/or departments, and champion shared services so to ease the burden that each resident of morristown must carry.

Ethical and Honest Government:

When Rich decided to enter this race,  he was very clear that he intended to run an honest and ethical campaign.  Rich understands that this is not a partisan issue, but simply what the people of Morristown expect from those they choose to elect.  Integrity is something that cannot be sacrificed for the sake of securing votes, nor put aside once someone is elected. As such,  Rich has made it clear to all those around him that his campaign is about a message of ideas and values.  He will not permit a campaign in his name to be based on dirty politics and/or personal attacks. Rich will continue to maintain these same high standards once he is elected too. He recently commented, “I will always strive to serve the people of Morristown in such a way that will make them proud to have me as their representative on the Town Council.”

 

Shared Services: 

We in Morristown expect and deserve the high quality services we currently enjoy. Each homeowner bears a high cost for snow removal, trash collection, and everything in between because Morristown takes on these responsibilities and costs by ourselves. With the goal of controlling costs and improving services, Rich will look at innovative ways of providing these services with an eye toward efficiency. Through establishing improved relationships and dialogue with our neighboring towns, and investigating private-sector solutions, Rich will deal with these challenges head-on, and provide Morristown with alternatives and choices.

 

Safety and Security :

Rich strongly supports the needs of our Police Department. He understands that a high quality of life means that everyone that lives, works, and shops in Morristown wishes to feel that they can safely walk down any street, day or night. Most importantly, Rich will not play politics with the safety of the children of Morristown. Rich will fight to keep your children safe from the influences of drugs, violence, and gangs through assuring that our Police Department is fully-staffed and highly-trained at all times. No less important to Rich is the training and equipping of our Fire Department, and all first responders, so to best protect the health and welfare of all of Morristown’s residents, business owners, and visitors.

Rich cares deeply about the safety and well being of the children of Morristown. He has heard from many parents that they are concerned about drugs and violence in our schools. After discussing this issue with community and law enforcement leaders, Rich supports having an SRO (School Resource Officer) assigned to Morristown High School, like has been successfully done in lower schools. Rich understands that a high quality education is essential to the success of our community, and he refuses to have our children subjected to any dangers or distractions that will get in the way of the learning process; or allow any illegal or irresponsible activities to put the children of Morristown in harm’s way.

Re-Development & Quality of Life

The importance of the revitalization and modernization of Morristown is beyond argument. The concern is when growth outpaces the ability of our infrastructure to handle it, and when the character of our town is compromised. Rich recognizes that Morristown is not only a town of neighborhoods, but a town of families. He loves the charm and history of Morristown. Re-development has its place for the future of our town, but Rich also understands that too much of a good thing, is sometimes simply too much. Rich will open the process to greater community involvement and debate, and he will always work with the people of Morristown to make certain that we do not lose the historic character of Morristown that makes it so special. Rich believes that any new building must pass through an open process that seeks out multiple bids, as this will not only drive costs down, but offer more options and opportunities for Morristown.

 

Education: “TAP” into local talent

When elected, Rich will work to promote educational and career opportunities through a coordinated effort between local school officials, parents, politicians, existing government and non-profit educational organizations, and our local corporate neighbors. Rich will promote his “TAP” into local talent program – “TAP” stands for “The Apprenticeship Program.” This program, which will identify high school students that may not, for a variety of possible reasons, have the opportunity to attend college for formal educational instruction, to participate in a cooperative training program that will open doors that otherwise would have been closed.

Apprentice programs are often thought of as related to specific trades, but throughout the world apprentice programs are used in the white collar world as well. Rich will leverage his position on the council to develop a steering committee and gain corporate buy-in to develop and launch the “TAP” program. In his professional career, Rich implemented an international apprentice program, so he knows the significant impact such a program can have on the lives of those that participate in it.

This program is based purely on using private sector resources for the improvement of our community, will use NO tax payer’s money, and presents an exciting new opportunity for our children to achieve the American dream.

(Rich published a blog that outlines the basics of this program, which appears on this website)