Belleville Mayor Candidates Slug It Out As Election Day Nears

BELLEVILLE, NJ — The Belleville mayoral race continues to heat up, with both candidates going on the offensive in the final week before Election Day. But it remains to be seen whether the issues – or the controversy – will be the deciding factor for local voters this year.

Belleville will hold its nonpartisan municipal election on Tuesday, May 10. Local voters will elect a mayor and two council members. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. See a sample ballot here. Read More: Belleville 2022 Election: Mayor, Council Races Enter Home Stretch

Michael Melham, the incumbent mayor, will face a challenge from a member of the town council, Steven Rovell.

Melham is running on the “Building a #BetterBelleville Together” slate, along with Naomy DePeña and Thomas Graziano, who are vying to keep their council seats. Learn more about their campaign platform here.

Rovell is running on the “Belleville Families First” slate along with council candidates Charles Hood and Tracy Juanita Williams. Learn more about their campaign platform here.

The Essex County Board of Elections offers more information about voting in Belleville and the county here, including locations of the nearest ballot box and local polling places. Learn more about voting in New Jersey here.

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TEAM ROVELL: ‘BELLEVILLE FAMILIES FIRST’

According to Rovell’s campaign website, here are some of the plans he has if elected mayor:

LOWER WATER BILLS – “We wish to work on better affordable rates for our seniors with better quality water.”

STABILIZE TAXES – “We wish to continue to stabilize taxes while giving the public true governmental transparency.”

TACKLE FLOODING CONCERNS – “Belleville has seen a lot of flooding concerns in the past years, we wish to tackle these flooding concerns.”

PAVE ROADS – “We wish to work to improve our infrastructure, including aging roads and pipes.”

BUILD MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR SENIORS – “We promise to bring more affordable housing for our seniors. They are the very foundation of our community and should have the opportunity to remain in the town they love.”

FIGHT RESIDENTIAL OVERDEVELOPMENT – “We wish to work to improve our infrastructure, including aging roads and pipes.”

IMPROVE PARKING – “We wish to improve the parking issues in town and build a improved infrastructure for families.”

BRING MORE BUSINESS TO TOWN – “We wish to bring more grant money to our Belleville and attract more business to our beautiful town.”

TEAM MELHAM: ‘A BETTER BELLEVILLE’

According to Melham’s campaign website, here are some of the accomplishments the town saw during his term as mayor:

IMPROVED SERVICES – “In 2018, we campaigned on the notion that residents deserve better quality services for the taxes they pay. We believe we have exceeded expectations.”

IMPROVED RECREATION FACILITIES – “In 2018 when the Melham Team was elected, Belleville had just one field turf field, and it was well past its life expectancy. In just 3.5 years, we have quintupled the amount of field turf in Belleville. Just look around.”

NEW FACILITIES AND COMMUNITY ART – “For the first time in decades, Belleville has created new facilities. Our dog park has been a huge success, as well as our new community garden. While planter boxes and beautiful art murals now decorate our streets.”

MORE ACCESSIBILITY AND TRANSPARENCY – “Since the Melham Team’s election in 2018, every single council meeting has been live streamed. In addition, the township re-launched a brand-new website and created official social media channels.”

WATCHING THE BOTTOM LINE – “Today, there are less employees in Town Hall than in 2018, while new employees start at drastically reduced salaries. Last year’s municipal tax increase was only $38 (for the average assessed house).”

ENHANCED EVENTS – “Again, there’s no question the Melham Team has dramatically increased not only the number of events, but the quality of those events. New events like our Food Truck Festival, Veterans’ Day Weekend 5K, Three Kings Day and Green Fairs just to name a few.”

CONTROVERSY ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Melham and Rovell have each gone on the offensive against their opponent on social media, with development and real estate as one of the key rallying cries.

Rovell has questioned the mayor’s real estate background, arguing that residential development has swelled and payment in lieu of tax (PILOT) agreements have strongly favored developers during Melham’s tenure.

Meanwhile, Melham has questioned the sincerity of the “phony advocates” who have been criticizing his campaign, bashed an endorsement from 1st Ward Councilwoman Marie Strumolo-Burke, and staunchly disputed Rovell’s allegations about his real estate ties, telling the councilman to “put up or shut up.”

STATE OF THE TOWNSHIP

The candidates have also disagreed about what the “state of the township” is.

In late April, Melham presented his second state of the township address at Nanina's In the Park. During his speech, Melham highlighted the town’s responses to the pandemic and Hurricane Ida, as well as progress with water infrastructure and bills, and a wave of new development that will help “stabilize taxes.” He also staunchly defended the use of local PILOT agreements. Read More: Belleville Mayor Presents 2022 'State Of Township' Address

Melham’s comments included:

MOVING BACK TO BELLEVILLE - “For the first time in decades, we now have people from Nutley, Montclair, Caldwell and yes, even Cedar Grove, moving back to Belleville. They are being joined by New Yorkers from all five boroughs. They seem to like our value, our sense community and our diversity.”

PILOTS - “These complex [PILOT] agreements are the new revenue we desperately need. It's simple. Without them, nobody is incentivized to clean up polluted property, and we would yield little revenue on the vacant land. As a result, the empty lots would continue to blight our neighborhoods. The development community shouldn't be vilified, they should be thanked.”

HOME VALUES - “In the past few years, Belleville's real estate values have skyrocketed! And features in Business View Magazine and the New York Times perpetuate this notion. We are continuing to break record after record for our housing values. That means, for most of us, including me, the largest asset you will ever own, is worth substantially more today than just 12 or 24 months ago. And our newest residents aren't pushing out our older residents, as a matter of fact, there hasn't been one neighborhood that has gentrified. These professionals will create a local boom in our business economy.”

TOWN BUDGET - “Municipal salaries, compensation and insurance costs comprise most of our municipal budget. Just one way we've been able to stabilize our budget is the fact that there are fewer township employees today than when I took office four years ago. I don't believe there's another mayor in the history of Belleville who can make this claim ... Speaking of the budget, I'm here tonight to say this year's 2022 budget is looking as good as last year's. Residents can once again expect the most minimal increase. Meanwhile, we keep pouring gasoline on all the increased services, new events and upgraded facilities.”

However, Rovell has since questioned the accuracy of Melham’s speech, calling it “election propaganda.”

“Our mayor admits to being a realtor and a developer above all,” Rovell said, pointing to a recent campaign email Melham sent, which he shared with Patch.

The councilman also referenced the recent scrutiny involving Melham’s planning board appointments, which temporarily suspended meetings until the members in question were ratified last week.

“Our planning board is a mess,” Rovell said. “There are still questions as to the legality of how that board has been organized. This is quite evident based on our April 25 council meeting. If people haven’t already, they should watch it online.”

• See related article: Belleville Planning Board Suspends Meetings Amid Scrutiny
• See related article: Belleville Mayor Blasts 'Attempted Coup' Of Local Planning Board

Here are some other recent developments that Belleville residents should consider when thinking about the “state of the township,” Rovell said:

WATER BILLS - “Our water bills have doubled (tripled for some businesses and residents). Water quality is still a major issue. Seniors and families on fixed incomes can’t afford this additional tax.”

TAXES - “Our taxes continue to go up … This is on top of our high water bills.”

TOWN DEBT - “Our township debt has more than doubled. From $18.2 million in 2018, it will balloon to almost $50 million by the end of this year. Our families and their children will have to bear this additional tax burden.”

ROAD PAVING - “Our roads are a disgrace. Very few roads have been paved over the last 3 and ½ years.”

RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT - “Residential development has doubled and even tripled. Our families on Union Avenue, Franklin Avenue, Hilton Street and Preston Street have to deal with these huge eyesores in their own backyards … Parking and traffic have become an even bigger problem for residents because of this residential overdevelopment and lack of planning.”

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