West Orange Mayor Candidate Profile: Susan McCartney

WEST ORANGE, NJ — EDITOR'S NOTE: The following article contains information about Susan McCartney, one of several candidates who have announced their campaigns for West Orange mayor. Patch has reached out to the other candidates with the same questions, and we will post any replies as they are received.

Susan McCartney, a town council member who currently serves as council president, is running for West Orange mayor in the town's nonpartisan municipal election on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Candidates do not choose political parties in nonpartisan elections.

>> Read More: West Orange Mayor Not Seeking Re-Election In 2022 (Updated)

Patch recently asked McCartney four questions about her campaign and the township. See her replies below.

PATCH: What makes you a qualified candidate for West Orange mayor?

MCCARTNEY: I am running for Mayor because I am the candidate with the institutional knowledge, creative energy and resourcefulness to be the next Mayor.

I am proud to be a West Orange resident and honored to have been elected to the Town Council for five consecutive terms with the highest vote tally in each election, serving now as the current Town Council President. I am excited to serve as your Mayor and look forward to being the first woman Mayor.

My husband Joe and I bought our home in West Orange almost 40 years ago where we have raised three wonderful children and now enjoy 6 young grandchildren! When my graduate thesis was published, I became an Adjunct Professor at Seton Hall University and Montclair State University. I decided to put those educational theories researched into practice by opening a preschool – and -- we just celebrated 25 years!

As a businesswoman owner, I serve on the West Orange Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors where I recruit, welcome and promote new business owners and their investments which strengthens our local economy and, in turn, our community.

I currently serve as Town Council liaison to the Planning Board, the Senior Housing Board of Directors, the WO Arts Council, the WO Environmental Commission, the Sustainable Jersey Coordinator for the Township and a volunteer member of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).

As Mayor, I will serve with the same conviction of providing helpful information, networking resources and grant funding opportunities that benefit all residents, business owners, community organizations and our public schools.

PATCH: Property taxes and development are always big election-year topics in West Orange. What’s your plan for both if elected?

MCCARTNEY: If elected, I plan to seek new and creative ways to keep a watchful eye over tax exposure just as I have done as your Town Council representative:

• I moved the Town Council to separate the sewer bill from the property tax bill for tax-exempt properties to contribute toward the maintenance of the Township’s sewer system for a more fair and equitable distribution of taxes.
• I initiated the ordinance to shift municipal elections from May to the November general election, saving more than $100,000. in tax dollars per election cycle.
• As Sustainable Jersey Coordinator for the Township, I have implemented cost-savings programs such as the Direct Install Program that allowed for energy efficient upgrades in our municipal buildings and the Energy Aggregation Plan to conserve energy AND conserve tax payer dollars.
• I initiated the installation of the Splash Pad at the Ginny Duenkel Town Pool to create a family-fun play space that generated additional pool memberships and revenue.
• As the Town Council liaison to the Planning Board, I urged the Township tax attorney to pursue assessments on cell tower demand due to our Township’s topography. The reassessment resulted in $730,000. more in tax revenue with an additional $50,000. - $70,000. more per year moving forward.
• I have submitted numerous grant applications and letters of support for funding awarded to the Township from: The Association of NJ Environmental Commission (ANJEC); Sustainable Jersey; NJ American Water; NJ Transportation Planning Authority and Partners for Health Senior Livability Initiative. I have assisted in securing over $40 million dollars in grant awards working with Township Department Heads during my term on Council. As Mayor, I hope to broaden that scope of grant opportunities even further.
• As Mayor, with our diverse, socio-economic population and with an increase in special services for children, an evaluation of the school funding formula is necessary. While State aid to West Orange was marginally increased this year, it was not sufficient to meet municipal needs, let alone the needs of the school district.
• Earlier this year, I mentored Graduate Students in the Stevens Institute Engineering Program to create a Sustainability Management Plan for the Township. The Plan was presented to the Administration with no action taken. As Mayor, I would implement and expand the tenets of the Sustainability Management Plan to seek and provide cost-savings policies, plans and programs to offset our tax bill.
• On development, I have demanded responsible redevelopment of deteriorating commercial properties when their share of taxes plummeted due to reduced assessments, such as on the successful redevelopment of Central Avenue and the Edison Battery Building.
• As Mayor, I will seek to remediate, repurpose to rejuvenate properties to dramatically increase their share of taxes.
• As Mayor, I foresee more opportunities for cost-sharing & cost-savings with recreational and vendor contracts with the Board of Education. During my term on Council, I served as the liaison to the Board of Education, creating cost-savings shared services agreements and purchasing consortiums with the school district.
• As Mayor, I will pursue the feasibility study I initiated for solar carports in municipal and Board of Education parking lots to offset our taxes.

McCartney also referred Patch to a recent campaign flyer, which had the following information about her “Leading West Orange Forward Trajectory”:

• Continue to preserve the historic 18-hole Rock Spring Golf Course
• Push toward the completion of the Downtown Film Services District
• Use budgeted funds to secure a Strategic Economic Development Coordinator
• Coordinate partnerships to pursue The Highland Avenue Transit Village in The Valley
• Enhance public placemaking opportunities for Art in the Community along The Valley corridor
• Implement the Township’s Sustainability Management Plan to minimize environmental and economic impacts
• Continue to seek local, State and Federal funding to help stabilize the Township budget

PATCH: What’s one thing about West Orange that always puts a smile on your face?

MCCARTNEY: Equal to my work as an educator for 25 years in town, seeing the growth and development of young children and building long-lasting, trusting relationships with their families; I am so pleased to see and hear residents in various neighborhoods talk about the way they care for and look after their neighbors.

PATCH: Is there a post on your social media account that really sums up your campaign in a nutshell?

MCCARTNEY: [See the following links]:

Councilwoman Susan McCartney (@susanmccartneyformayor) • Instagram photos and videos

Councilwoman Susan McCartney, Township of West Orange | Facebook

https://www.mccartneyformayor2022.com/

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