Below you’ll find more in depth discussions of the latest issues along with updates from the campaign. Use the contact form here to sign up for email updates, or follow me on Instagram or Facebook.
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Tale of Two Centers: Essex Green vs Livingston Town Center
Take a look at Essex Green. And then head west on the map about three miles and take a look at the Livingston town Center. What you’ll see is the tale of two centers. Essex Green is cut off from the rest of West Orange by I-280 and by roads lacking sidewalks. Even getting around…
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Heading West on Mt. Pleasant To Essex Green
Two weeks ago, I ran up Mt. Pleasant from Pleasant Valley Way towards Essex Green. It connects a couple of neighborhoods to the shopping center and the library, but it needs sidewalks along about a quarter mile of the road to make it safe. If you attempt to get there from Eagle Rock on Prospect,…
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How PILOTs Impact the Budget: The Edison Lofts Example
When you talk about development, the topic of PILOTs and tax abatements inevitably comes up. There’s often a misconception here, with people thinking that this means that a development pays no taxes at all. But the fundamental belief that most people have – that PILOTs are good for developers and bad for the rest of…
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It’s August and West Orange Still Hasn’t Adopted a Municipal Budget
Last year, West Orange’s budget process dragged late into the fall. It was so late that the 4th quarter tax bills were delayed because they couldn’t be calculated properly. This started with the Mayor. The budget wasn’t presented to the Council until late April. But after that, the Council engaged in a lengthy series of…
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Running Up Mt. Pleasant to Essex Green and the West Orange Public Library
Essex Green is pretty centrally located in town. It’s also almost entirely cut off and isolated from the town. Whether you’re trying to hang out at the shopping plaza with your friends or get to the library tucked away in the back, it’s tough to get there if you’re on foot or on a bike.…