In his own words: Morristown GOP council candidate Richard Babcock

My name is Richard Babcock, and I am candidate for the Morristown Town Council. While I am not a lifelong resident, Morristown has been very much at the center of my life since I was very young.

Growing up in nearby Mountain Lakes, Morristown served as my “downtown.” I recall taking in movies and shows in Morristown going back to my early youth and I remember my late mother taking me to Bamberger’s to buy my first suit.

Later, as a student at Fairleigh Dickinson in Madison, Morristown again played a very central role.

Now that I have lived in Morristown for many years, my commitment to Morristown’s future, as well as honoring and preserving its historic past, has only grown more steadfast.

While Morristown has been evolving into a cultural and economic center for Morris County, and New Jersey, for some time now, along the way there have been many missed opportunities and the government has seemingly become less in touch with many of what I have come to call the “Morristown values” that make it such a special town to live in.

High taxes have continued to go higher, which has made it increasingly more difficult for many people to afford to come to our town, or for long-time residents to remain here. While we must all recognize that progress can be a positive thing, we must also take very seriously the fact that managing progress requires trusted and thoughtful leadership.

I wish to be part of the Town Council because I will bring a voice that is free from the influences of special interests. I will bring the ability to work with people in a cooperative and productive way; resulting in well-considered progress for the people of Morristown.

I will truly listen to the many great ideas and perspectives that are the blessing of our diverse community. Most importantly, I will put the taxpayers of Morristown first, always.

Over my career, as both a corporate manager and small business owner, I have gained the experience of managing complex projects and large divisions with multi-million dollar budgets. This is the real world experience that will allow me to be a highly effective addition to the Town Council.

I will face our many significant future challenges head-on, while demonstrating the professionalism, character, and competence that will make the hard working taxpayers, families, and seniors of Morristown proud to call me their next Councilman.

As your next Councilman, I will call for:

• A comprehensive shared-services analysis to determine where taxpayer-funded spending can be reduced, and a full analysis of all existing government departments to identify where waste and redundancy can be eliminated – we must cut spending in order to control taxes.
• Increased enforcement of the town’s “stacking” ordinances, while calling for significantly increasing the fines for violations.
• Requiring all part-time elected officials to pay 100% of their health care premiums and deductibles; and revoking their eligibility for “opt out” payments.
• Linking non-union employee salary increases to the rate of inflation for the next four years.
• A School Resource Officer (SRO) at Morristown High School that will help to ensure a safe learning environment that is free of drugs and violence.
• Real ethics reforms, beginning with stricter “pay to play” regulations so to eliminate even the perception of corruption.
• Policies that embrace progress, while they also preserve and promote our history; positioning Morristown as the model of a forward-thinking and sustainable community.
• Transparency and accountability of all government departments by posting bids and contracts on the town’s website.

These are among the many things that I believe are important for the present and future of Morristown. I am asking for your support so I can bring a fresh voice and perspective to the Morristown Town Council.

I will work together with my fellow Council members, and the people of Morristown, toward Morristown achieving its full potential, while always respecting its historic significance.

I have pledged to run a positive and issues-based campaign, free from personal attacks and dirty politics because I believe that this is what the people of Morristown both want and deserve. To learn more, please visit my campaign website: www.VoteBabcock.com. Thank you for your consideration and support.

Local Influences

I was just doing some reading and thinking about a topic that has always been very much at the center of my political way of thinking. That is the influence and importance of local (town, county, state, etc) elected officials.

We tend to focus so much on the Presidential elections in this country, and not as much on the rest of government. This is proven by the drop-off in the number of voters in non-Presidential elections. In my opinion, too much importance is places on the Presidency and not enough is placed on the other elected officials (at least in terms of the apparent campaign enthusiasm and voter turn-out). Of course, the President is a VERY important office, I am not downplaying that fact. What I am saying is that we, as a country, need to put more emphasis on all the other elected officals at every level of government (Mayors, Town Council, County Freeholders, Governor, State Senate, State Assembly, US Congress, US Senate … hey, throw Sherriff and County Clerk into this discussion too, they are also very influential and important in our lives).

These locally-elected officials influence our lives in so many profound ways. This is a short blog, but please remember how important your Mayor and City Council is in making your lives better in your town. Remember that your Freeholders do a lot to make your county a better place to live. Please remember how important State leaders and legislators are in the health, safety, and prosperity of your state. Don’t ever forget how important US Senators and US Congressmen are in setting a positive national agenda. My last thought is this, please also don’t forget how negatively the wrong elected officials can effect your life. I urge your to vote, but I ask that you do so carefully and thoughtfully.