Ed Trzaska, Montgomery
I would like to thank my family for their continued support as I begin my sixth year on the Montgomery Township Committee. As always, I couldn’t do it without them. Our daughter, Maddi, will turn 4 next month. She helps me stay focused on why we are serving and the importance of protecting the long-term quality of life in Montgomery. And to my fellow committee members, thank you for trusting me to serve as deputy mayor for a second year. It is an honor to be part of the team.
I would like to congratulate Christine Madrid on completing an outstanding year as mayor. I’m also excited to have Pat Graham serve as mayor in 2016. Pat brings a tremendous amount of experience to the table, including legal expertise, which is critical for many issues that come before us. I’m sure she will lead our team well.
Over the past several years, we accomplished a lot for Montgomery including holding budget spending to below 2005 and 2006 levels, reducing township debt by almost $30 million, making local government more open and transparent than ever, saving residents over $1 million in electricity costs, moving forward with significant investments in our roads and police department, and preserving more than 400 acres of additional open space, including the creation of Skillman Park.
Moving forward, we will continue to adhere to our core governing principles — doing more with less, protecting public health and safety services, and preserving Montgomery’s rural character while enhancing the commercial sections in town.
Our success with paying off debt has started to allow us to invest more aggressively in the community. Last year, we approved more road projects than any other year in recent history. In total, we have repaved, reconstructed, or repaired 13 miles of public roadway in Montgomery. And, there is more to come in 2016.
We also funded and kicked off our parks rehabilitation initiative, which is needed since the equipment at most parks dates back to the 1990’s. We have already upgraded Montgomery Veterans Park and Mill Pond Park and this spring we will upgrade the Woods Edge Park which directly serves the Yorkshire Woods and Woods Edge communities.
Finally, I am excited to be the new liaison to the open space committee. I am passionate about protecting our rural character and hope to help preserve more land in Montgomery. In addition, I would like to invest some of our open space resources to make our existing land more attractive and usable for residents. One such project I will be focusing on is the pond restoration and picnic grove concept at the Cherry Brook Preserve.
2016 is going to be a great year for Montgomery. We have a lot of work to do, but I know we will get the job done and make our community an even better place to live.
Ed Trzaska
Deputy Mayor
Montgomery Township
