Chairwoman’s Update

March 2020 Chairwoman’s Update

In February 2018, Mayor Brindle unilaterally cancelled a well-conceived, fully designed and paid-for improvement plan for Tamaques Park, which would have resulted in additional parking and a new, lighted turf field for our children to play on beginning last year.  To make matters worse, in 2020 Mayor Brindle has over-promised and under-delivered on her own plan.

At a Town Council meeting in March 2018, Mayor Brindle stated that the Tamaques Park renovation would only be a “six to twelve month delay from the prior plan timing … you can hold me accountable for this.”  Let’s do that.  Will we have a new field, fieldhouse, and parking at Tamaques Park – or anywhere in Town – this year?  No.

Members of the Mayor’s administration also misrepresented the Tamaques Park timetable.  In a March 2018 Facebook post, Councilman David Contract commented that, “Under the new approach, the Master Plan for Parks will occur from Spring/Summer 2018 to Spring/Summer 2019, with work beginning as early as Fall 2019 with a Fall 2020 completion date.”  In reality, no work has begun, and shovels will not be in the ground anytime soon.

In November 2018, when it became apparent that the delay in any field improvements would stretch well beyond the Mayor’s time-frame, she was questioned at a Town Council meeting about the delay and her decision to cancel the prior plan without a vote.  Mayor Brindle replied:  “I am happy to own this one.”  Yes, she owns it; and she is the only one happy about it.

Where are we now, in March 2020, after more than two years and paying a new six-figure parks consultant fee?  Right back where we started, with no work having been done and the lead recommendation for Tamaques Park in the Mayor’s Parks Master Plan simply to “update” the existing plan that the Mayor discarded.  The “new” plan repackages the same recommendations in the initial one:  both recommend a field house, additional and upgraded parking and restrooms, new basketball courts, renovated fields, improved paths and trails, and outdoor exercise opportunities.  Gone is the lighted turf field and concessions, however, and the new Master Plan makes clear that none of its improvements are guaranteed.

Not only is the Mayor’s Parks Master Plan a very distant proposition, it is extremely expensive – for Tamaques Park alone costing over $1 million more than the prior plan.  The Mayor’s entire parks plan would cost Westfield taxpayers $42 million over ten years, in addition to the costs that parents will continue to pay to neighboring towns during that period for field rentals, and in time and fuel to drive to those locations.  With our budget surplus steadily being depleted, volatile stock markets, and a recession in the air, fiscal austerity would be prudent.

To compound the damage done by delay and extra costs, the Mayor’s plan is patently flawed.  The Parks Master Plan includes fields controlled solely by the Westfield Board of Education, not the Town or the Westfield Recreation Commission.  But nobody told the school district, and unlike the Mayor they are making no promises they can’t keep.

Board of Education member Peggy Oster, commenting on the Mayor’s plan at a January 2020 Town Council meeting, warned:  “You’re presenting as if these fields are something that you can use, but you haven’t come to the Board of Education yet saying what your plan is for the property.”  Ms. Oster also noted the plans in the works to bring full day kindergarten to Westfield schools, something that may necessitate the use of that land for another purpose.  “Will there be a need to build a school in the future?” Ms. Oster asked.  “Those are things that the [Board of Education, not the Mayor] will have to decide.”

Ms. Oster was not alone in her criticism of the Mayor’s plan.  At the same public meeting, school board member Brendan Galligan noted the steady enrollment of district schools along with the possibility of full-day kindergarten, something that may require the district to build on its existing fields.  “It seems like the Board of Education has been kept in the dark during the development of the comprehensive plan that includes acquiring large portions of our land,” Galligan said.  “Collaboration and partnerships require working together from the very beginning.  Waiting until after the council approves this plan puts us in a very awkward position.”

You can read Ms. Oster’s and Mr. Galligan’s comments for yourself at https://www.tapinto.net/towns/westfield/sections/sports/articles/westfield-recreation-commission-kicks-extensive-plan-for-field-space-to-council and https://www.tapinto.net/towns/westfield/articles/public-sounds-off-as-consultant-walks-westfield-through-parks-plan.

Tamaques Park has been in limbo since February 2018, when the Town’s exemplary improvement plan was shelved by Mayor Brindle.  The promises made since then by the Mayor and Councilman Contract have proven as empty as the storefronts downtown.  The Parks Master Plan has landed with an expensive thud, and waiting for it has needlessly delayed the improvements that already would and should have been completed.  Our kids and our residents deserve better.  If you agree, contact the Mayor at mayorbrindle@westfieldnj.gov.

March 2020 Chairwoman’s Update

This Spring, thousands of Westfield children will suit up to play baseball, soccer, lacrosse, and a variety of other outdoor sports.  Sadly, they will continue to have inadequate Town fields on which to play.

More than two years into its tenure, Mayor Brindle’s administration has not added a single square inch of new athletic field in Town for the benefit of our children and other residents.  It did not have to be this way.

When Mayor Brindle took office, the Town had already invested $80,000 to develop an improvement plan for Tamaques Park. That plan, which can be accessed at http://www.goleader.com/news/docs/2018-Westfield-Tamaques-Park-Plan.pdf, included among other things a new, lighted turf field that would be pre-lined for multiple sports; a new and expanded fieldhouse that would provide storage for flag football and other sports, a second floor community room and wrestling room, new restrooms, and a concession stand; and 60 additional parking spaces to improve safety in the park and relieve the burden on neighboring streets.

Participating in the process that produced the Tamaques Park improvement plan were the Westfield RecreationCommission; representatives of flag football and wrestling; coaches from our soccer, lacrosse, softball and baseball leagues;and Mayor Skibitsky and the then members of the Town Council.  Given the anticipated heavy usage, a turf field with lights was critical to providing all young athletes with the necessary extended playing time and playing season.

By August 2017, the plan had been fully designed and vetted by stakeholders.  The parties were not only discussing details about the new field and building, but also discussing the coordination of team schedules for the use of other Town fieldsduring construction.  The anticipated timing was for project approval by the Mayor and Council in early 2018, with shovels in the ground that Summer and Fall, and completion in Spring or Summer 2019 – as in last year.  Then came the November 2017 election.

Less than 60 days after taking office, in a February 24, 2018 email to the Recreation Commission, Mayor Brindleunilaterally cancelled the Tamaques Park project in its entirety.  Town Council members were not forewarned about the decision, nor were their opinions sought; indeed, there was no public vote taken.  The Mayor simply pulled the plug.  In her words, she decided to “delay” the planned renovations so that she could include the initiative in a “5 to 20 year vision” for all Westfield parks.  That vision remains wholly unfulfilled, a distant mirage.

We need fields now, and we should already have a lighted, turf one in Tamaques Park for use by multiple sports.  Our children may one day be able to see Mayor Brindle’s new fields — after they graduate from college.  Perhaps their children willbe able to play on them.  Mayor Brindle’s short-sightedness has left our youth with new fields only in their dreams.  If you too are disappointed, let the Mayor know at mayorbrindle@westfieldnj.gov.

Next time: Part 2 – The Mayor’s illusory, and expensive, parks plan.

January 2020- Response to the Mayor’s State of the Town Address

In her State of the Town message last week, the mayor touted Westfield’s many qualities and shared her roadmap for how our town can continue to thrive in the future while overcoming challenges endemic to many New Jersey communities: downtown development; budget management; and infrastructure maintenance and improvement.  These challenges are not new and were, in fact, the focus of her campaign back in 2017.  Now, two years into her administration, it’s reasonable for residents to begin to evaluate the mayor’s strategy in addressing these long-term challenges and to expect some progress.  The State of the Town message provided a glowing report card, but the reality is that aside from additional, redundant studies, little progress has been made on the issues that matter most to Westfield residents.

Most would agree that revitalizing the downtown is a top concern, and, in fairness to the mayor, it is not something that can be resolved quickly.  We are in the midst of an economic realignment that challenges the business model of brick and mortar retail stores in an increasingly online marketplace.  But after two years, it’s fair to ask, when is it time to move past studies and reliance on a revised Master Plan, and when is it time to implement new policy and see results?  The State of the Town speech mentions that 23 new businesses have opened over the past two years. While that statistic is true, it doesn’t paint the full picture of what has been a decidedly disappointing effort so far by the mayor to turn around the downtown.  Yes, new stores have opened, but many were planned and approved under the previous administration.  In addition, the vacancy rate is worse than it was. Recent vacancies include high-profile retailers such as Teresa’s, Lucky Brand Jeans, Vine Ripe, Victoria’s Secret, and, of course, the Rialto.  In April 2017, a downtown task force report was developed that contained dozens of recommendations for how to revitalize the downtown.  Unfortunately, the mayor decided to ignore these recommendations in favor of yet more studies contained in the revised Master Plan.  Westfield residents deserve an honest assessment of progress made in the downtown.  It’s fine to highlight the positives, but the truth is that the downtown business environment has not materially improved, we have over 20 vacant stores at the time of this writing, and it’s time to move past the planning phase and implement the kind of initiatives that will turn our vacancy rate around.

The mayor also touted a budget that included a zero percent municipal tax increase, a healthy $9.5 million surplus and record 20-mile road re-pavement plan.  Of course, every taxpayer is going to be happy to see their municipal tax rate hold steady (which does not include the county and school tax), as long as they understand that it wasn’t achieved by any budget belt-tightening.  In fact, the budget has increased 10% in the past 2 years.  And this increased spending wasn’t attained by any substantial increase in tax ratables.  It was achieved by a steady degradation of the municipal budget surplus over two years from approximately $14.5 million to the current $9.5 million.   Over time, a lower surplus can impact our credit rating, increase bond costs and limit our ability to respond to economic downturns or local challenges like Hurricane Irene or Super Storm Sandy.  While FEMA did reimburse many Irene or Sandy-related costs, those weather events did lead the town to invest in improved police vehicles, such as SUVs, which were better equipped to navigate through storm-damaged areas.  The town also installed generators on public buildings to build power redundancy in case of outages.  A healthy surplus gives the town the flexibility to make those investments when needed.  When combining a smaller surplus with a budget that is actually growing year to year, we’re in danger of putting our town budget in unnecessary risk should the trend continue. 

It is certainly the mayor’s prerogative to follow her own fiscal philosophy.  We just believe it’s important that taxpayers understand the potential consequences of the town’s budgetary policy and ask the mayor to be more transparent about the decisions she makes and the accomplishes she highlights.  For example, she noted in her speech that 20 miles of roads were repaved this year, which every resident would agree is a welcome achievement.  However, she failed to credit Elizabethtown Gas for repaving half of those roads through their gas line replacement program. 

With regard to town parks and playing fields, the mayor seems to be following the same strategy she is pursuing in the downtown: disregard thoroughly considered, well-vetted plans to improve parks and fields and commence a new round of studies that serve only to delay much needed improvements.  The previous administration developed a Tamaques Park improvement plan that included a multi-use, lighted turf field along with an additional 100 parking spaces.  Unfortunately, she chose to discard it in February 2018, and there has not been a single improvement on any field or on any court in the past two years.  Meanwhile, in 2016 and 2017, the town was able to refurbish the tennis courts in Tamaques, the softball field in Memorial Park and the playground in Mindowaskin Park.  It’s well past time that in 2020 the mayor puts plans into action so that our children and families have the fields they deserve.

January 2020 Chairwoman’s Update

In her State of the Town message last week, the mayor touted Westfield’s many qualities and shared her roadmap for how our town can continue to thrive in the future while overcoming challenges endemic to many New Jersey communities: downtown development; budget management; and infrastructure maintenance and improvement.  These challenges are not new and were, in fact, the focus of her campaign back in 2017.  Now, two years into her administration, it’s reasonable for residents to begin to evaluate the mayor’s strategy in addressing these long-term challenges and to expect some progress.  The State of the Town message provided a glowing report card, but the reality is that aside from additional, redundant studies, little progress has been made on the issues that matter most to Westfield residents.

Most would agree that revitalizing the downtown is a top concern, and, in fairness to the mayor, it is not something that can be resolved quickly.  We are in the midst of an economic realignment that challenges the business model of brick and mortar retail stores in an increasingly online marketplace.  But after two years, it’s fair to ask, when is it time to move past studies and reliance on a revised Master Plan, and when is it time to implement new policy and see results?  The State of the Town speech mentions that 23 new businesses have opened over the past two years. While that statistic is true, it doesn’t paint the full picture of what has been a decidedly disappointing effort so far by the mayor to turn around the downtown.  Yes, new stores have opened, but many were planned and approved under the previous administration.  In addition, the vacancy rate is worse than it was. Recent vacancies include high-profile retailers such as Teresa’s, Lucky Brand Jeans, Vine Ripe, Victoria’s Secret, and, of course, the Rialto.  In April 2017, a downtown task force report was developed that contained dozens of recommendations for how to revitalize the downtown.  Unfortunately, the mayor decided to ignore these recommendations in favor of yet more studies contained in the revised Master Plan.  Westfield residents deserve an honest assessment of progress made in the downtown.  It’s fine to highlight the positives, but the truth is that the downtown business environment has not materially improved, we have over 20 vacant stores at the time of this writing, and it’s time to move past the planning phase and implement the kind of initiatives that will turn our vacancy rate around.

The mayor also touted a budget that included a zero percent municipal tax increase, a healthy $9.5 million surplus and record 20-mile road re-pavement plan.  Of course, every taxpayer is going to be happy to see their municipal tax rate hold steady (which does not include the county and school tax), as long as they understand that it wasn’t achieved by any budget belt-tightening.  In fact, the budget has increased 10% in the past 2 years.  And this increased spending wasn’t attained by any substantial increase in tax ratables.  It was achieved by a steady degradation of the municipal budget surplus over two years from approximately $14.5 million to the current $9.5 million.   Over time, a lower surplus can impact our credit rating, increase bond costs and limit our ability to respond to economic downturns or local challenges like Hurricane Irene or Super Storm Sandy.  While FEMA did reimburse many Irene or Sandy-related costs, those weather events did lead the town to invest in improved police vehicles, such as SUVs, which were better equipped to navigate through storm-damaged areas.  The town also installed generators on public buildings to build power redundancy in case of outages.  A healthy surplus gives the town the flexibility to make those investments when needed.  When combining a smaller surplus with a budget that is actually growing year to year, we’re in danger of putting our town budget in unnecessary risk should the trend continue. 

It is certainly the mayor’s prerogative to follow her own fiscal philosophy.  We just believe it’s important that taxpayers understand the potential consequences of the town’s budgetary policy and ask the mayor to be more transparent about the decisions she makes and the accomplishes she highlights.  For example, she noted in her speech that 20 miles of roads were repaved this year, which every resident would agree is a welcome achievement.  However, she failed to credit Elizabethtown Gas for repaving half of those roads through their gas line replacement program. 

With regard to town parks and playing fields, the mayor seems to be following the same strategy she is pursuing in the downtown: disregard thoroughly considered, well-vetted plans to improve parks and fields and commence a new round of studies that serve only to delay much needed improvements.  The previous administration developed a Tamaques Park improvement plan that included a multi-use, lighted turf field along with an additional 100 parking spaces.  Unfortunately, she chose to discard it in February 2018, and there has not been a single improvement on any field or on any court in the past two years.  Meanwhile, in 2016 and 2017, the town was able to refurbish the tennis courts in Tamaques, the softball field in Memorial Park and the playground in Mindowaskin Park.  It’s well past time that in 2020 the mayor puts plans into action so that our children and families have the fields they deserve.