Jen Blumenstock: Garwood Council Candidate Profile

GARWOOD, NJ — There is a contested race for the Garwood Borough Council election this upcoming November election with six candidates running.

Democrat incumbent Jennifer Blumenstock is running for borough council on the ticket with Russell Graham and Marc Lazarow.

Blumenstock and Lazarow are among the four candidates running for the two, three-year seats in the election being held on Tuesday, Nov. 5. The other two candidates include: Republican Victor Stevens and Republican Joseph Nicastro III.

Graham is running against Republican William Bellomo for the one unexpired seat available.

Here is a look at who Blumenstock is and why she is running. Candidates were asked to answer the same questions and each candidate profile will be posted on Patch's site as it gets closer to the election.

Jennifer Blumenstock

Describe yourself:

My husband, Andy and I moved to Garwood more than 10 years ago and have two daughters — Lena, 11, and Cecelia, 8. I grew up in Clark and graduated from Rutgers University, later obtaining my teaching degree from William Paterson and then became a public school teacher in Paterson.

One of the best parts of Garwood that I found after moving here was how easy it was to get involved. The first Garwood organization I joined a decade ago was our "Garwood PTA Preschool Playgroup." I loved it and made friendships with other parents, some of whom I call my closest friends today. A year later, I became the group’s President and thereafter became very involved in the Garwood PTA, eventually becoming its Vice President and chairing several committees. Now I’m finishing my first term on Garwood Council and it amazes me how quickly time has flown by!

In addition to being a Councilwoman and serving as a "chauffeur" to my daughters, I lead our town’s Green Team and I’m a member of the Lions Club, the Education Foundation of Garwood, the Union County Commission On The Status of Women, and still actively serve as a member of the PTA.

What experiences do you have to that would help you serve?

As an incumbent I have the benefit of coming to the table with council experience. I have served as our Department of Public Works Commissioner all throughout my first term and was continuously astounded by the impact our dedicated eight-man crew has on our borough everyday. I've served on the Finance Committee and am proud to have been part of the team to bring Garwood its first zero-dollar impact budget in nearly two decades. I've served on many other Committees as well, but truly one of the most enjoyable roles has been serving as Senior Citizens liaison. I truly look forward to our weekly club meetings, where I get to spend a few hours every week with some amazing men and women enjoying lunch, bingo, and learning about the issues that affect Garwood's seniors. By being so involved with our community, from spending time with the other moms at morning school drop-off to meetings with our lovely seniors, I bring the experience of being an active-listener. What has helped guide my points of view on council has come from listening to the residents and understanding what they view as our town's priorities.

I also have the experience of showing that you can do a great many things with the volunteers of our borough. The Green Team is a great example of this. In 2016, Marc and I made a campaign promise to support the beautification of our town. We focused on leveraging our town's great asset — its community spirit. We brought volunteers together and worked with local businesses who donated their time and their sweat to take on beautification and environmental initiatives. Through all this hard work, we were recognized by the Sustainable Jersey Program, and now have received grants that are funding new and more expansive projects. The Green Team has had incredible tangible and intangible impacts on our town, all without a dollar of Garwood tax dollars being spent.

What issues would you like to address in Garwood?

The largest responsibility we have as council-people is creating our town's budget. It is where the rubber meets the road in terms of what services we prioritize to maintain and expand, balanced with how to limit, if not avoid, having an impact on everyone’s municipal portion of their tax bill. I hope to have the opportunity, once again, to serve on the Finance Committee and be a part of this committee’s recommendations. The borough will have my fullest focus on keeping taxes low and focusing on the highest priority investments in our town to ensure safety, reliable services, and clean and well-maintained roads.

One issue that I want to focus on immediately is continuing to bring our borough into the digital age. Our residents are nothing if they’re not busy — between jobs, family, and community activities. They should be able to more readily navigate our town's web page and be able to report and request pothole repairs and access and submit applications. This includes being able to do so on our phones where I also want to expand our Nixle alert program and work towards the development of a Garwood mobile app.

Why should voters vote for you?

Our campaign slogan is "Real Action. Real Results." It’s admittedly not the flashiest slogan ever made, but when we thought about it, we realized that it really speaks to how Marc, Russ and I operate. We've learned in this small town that good ideas are not enough if you aren't willing to roll up your sleeves and do the work — from big to small. It's meeting contractors at Hartman Park at 7 a.m. to make sure the shade umbrellas are installed in the right place. It's spending hours in Newark Penn Station getting signatures so we could get our one-seat train ride back. It's organizing 50 boxes of donated items in your basement and dealing with "small details" such as how do you refrigerate 900 freshly made sandwiches on MLK, Jr. Day of Service!

I hope voters will vote for me because they know that I not only love Garwood and have its best interest in mind, but that I have a proven record of putting in the work. I recognize that ideas are just that unless you do your research, get feedback from residents, are prepared to make difficult decisions, and then ultimately put in the hours that it takes to get it done. The reward comes in the form of the real results that will help Garwood become an even greater place to live and one that we can all proudly call home for generations to come. I hope the voters have seen these results and know that Marc Lazarow, Russ Graham and I are the team to make it happen.

— (If you are a candidate and would like to participate in the election profile, email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com)

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