South Orange BOT election
Thanks, I stand corrected. I do remember Elaine making substantial contributions to past elections.
cramer said:
Thanks, I stand corrected. I do remember Elaine making substantial contributions to past elections.
I only know that because I ran in that election and remember paying close attention at the time to how my opponents were financed.
Well, SO was getting a bit sleepy for a while on all things BOT (a fair bit of credit to Sheena on that), so I suppose y’all were due.
That said, the thought of dropping $6,400 on a plate at the Fox and Falcon is absolutely cracking me up.
ctrzaska said
That said, the thought of dropping $6,400 on a plate at the Fox and Falcon is absolutely cracking me up.
Maybe the sale was too good to pass up..
ctrzaska said:
Well, SO was getting a bit sleepy for a while on all things BOT (a fair bit of credit to Sheena on that), so I suppose y’all were due.
That said, the thought of dropping $6,400 on a plate at the Fox and Falcon is absolutely cracking me up.
Is that really for ONE ticket? Honestly as an event planner the lack of info on this ticketing page offends me. What do you get for your sponsorship? How many tickets? What kind of recognition? Is it even a dinner? Is there open bar (there better be). FWIW it's billed as a reception.
$6,400 for 1 ticket (plus almost $400 in fees!) brings this in line with high-end, black tie NYC and LA galas. And higher priced than many, many of them.
PurpleMonkeyDshwashr said:
Is that really for ONE ticket? Honestly as an event planner the lack of info on this ticketing page offends me. What do you get for your sponsorship?$6,400 for 1 ticket (plus almost $400 in fees!) brings this in line with high-end, black tie NYC and LA galas. And higher priced than many, many of them.
Good question.
cramer said:
PurpleMonkeyDshwashr said:Good question.
Is that really for ONE ticket? Honestly as an event planner the lack of info on this ticketing page offends me. What do you get for your sponsorship?$6,400 for 1 ticket (plus almost $400 in fees!) brings this in line with high-end, black tie NYC and LA galas. And higher priced than many, many of them.
Rather than "getting something", this sounds like the Essex County politics way of raising money.
mayhewdrive said:
Rather than "getting something", this sounds like the Essex County politics way of raising money.
Ha, agree. You're getting something either way, I suppose!
But generally there are benefits like listings, open bar, etc.
FilmCarp said:
offering that ticket is one thing. Buying it is another.
I don't think you advertise an event like that with those kind of prices without first having secured some promises from people that they will buy tickets at those prices - don't forget, there are tickets in the "cheaper seats" for $2600 (and for the tickets in the nosebleed sections - $500 and $125.)
cramer said:
I don't think you advertise an event like that with those kind of prices without first having secured some promises from people that they will buy tickets at those prices - don't forget, there are tickets in the "cheaper seats" for $2600 (and for the tickets in the nosebleed sections - $500 and $125.)
Particularly with a PAC involved.
My guess is they already know some people who will put up the $6,400 and iif we can connect the dots it would lead to a developer or some political law firm.
Why $6400? That seems like an odd number. Is it the legal max or something?
"Super PACs start dominating local races in N..J"
"The surge in campaign spending in Parsippany seemed to come out of nowhere.
In the spring, a Democratic-linked organization with a Washington address called “New Jersey’s Future First” started blanketing this traditionally Republican town of 50,000 in Morris County with flyers and paid canvassers during its GOP Township Council primary.
The councilman whose slate it was targeting was angry. The councilman whose slate it was helping pleaded ignorance."
.........
“They’re making political donations to retain their contract,” said Roy Messmer, a Parsippany activist who supported the candidate the group opposed: Council President Paul Carifi. “It’s so out of hand, it’s ridiculous.”
It’s not just Parsippany. This is the new reality in politics in New Jersey and elsewhere in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision that paved the way for “super PACs” that could raise and spend unlimited sums. The super PACs have diminished the power of traditional fundraising entities like state and county political parties and made a mockery of already loophole-filled state and local pay-to-play laws intended to keep contractor donations from influencing the awarding of contracts."
...........
"Parsippany’s pay-to-play ordinance bars companies that do business with the town from donating more than $300 to municipal candidates, municipal political parties or “any continuing political committee that regularly engages in the support of municipal elections” in the town.
By the time the election was done, New Jersey’s Future First had spent almost $134,000. Virtually all of that money came from America’s Future First. While it’s clear the majority came from Parsippany contractors in 2014 donations, America’s Future First has yet to disclose the source of any of its 2015 donations."
https://www.politico.com/story/2015/07/super-pacs-start-dominating-local-races-in-nj-120763
mikescott said:
My guess is they already know some people who will put up the $6,400 and iif we can connect the dots it would lead to a developer or some political law firm.
cramer said:
yahooyahoo said:Shared services have an impact if they allow South Orange (and Maplewood) to come under the 2% budget cap.
That's great but approximately 60% of our tax bill is for the schools. Shared services is a nice idea but will have a small impact on our property taxes.
eta - The estimated cost savings of merging the fire departments is $582,000 - $1.6 million annually (split between SO and Maplewood.) That's significant.
A significant savings in absolute dollars but how much will it save me each year on my tax bill? Maybe $50? The capital building plan for the school district will wipe that out immediately x10.
yahooyahoo said:
cramer said:A significant savings in absolute dollars but how much will it save me each year on my tax bill? Maybe $50? The capital building plan for the school district will wipe that out immediately x10.
yahooyahoo said:Shared services have an impact if they allow South Orange (and Maplewood) to come under the 2% budget cap.
That's great but approximately 60% of our tax bill is for the schools. Shared services is a nice idea but will have a small impact on our property taxes.
eta - The estimated cost savings of merging the fire departments is $582,000 - $1.6 million annually (split between SO and Maplewood.) That's significant.
Anyone who tells you your tax bill will go DOWN, is lying to you. The best they can do is control the rate of increase. That said, if we don't start making some big moves, like merging the fire department, the rate of increase will far surpass the 2% increases we have become accustomed to, due to badly needed infrastructure improvements (Baird, Police Dept etc) and the elimination of the 2% CAP on arbitration awards by the Governor.
I never said our tax bills were going down.
Shared services are being presented by our local leaders as a panacea for tax relief.
In reality, they are a band-aid while the school funding formula bleeds us to death.
yahooyahoo said:
I never said our tax bills were going down.
Shared services are being presented by our local leaders as a panacea for tax relief.
In reality, they are a band-aid while the school funding formula bleeds us to death.
Are you going to tell Vic and the Township Committee that the merger isn't worth it?
A look at the state budget also helps to see some of the issues. One that stands out like a sore thumb was how Whitman and McGreevey underfunded the state defined benefit pension. We are paying big time for this. At the last meeting when the budget was presented, the pension increase this year to the town was $600,000 (that was just the increase). Had the plan been properly funded those years we would probably be recognizing a savings over over 1,000,000 this year. The whole point of a defined benefit plan is to have level contributions. .
chrome-extension://oemmndcbldboiebfnladdacbdfmadadm/https://www.nj.gov/treasury/omb/publications/19citizensguide/citguide.pdf
The South Orange Forward site now lists the slate's accomplishment's. I don't see how, if they're taking credit for it, this isn't just another endorsement for Sheena's leadership since, I believe, all of this happened under her watch.
This really is an odd start to the election. I hope sanity and reason will prevail.
Accomplishments
- Municipal taxes 2% or less since 2010.
- Fiscal Management: reduced debt andwon significant grant funding.
- 3rd and Valley completion: providing indoor parking for the commuters, 75 new spaces (including the public parking spaces), overnight parking option, $1.1M that went to building a new rescue squad, 21 affordable housing units (as well as money into our affordable housing trust fund), and new retail space.
- Police station renovation nearing completion.
- New scheduling for the Police Department that helps keep more officers on the street.
- Joint Court agreement with Maplewood.
- Complete redo of the Baird Tennis Courts.
- Rental Registration Ordinance to help address student housing issue.
- Revamped Website
- New Zoning at Orange Lawn Tennis Club preserves the character of the neighborhood.
- Initiated the South Orange Charity Golf Invitational. In two years raised $100K for two non-profits that serve the residents of South Orange.
- Proud to meet state guidelines under Council on Affordable Housing (COAH)
MasterP said:
The South Orange Forward site now lists the slate's accomplishment's. I don't see how, if they're taking credit for it, this isn't just another endorsement for Sheena's leadership since, I believe, all of this happened under her watch.
This really is an odd start to the election. I hope sanity and reason will prevail.
Accomplishments
- Municipal taxes 2% or less since 2010.
- Fiscal Management: reduced debt andwon significant grant funding.
- 3rd and Valley completion: providing indoor parking for the commuters, 75 new spaces (including the public parking spaces), overnight parking option, $1.1M that went to building a new rescue squad, 21 affordable housing units (as well as money into our affordable housing trust fund), and new retail space.
- Police station renovation nearing completion.
- New scheduling for the Police Department that helps keep more officers on the street.
- Joint Court agreement with Maplewood.
- Complete redo of the Baird Tennis Courts.
- Rental Registration Ordinance to help address student housing issue.
- Revamped Website
- New Zoning at Orange Lawn Tennis Club preserves the character of the neighborhood.
- Initiated the South Orange Charity Golf Invitational. In two years raised $100K for two non-profits that serve the residents of South Orange.
- Proud to meet state guidelines under Council on Affordable Housing (COAH)
Great point. Although, to clarify, at least two of the items occurred before Sheena was on the Board:
- Joint Court agreement with Maplewood.
- Rental Registration Ordinance to help address student housing issue.
- Plus, the agreement of 3rd/Valley
However, with these issues, as well as the others noted above, the question is what SPECIFICALLY did Deborah contribute to these "accomplishments", beyond voting with the majority (I think all passed unanimously anyway)?
I also notice there is no mention of tax increases prior to 2010 when the 2% cap law was passed by the Governor.
mayhewdrive said:
Great point. Although, to clarify, at least two of the items occurred before Sheena was on the Board:MasterP said:
The South Orange Forward site now lists the slate's accomplishment's. I don't see how, if they're taking credit for it, this isn't just another endorsement for Sheena's leadership since, I believe, all of this happened under her watch.
This really is an odd start to the election. I hope sanity and reason will prevail.
Accomplishments
- Municipal taxes 2% or less since 2010.
- Fiscal Management: reduced debt andwon significant grant funding.
- 3rd and Valley completion: providing indoor parking for the commuters, 75 new spaces (including the public parking spaces), overnight parking option, $1.1M that went to building a new rescue squad, 21 affordable housing units (as well as money into our affordable housing trust fund), and new retail space.
- Police station renovation nearing completion.
- New scheduling for the Police Department that helps keep more officers on the street.
- Joint Court agreement with Maplewood.
- Complete redo of the Baird Tennis Courts.
- Rental Registration Ordinance to help address student housing issue.
- Revamped Website
- New Zoning at Orange Lawn Tennis Club preserves the character of the neighborhood.
- Initiated the South Orange Charity Golf Invitational. In two years raised $100K for two non-profits that serve the residents of South Orange.
- Proud to meet state guidelines under Council on Affordable Housing (COAH)
Click to Read MoreMasterP said:
The South Orange Forward site now lists the slate's accomplishment's. I don't see how, if they're taking credit for it, this isn't just another endorsement for Sheena's leadership since, I believe, all of this happened under her watch.
This really is an odd start to the election. I hope sanity and reason will prevail.
Accomplishments
- Municipal taxes 2% or less since 2010.
- Fiscal Management: reduced debt andwon significant grant funding.
- 3rd and Valley completion: providing indoor parking for the commuters, 75 new spaces (including the public parking spaces), overnight parking option, $1.1M that went to building a new rescue squad, 21 affordable housing units (as well as money into our affordable housing trust fund), and new retail space.
- Police station renovation nearing completion.
- New scheduling for the Police Department that helps keep more officers on the street.
- Joint Court agreement with Maplewood.
- Complete redo of the Baird Tennis Courts.
- Rental Registration Ordinance to help address student housing issue.
- Revamped Website
- New Zoning at Orange Lawn Tennis Club preserves the character of the neighborhood.
- Initiated the South Orange Charity Golf Invitational. In two years raised $100K for two non-profits that serve the residents of South Orange.
- Proud to meet state guidelines under Council on Affordable Housing (COAH)
However, with these two issues, as well as the others noted above, the question is what SPECIFICALLY did Deborah contribute to these "accomplishments", beyond voting with the majority?
- Joint Court agreement with Maplewood.
- Rental Registration Ordinance to help address student housing issue.
- Plus, the agreement of 3rd/Valley
I also notice there is no mention of tax increases prior to 2010 when the 2% cap law was passed by the Governor.
The 3rd/Valley agreement only received $1.1 million from the developer for the new building for the Rescue Squad - a fund drive had to be carried out by the Rescue Squad to get enough money to build it.
The 3rd/Valley development was given the most attractive PILOT permitted under the state statutes governing PILOTs. The statute allows for annual payments of not less than 10% of annual gross receipts - it can be more. 3rd/Valley was granted the minimum of 10%.
Sheena wasn't on the BOT when 3rd/Valley was approved.
Sheena was VP when 4th/Valley was approved. I noticed that DDF didn't include 4th/Valley as one of her accomplishments - she voted for it.
"A staggered five-year tax abatement for the 106-unit Meridia development at 4th & Valley was approved by the South Orange Village Board of Trustees at its meeting last night.
The staggered tax payments — increasing in 20% increments over a 5-year period until reaching the full 100% — would be divided in appropriate proportion between the school district (approximately 60%), municipality (25%) and county (15%).
As part of the financial agreement, Meridia Capodagli Property will also contribute roughly $250,000 to the Academy Heights Neighborhood Association as part of its financial deal to develop a 106-unit mixed-use building at 4th & Valley in South Orange. At the Jan. 8, Board of Trustees meeting, Village President Sheena Collum explained that much of that sum would be used for improvements to Memorial/Founders Park and to comprehensive traffic and pedestrian safety improvements along Valley Street in South Orange.
At the end of 5 years, Collum said that the 4th & Valley development — which will also include 8,000 sf of ground-floor commercial space — should be contributing about $800,000 annually in local taxes — making it among the top contributors in the township."
cramer said:
yahooyahoo said:Are you going to tell Vic and the Township Committee that the merger isn't worth it?
I never said our tax bills were going down.
Shared services are being presented by our local leaders as a panacea for tax relief.
In reality, they are a band-aid while the school funding formula bleeds us to death.
No. I just want the plan to be communicated in a realistic manner. I agree that the departments should be merged, I just don't agree with how the savings are being presented to the public.
annielou said:
Enough with the speculation. Is there somewhere I can go to find platforms? Like what do each of these candidates stand for? I don’t have a lot of time to go to each of their websites ( if they even exist ) and need a one shot overview comparison. Aside from watching debates, where can I find this? I think I speak for many voters on this.
Just a thought but you might get a good sense of the candidates for VP watching the archived BOT meetings. Even if you watch the last 2 years. Easy to skim through them.
My guess is that most candidates can write a decent platform but its helpful to watch how the candidate addresses issues and answers questions. We tune in to the odd Town Hall to pick the country's presidents so why not try the same for our local elections.
Back on the topic of campaign financing, the Village Green just re-posted on Facebook an article they did on the financing of the 2017 race and saying "we'll be keeping an eye on the money again but writing about it before election day (May 14)":
https://villagegreennj.com/election/2017-south-orange-trustee-race-raise-20k/
Ballot positions were drawn on Friday and the election ballot will look something like the following:
"Neighbors - the campaign is getting some inquiries about donations and paid positions so I thought it might be helpful if I clarify a couple things.
1) This campaign is not accepting money or donations from developers or their agents doing business in our town (i.e. attorneys who represent them or their hired consultants assisting them in trying to advance multi-million dollar projects, etc.). For my first VP race, we returned many checks because I was uncomfortable. There was nothing illegal with accepting that generosity, it just didn't pass my personal "sniff test". While support is always appreciated, I'm not naive in the fact that strings are always attached. A $1,000 check helps a local campaign a lot but it's not worth it, it really isn't.
2) This campaign is not accepting money from Political Action Committees as I believe there needs to be transparency in where money comes from. For us, that information will be available through ELEC filings from my campaign. PACs are used to hide money - where it comes from and where it's being expended. If a special interest group wants to expend money - share what that objective is with the public. There's nothing wrong with coalescing with others who share your objective and working towards creating a governing body that may support whatever that objective is - just be open about it - don't operate in the shadows.
3) This campaign is not accepting money from those seeking professional service contracts from the Village. This is consistent with our very aggressive Pay to Play ordinance. This also means you can't ask someone else to donate on your behalf with a "wink". If you do this, you will banned for one year from submitting any responses to RFPs and RFQs for professional services in town. Not worth it for me or you.
4) This campaign is 100% volunteer. We're not paying people to come in and knock on doors or make phone calls, etc. We're also not hiring paid consultants. If we can't galvanize enough support from the community itself for my candidacy - that's probably the bigger issue.
General rule of thumb - are you a family member, friend, community member, colleague? Your support, in any form, is welcome!
Hope this post helps. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out."
- Sheena Collum
If VP Collum is not a Senator by the time she's 50 I'll be deeply disappointed.
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I met 5 or 6 of them, and I asked each one what it was that they cared about. What makes them want to run. I'm hoping to get more thought out answers from them over the next month