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

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

Graham and Republican William Bellomo are also vying for the one unexpired seat available.

Here is a look at who Lazarow is and why he 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.

Marc Lazarow

Description:

My name is Marc Lazarow and I am running for re-election this year for Garwood town council. I have lived in Garwood for 10 years with my husband, James. I have been a 7th grade Language Arts teacher for the last 17 years in Westfield. I currently serve as 2nd vice-president and Membership chair of my union. I have been a member of the Education Foundation of Garwood (EFG) for the past three years.

What experience do you have that would help you serve?

As a member of Garwood council, I have served as chair of the Buildings and Grounds Committee, Chair of the Finance Committee, and I have served on the Police, Fire, and Streets and Roads Committee. I also have served as the liaison for the Recreation Commission and the Library Board of Trustees. I have helped to secure grants from the county to pay for nearly half of the cost of revitalizing Hartman Park, a 30 year old space that was in great need of an update. I have helped support and organize the creation of the Green Team in 2017 which has led to organized efforts to clean up the town from newly involved volunteers as well as being able to get involved in assisting with sustainability projects such as a grant funded rain garden at the recreation complex to control flooding, a Trex plastic recycling program that allows residents to donate at least 500 pounds of plastic to get a park bench installed free of charge by the Trex wood company. These activities have helped to also inspire other community events such as more senior citizen bingo nights, MLK Day of service volunteering activities and our first ever Touch-a-Truck event.

I am also proud to have secured budgets that were the lowest three consecutive tax increases in 20 years of Garwood all while still being able to repair more roads than ever, purchase a new garbage truck, street sweeper, dump truck, and fire truck.

What issues would you like to address if elected?

I would like to continue to make sure we balance the budget with the use of our five year capital plan provided by department heads. Ideally this will help to continue thoughtful spending that mitigates tax increases for years to come. I also want to continue to make government more transparent by holding more town hall meeting for other major decisions like we have for the purchase of the fire truck as well as for the 'Breaking Down the Budget' meetings and Redevelopment town halls. I will continue to solicit feedback from our Citizens Advisory Panel which is made up of nine diverse citizens ranging in age and political affiliation to provide feedback on their ideas for what capital projects should be prioritized. I want to make it easier for residents to communicate with our DPW to report potholes using an easy online pothole repair system.

Why should voters vote for you?

I am proud of the progress our tiny little town has made in the last three years and I hope with your vote on Nov. 5, along with my running mates, Jen Blumenstock and Russ Graham, to continue to provide Garwood with real actions that will end in real results.

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

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