Thank you all for joining us today as we welcome two new council members to the South Plainfield Borough Council and as I outline the priorities for the year ahead.  I am glad to see so many new faces here today and welcome the new and existing volunteers that are taking positions on our boards and committees.

As we start this New Year we are preparing to witness history being made with the inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama.  Change is not only coming to Washington D.C., change is also coming to South Plainfield.   But change does not happen without eager participants who are willing to work hard for those they represent.  Our country is in the worst economic condition it has been in since I was born and we are all facing the hardships of that economy.  South Plainfield is not immune from this economic downturn.  Now more than ever we must dedicate ourselves to deliver efficient and effective government at the lowest possible cost to our taxpayers.

As the council majority has once again changed, best wishes to outgoing Council members Matt Anesh and Robert Bengivenga.   You have had the experience of serving as a representative of the people.  This is the highest honor any citizen can receive in a democracy.  Thank you for your service.

I would like to welcome council members Chrissy Buteas and Franky Salerno.  You also have achieved the highest honor anyone in a free society can claim, the position of a “public servant”. I know that you will always remember that you are a representative of the people and your goal must be to do your best to listen and work hard for those you represent.  Also, congratulations to newly appointed Council President Petronko.  We all admire your 13+ years of service to the Borough.  You clearly deserve this honor as there is no one I know that enjoys serving the residents more than you.

 Without going into unnecessary detail, 2008 was not a productive year for the borough council.  Rather than uniting behind projects which would benefit all residents of our great borough, efforts were made to pit one group against another.  Taxes were increased and open space preservation was ignored.   Today marks the beginning of a change in direction for South Plainfield.  I assure you that this Mayor working with the new Democratic majority will do what is necessary to right the municipal Ship of State.   The returning Republican members will be given every opportunity to join in that effort and put partisanship aside.  But make no mistake about it; by this time next year, South Plainfield will once again be a model of a fiscally prudent, well run town.

We all know South Plainfield is known for its phenomenal athletic programs, a top-notch senior center, exemplary emergency management services and a community of residents willing to put others before themselves.  In the past I have always made improving all of these services a top priority and I look forward to continuing to make them even better with the help of our hard working Borough employees and many volunteers.  Yet, there are several areas where improvement needs to be achieved to further improve our quality of life.

I have talked with our residents and more importantly I have listened to the things that matter most to them.  Through those many conversations, I have identified the five key areas that I believe will have the greatest positive impact on our residents. These are five initiatives we as a council need to focus on this year and I believe will deliver the greatest benefits to our residents.  These items are:

·       Reinstating the weight restrictions on Hamilton Boulevard and Belmont Avenue and completing the New Market Avenue extension;

·        Proceeding with the Truck Bypass route;

·        Implementation of Quiet Zones;

·        Restoration of our open space preservation program

·        Stabilization of taxes

In the past, the residents have asked us to keep their streets and school safe by removing 18 wheelers from their residential streets.  I know this year has been a frustrating time for many residents with the reversal of the truck ban.  Under Democratic leadership, we removed the trucks in the past and you have my word that this council will once again ban trucks from Belmont Avenue and Hamilton Boulevard.  Protecting the 1000’s of residents and school children that live in that area must once again become a priority.  Additionally, I think we can all agree that the intersection of New Market Avenue and Hamilton Boulevard is a troublesome intersection.  We will fix the dangerous intersection for our residents by completing the New Market Avenue extension.  It is my goal that before the end of this year, we will have the road extension in place.

We also need to redouble our efforts on the Truck Bypass Route.   Mike English and his committee have put considerable time and effort into this project and now the time has come to take the fight a step further.  One of the most important steps we have taken already is bringing in an expert whose knowledge and experience can strengthen our case.  The completion of this project will serve every resident of the borough and I promise you I will give it my full support and attention.

Many residents have also discussed with me the noise created by trains passing through our community.  I trust that everyone is familiar with what I am talking about.  I don’t think there is a resident in South Plainfield who can’t hear the trains which presents a major quality of life issue.  That is why I am asking Councilwoman Buteas to take the lead on this project by organizing a collaborative effort to find ways to reduce the noise.   I encourage her to work with the surrounding towns and the county to begin designing an approach to reduce the noise of passing trains, possibly by creating Quiet Zones.  This project will enable us to improve our railroad crossings and the trains will no longer be required to blow their horns when crossing. 

Another priority in the coming year is to identify properties to preserve as open space.  Over the last decade we have preserved over 200 acres from development.  I direct all council members to make identification of properties to be preserved from development a top priority for 2009.   As part of that process the former Suburban Bus lot will be cleaned up so that former unsightly property can be utilized as an expansion of Pitt Street Park.  The baseless allegations of the prior Republican majority in reference to this site was a low point in political debate.  I expect this location to be part of our recreation inventory by year’s end. 
 

 Taxes are clearly the number one focus of any local government but especially important as we weather these tough economic times.  There is no stronger message I receive from our residents than to control their local property taxes. That is why we need to take drastic measures this year to ensure that the public will once again see our taxes stabilized.  Our first priority is the 2009 budget, which has not yet been adopted by the prior council.  While little change can be made at this point to the prior administration’s budget, we will work to lower the tax rate that was introduced in this budget in order to bring some immediate relief to our residents.  We will also begin working on the 2010 budget, and as promised during the campaign, this budget will be introduced with no tax increase.  This will not be an easy task and it will be a challenge to meet that goal.  We must take drastic measures to keep our expenses under control and look for ways to consolidate services and reduce expenses. Those of us sitting here on the dais are elected to make hard decisions and unfortunately they aren’t always the most popular decisions, but in the end we need to take these steps to protect our taxpayers.  Council President Petronko, I direct that you as the chair of Administration and Finance to immediately begin a total review of all borough administrative positions with the goal of bringing efficiency and economy to borough hall.

   As someone who was born, raised and educated in South Plainfield I know what a special place this is to live in and raise a family.  As we begin this New Year, we as elected officials must remember that we are servants of the people and not of a particular political party.  With that as our guiding principle, we can’t go wrong.

It won't be easy but we have no choice but to change.  In the words of our soon to be President, Barak Obama; "America can change.  Our Union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow." 

Let us all echo his slogan of hope as we enter this new year

                                   “YES WE CAN!”

God's blessings to you and your loved ones in 2009 and may God continue to bless and protect our wonderful town and the United States of America.