By Geoffrey Wertime, Staff Writer
SPRINGFIELD After six years as deputy mayor, Councilman Denis McDaniel was selected as mayor at the township’s recent reorganization meeting Jan. 7.
He said the state Council on Affordable Housing is at the top of his list for the new year.
”2009 will have many of the same challenges as previous years, and probably our greatest challenge is complying with the state’s affordable housing mandates,” said the 56-year-old Republican early this week.
”It’s a well-intentioned goal and an appropriate goal, but the process is tyrannical,” he continued, citing what he described as the council’s tendency to make its rules retroactive in some cases back to several years.
”It’s not only unfair, but it’s horrible planning,” he added.
Mayor McDaniel is a member of a mayors committee on affordable housing under the New Jersey League of Municipalities. He served last year as the mayor’s designee.
He urged mayors throughout the state to withdraw support of their towns’ representatives in the state Legislature if they voted for the current round of COAH rules, which he said “should be a deal breaker in terms of political support.”
Speaking specifically of mayors belonging to the Democratic Party, he said that party has “thrown us overboard, so to speak, in affordable housing,” and called in particular upon Democratic mayors to push out supporters of the current COAH legislation.
”The current law is unacceptable,” he added. “I don’t know any officials who support it.”
Other expected obstacles include the township’s budget, which Mayor McDaniel said will be particularly challenging this year due to the high probability the state will reduce, and perhaps even eliminate, municipal aid this year, “particularly to rural communities like Springfield.”
One other possible roadblock is a state initiative that may charge the township “quite a larger figure” for its pension contributions, he said. Though the actual number will not be known until the state makes that decision, he said it “could have a significant impact on our budget.”
Mayor McDaniel added, “So the challenge will be how to preserve or improve our quality of life when we have reduced revenue and increased costs.”
Property taxes are the township’s only other source of funding, but Mayor McDaniel said raising taxes is particularly undesirable given the economic climate.
Asked if he planned to raise the local municipal tax rate, he replied, “It’s too early to say that, but when you have reduced revenue and needs to be met, what else do you do?”
While other townships in the state have tried to cut costs by laying off municipal employees, Mayor McDaniel said he would prefer to keep everyone and, instead, should it prove necessary, institute a salary freeze or even reduction.
”My objective is to preserve our quality of life and deal with the challenges involved,” he said, adding, “My door is open. I always welcome the public’s comments and questions, even sometimes when they’re not in favor of some of the things we’re doing. We need to always consider both sides of the issue.”
Jan. 7, about 50 residents showed up to the township’s reorganization meeting, which saw Mayor McDaniel take the position for the first time. Councilman Peter Sobotka was named deputy mayor.
The meeting also saw two Republicans, incumbent David Frank and council newcomer John Hlubik, sworn in for four-year seats on the Township Council.

