Frank Rodgers Vying for Seat on Caldwell Council

Frank Rodgers is taking a second shot at a seat on the Caldwell Council in November’s municipal elections.

Rodgers, 51, ran a close race last November in a to fill a one-year unexpired term, but lost to .

This time, the Irwin Place resident has a teammate, and together they seek the two open three-year terms on the council. They are running on the Democratic ticket against Republican incumbent challengers, Piazza and .

Rodgers said he and Kelley teamed up after Kelley went around the district with a petition against a four-way earlier this year.

“Last winter John Kelley was walking through the neighborhood with the stop sign petition. We started talking about that and that kind of got my juices flowing,” Rodgers said.

Rodgers said he is concerned about the current governing body being all of one party. He was a registered Republican before running in 2010, but seeking to be an independent voice on the council, he was advised to register as a Democrat, he told Patch when he ran last year.

“I think if John and I get in we are going to question things," Rodgers said. "If anything it’s going to make the whole body take a closer look at everything, where I think some things get pushed through right now.”

Rodgers also said that with only two out of Caldwell’s seven districts represented on the current council, he hopes to reach out to residents of all corners of Caldwell to address their concerns. He said through the Junior Chiefs football program he knows people from all over town.

Rodgers said he was asked by former Democratic elected officials to run again, and is glad this time to have a running mate.

“It’s definitely easier the second time around,” Rodgers said. “I have a lot more help this time. [Together] you are sharing the workload.”

Rodgers is a 19-year resident of Caldwell, where he lives with his wife, Maria (Prestifillippo). Together, they have five children, in second grade through college, all of whom have gone through Caldwell-West Caldwell public schools.

Rodgers grew up in North Caldwell and is a graduate of , where he is a member of the athletic Hall of Fame. He is a graduate of Rutgers University and received his master’s in mathematics from Montclair State University.  

Rodgers has been a math teacher for 20 years at Hackettstown High School, where he was named both educator and coach of the year, the latter for his work with the wrestling team. He teaches Advance Placement Calculus and has been nominated four times by the senior class to give the faculty speech at graduation.

The candidate said as director of the Caldwell Athletic Club for the past six years he has built a lot of strong connections with neighboring West Caldwell—relationships he and his running mate believe to be vital as municipalities around the state move toward more shared services to stabalize property taxes.

“I have to work closely with the Recreation Department,” he said, “I’ve gotten to know the whole council and the mayor down there. If I get the opportunity to serve our community, I have the relationships established where I think it could be productive for both towns.”

The Caldwell Athletic Club, a.k.a. the Junior Chiefs, runs junior football and cheerleading programs for children in Caldwell and West Caldwell. Rodgers got involved when his son started to play football, , and he wasn’t satisfied with being a bystander.

Rodgers said if elected he would not walk away from the Junior Chiefs.

“I would still like to stay involved, depending on how it goes I have a good group of people who work with me and volunteer a lot of time. They have no plans of going anywhere.”

On the subject of sharing a police department, Rodgers said, “You definitely have to open up the dialogue between both of the towns. You would have to get a committee from both municipalities and representatives from both police departments.” (The subject has come up among residents after the recent announcement that the before the end of the year.)

He added, “Obviously you don’t want to take jobs away from people. I don’t think that would be the intent from either side.”

While he is happy to see taxes stabilized, Rodgers shares a concern with his running mate about tapping into the surplus. “The concern of mine is that the surplus they are carrying is extremely low. Is it going to affect the town’s bond rating down the road?” he questioned.

What he doesn’t want to see, Rodgers said, is a change to the services enjoyed by residents.

“I am happy to live in Caldwell. I think our services are excellent. I want to keep it that way,” he said.

The Junior Chiefs are among the many teams that play on the new turf field at the Kiwanis Oval. A hot issue in town has been the into parking lots of neighboring apartment buildings. The issue first came up in the spring with the start of the baseball and softball seasons, and the current governing body has been working to come up with a solution.

“That’s definitely something that has to be resolved and I don’t understand why it can’t be resolved,” Rodger said last week. “I’m surprised it hasn’t already been done.”

Dave Pepe, a resident of Whitfield Street, knows Rodgers for more than 10 years and is supporting him in his run for council. The two share a passion for coaching and for the sport of wrestling in particular.

"My support for him comes from and is born from the fundamental values that he has instilled in his children that come through him and his wife," Pepe said.

He added, "I would like to see the town entrust the decision-making to people who have common sense and intelligence and I think Frank has that."

The municipal election will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2011.