HILLSBOROUGH: Local issues reverberate with him, candidate Mandell says

Campaign Corner material submitted by the candidate

   Judd Mandell, independent candidate for Township Committee, said he is hearing residents and business owners say they “want the town to eliminate wasteful spending, reduce tax burdens in this flailing economy and be more transparent about the town’s vision.”
   ’Business owners are concerned that the completion of the Route 206 bypass will be delayed until 2018, “which has a rippling effect on the empty storefronts,” he said. Uncertainty impedes progress, he said.
   ”The Township Committee cannot maintain the status quo, nor can it rest on its laurels,” he said. “Our leaders need to cooperate with neighboring communities and private industry to provide comprehensive plans that allow Hillsborough to thrive in the coming years.
   He said infrastructure is aging and burdened by additional homes, medical offices, ‘green’ villages and industrial parks that can overload current capacities and “have reverberating effects on our watersheds, power grids, sewers and ecosystems.”
   He called for long-term solutions.
   ”Short-term fixes simply are denials that it takes strong communication for the public to understand the intention of the town center and the bypass,” said Mr. Mandell. “Small steps in the right direction, though, all count when they are focused and centered on a viable long-term solutions, which integrate social, political, economic and ecological factors.”
 Mr. Mandell said some residents along Triangle Road near Route 206 told him they were upset that sidewalks were never completed to connect to the Promenade shopping center. Children, bikers and pedestrians are forced to cross Route 206 and walk along the grass.
   ”When residents reached out to the town to find out what the delay in the shovel-ready project was, one gentleman was told that the town had trouble contacting the residents and wasn’t getting responses from them. He replied to them “I have never been called, e-mailed or notified by mail, and neither have my neighbors.”
   He called it is “an example of the frustration of residents with the lack of transparency and broken promises.”
   The Township Committee needs to align their actions with core values, and set simple, attainable short-term goals leading to a prosperous and sustainable future, he said.
   ”We can partner with nearby towns, public and private entities, and apply for available grants,” he said. “Hillsborough deserves better planning, management of our open spaces, more transparency and independent thinking.
   ”I don’t care about politics or party lines,” he said. “My focus is on our future.”