I’d like to extend a sincere welcome to everyone here today.  South Plainfield is a unique place.  While trying to decide what to say today, I was reminded just how unique it really is.  For decades, families searching for the perfect place to raise their families came to South Plainfield because they knew it was a safe, affordable community where their children would enjoy unrivaled opportunities.  There are so many things for which South Plainfield can be proud—among them its fine schools, its abundant and tireless volunteers, its rich history, and its sense of community. 

         I know of no other place where so many young people choose to stay and build their lives in the same hometown in which they themselves were raised.  In fact, if you doubt South Plainfield’s uniqueness, just look up here.  Five of the six council members actually grew up in the borough and then chose to stay. 

          We can take great pride in our community.  But along with that pride comes great responsibility and the duty to keep it the safe, affordable, and close-nit place it’s been for decades. 

          In 2010, honoring this responsibility means facing difficult challenges.  We want to preserve what we have, and we also want to take South Plainfield to the next level.  Like many communities, though, we face the reality of the recession, the need to control costs, and the obligation to hold down property taxes.  At the same time, the pressures of overdevelopment force us to defend the small-town atmosphere that makes South Plainfield unique.      

          Given these challenges, I’ve carefully considered the council’s priorities for 2010 and would like to discuss the top three:  

          First, we need to work toward a more cost-effective local government.  In an era of looming deficits, there is a great chance that state aid may be cut and grant pools significantly reduced. We need to do more with less, and that means looking for new ways to solve old problems.  Rather than find creative ways to spend money, let’s be creative in how we conserve the hard-earned money entrusted to us. 

          It’s important to get off to a quick start, and that’s why we’ve already identified over $150,000 in savings we can achieve by combining jobs, cutting positions, and reducing other positions to part time.  We also must begin for the first time to think about the long-term and not make decisions that reap short-term gains at the expense of costly commitments.  

          A great example of the creativity I’m looking for just took place last month.   Councilman Ray Rusnak and our administrator, Glen Cullen, negotiated a deal with the Teamsters that will reduce salaries for new DPW hires by 30%.  The long-term savings from this deal will be hundreds of thousands of dollars.  I congratulate Ray and Glen.  This is exactly the type of creativity that we need to make our local government more cost-effective.   

          Our second priority centers on what people get for their tax dollars.  That’s why I’m challenging the council to usher in a new decade of top-notch service to residents.  It’s no secret that when Rob and I ran this year we talked in detail about programs that benefit our neighborhoods, families, and seniors.  It’s important to preserve our neighborhoods through programs like road and curb reconstruction.  It’s also important to make sure parents have a safe place to raise their children.  The popular Safe Streets, Safe Kids initiative and park revitalization are examples of ideas that make our town a better and safer place for these families.   In a similar way, we need to constantly make sure we offer our seniors the services that meet their needs. 

          To achieve this second goal, we, as a council, need to make top-notch service to residents a priority.  I’ve also asked our administrator to take a hands-on approach in managing the borough and to assess every department to see whether it is offering the top-notch service residents deserve.  Our job as a governing body is not to manage the borough ourselves, but rather, to see that it is well managed.  To that end we, as a council, need to set high expectations.

          The third priority will test us the most.  In fact, when addressing our borough reorganization in 2007, I called this challenge South Plainfield’s biggest.  That challenge is to control overdevelopment. 

          More than ever, we need to fight the unbridled growth that’s threatening our town.   And let me be frank:  If we don’t work together we could forever lose the small-town atmosphere we all treasure. 

          In 2010 we face the development of more than 700 new rental apartments and 338 new condos.  These two projects threaten our small town.  They’ll bring more traffic; they’ll strain our emergency services; and they’ll bring hundreds of new kids into our schools—all at a time when we can least afford it.

          There will be skeptics who’ll argue that we should simply accept the inevitable.  To them I say “now is not the time to raise the white flag.”  With a new governor planning to overhaul the flawed statewide housing plan that would flood our town with multi-unit housing, now is the time to redouble our efforts—that, or say goodbye to South Plainfield as we know it. 

          To lead the effort, I’m asking our Borough Attorney, Paul Rizzo, and our planner from T&M to immediately begin work on a strategy that will allow us to thwart projects that, in the end, would add over a thousand new housing units to our town.  I also challenge every council member to work together and make fighting overdevelopment our number-one endeavor in the new year.  Of the three priorities I’ve set out today, this is indeed the most crucial.  

          Finally, before closing, I want to offer some advice to my colleagues.  Let’s learn the lesson from two years ago. It serves no purpose to disagree simply for the sake of disagreement.  Nothing is wrong with honest disagreement and robust debate, but the town is not served by obstruction.  Rob Bengivenga and I tried to follow a single rule when we were in the minority, and I hope you’ll carefully consider it.  It’s simple:   Support what’s good and oppose what’s not.   Tim and Ray adhered to this same philosophy in 2009 when they were in the minority, and I trust you will do the same in the coming year.   

          In closing, I want to thank the members of the council for choosing me to lead our governing body as council president.  It’s truly an honor and responsibility that I do not take lightly.  Our borough form of government follows the “weak mayor/strong council” model, as such, the council is given the bulk of the responsibility for managing the town and planning its future.  As members of the council, the six of us have a profound responsibility.   We should not relinquish our roles as leaders, but instead, should be independent thinkers who work together to build a better South Plainfield.  Each of us has the ability to do just that, and I’m optimistic that we will. 

          A better South Plainfield will not come easy.  But with the help of our residents, our hard-working borough employees, and the volunteer members of our boards and agencies, we can be reassured that South Plainfield will not only stay the safe, affordable and close-nit community we’ve come to enjoy, but that we will build an even better South Plainfield for everyone.

          Here’s to 2010 being a year of health, happiness, and progress for the people of South Plainfield.