Clark General Election Profile: Bill Smith

CLARK, NJ — Clark's general election on Nov. 3 has an uncontested mayoral race and six candidates running for three open seats as Councilman-At-Large. Bill Smith, 54, is one of three Republican candidates running.

Incumbent Councilman-At-Large Smith currently works as President for JOMEL Industries, Inc. for the past 17 years. His family includes his wife Susan and two daughters Dominique and Gabriella.

Smith has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Fairleigh Dickinson University - Madison.

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Bill Smith

Why are you seeking elective office?

I am passionate about keeping Clark a safe, affordable and sought after town to live and raise a family!

The single most pressing issue facing our community is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The single most pressing issue facing our community is over development and the State government is not making it easy for any town in the state because of the Affordable Housing requirements that they are mandating. The state disbanded the Council on Affordable Housing a few years ago and asked the State Superior Courts to implement an affordable housing plan for every town. Clark's administration agreed to a settlement with the court last year in lieu of taking the case to court. I am in my 8th year on the town council and 100% agree with the settlement which greatly limited our exposure for excessive development. The township government selected sights that were an "eyesore" in the community or undeveloped land that could be used for housing to implement our affordable housing plan. Many of our surrounding towns did NOT settle and were "hammered" by the Superior Court with the number of affordable housing units they needed to develop, far exceeding the percentage of affordable house Clark Settled for.

The single most pressing issue facing our state/nation is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

My answer to this is twofold. Equality for all races as well as supporting our Law Enforcement agencies in all communities and cities is very important for our nation. I 100 percent agree with "Black Lives Matter" wanting social equality, but more importantly agree with "All Lives Matter" — African Americans, Asian, Hispanic, White, etc. We as a state and nation should not break this down into individual ethnic groups because then we are disparaging against those other groups. Our county, state and federal leaders need to continue the dialog and make sure "All Lives" enjoy the same social, educational and economic equality no matter what race, color or creed you are. In regards to our Law Enforcement, these officers are everyday brothers and sisters, moms and dads, sons and daughters who work in law enforcement and took an oath to uphold the laws of our states and country. As New Jersey’s Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver stated on Sept. 11, 2020 in her speech, "To law enforcement, I want to share a message with you. We need you, we appreciate you and want you to know with all the noise that’s going on, we will never defund you." (NJ.com Sept. 12, 2020). We need our law enforcement agencies to keep our communities safe and I propose our county, state and federal leaders look at their budgets and see how they can contribute more money for education and community programs without taking it from law enforcement budgets.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

Our democratic opponents are not educated in the day to day operations of a municipal government. I have obtained valuable experience the past 8 years and know what are factual and realistic issues to pursue for the betterment of our residents! During my 8 years on the town council, our team has been able to maintain existing monthly services, as well as add additional services and programs for our citizens (grass pick up, leaf pick up, bulky pick up, branch pick up, Recycling pick up, Christmas Tree pick up, summer recreation camp, 12 month recreation programs, Holiday Tree and Menorah Lighting, July 4th fireworks, Easter Egg Hunt, Halloween Trunk or Treat, Senior Citizen BBQ, Quarterly Senior Citizen Birthday Parties, etc. etc.).

Every election cycle, our opponents come out and say “I would apply for every grant to save the town money, I would build this on the old A&P property, etc”. Let me list the facts as it relates to these. Our administration has a person dedicated to applying for every available county and state grant that Clark is eligible for. Some are 100% free, but many are matching grants. So for every dollar in grants you apply for, the town must show they have the money available to match it, otherwise you cannot apply for it. Part of my responsibility as a councilman is to oversee and insure the finances are in place for matching grants. Some grants are the same every year which allow you to budget for them, but many are new and you have to “find” the money to match the grant without going over your budget. In regards to properties that are vacant or where buildings have been demolished, the township does not own them. People or companies own the properties and pay taxes on them. As long as the owners pay their taxes, we as a township cannot “tell them what to build or who to sell to”, but we can communicate and try to negotiate with them on what is best for the town. Which is exactly what our current administration has been doing. These projects can take years to start and implement. Now that the Covid 19 pandemic seems to have stabilized and become manageable, you will start to see construction starting up again or beginning on some of these major projects.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

During my 8 year tenure on the council, Clark has maintained one of the lowest if the not the lowest percentage municipal tax increase in Union County. This year we had a zero percent increase. I will be the firs to say, "No one likes tax increases" and it was not an easy task with the huge cost increases in health benefits, salary increases to municipal employees, increased pension benefits and overall cost increases to run a municipalities day to day operations.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Never promise anything that you can not do or supply and always be honest - whether they like the answer or not.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I will always put what is best for Clark and its citizens first! I moved to Clark 25 years ago for a reason. I said to my wife, "if we are going to stay in northeast NJ, then Clark is the place to be". Houses are affordable, taxes are low, hundreds of recreation programs and the many services offered for it citizens.