Election 2022: Dana Zimbicki For East Brunswick Township Council

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — Incumbent Dana Zimbicki joined the East Brunswick Council in February, replacing Michael Spadafino who resigned.

President of the East Brunswick Education Association for the past eight years, Zimbicki is a lifelong resident of the township. She believes that her experience in public service makes her the best choice for the job.

Below is Zimbicki's candidate profile.

(All candidates were given the same questions. Answers are candidates' own.)

Editor's Note: Patch sent out the questionnaire to each candidate's email address provided by the County clerk's office. All responses received will be published between now and Nov. 8 general election. Local candidates who did not receive the questionnaire from Patch can contact sarah.salvadore@patch.com.

Name: Dana Zimbicki

Age: 56

Town of residence: East Brunswick

Position sought: East Brunswick Township Council

Family: I live with my husband, Joe and have two sons, Dylan and Hunter who live with us. My family is four generations strong in East Brunswick.

Education: I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in history/political science and K-12 education, a Master's in the Art of Teaching, and a Doctorate in Education in Educational Leadership. I also have a K-12 Social Studies Certificate.

Occupation: Teacher and President of the East Brunswick Education Association.

Previous or current elected appointed office: Council member and President of the East Brunswick Education Association

Party affiliation: Democrat

Campaign website: www.EastBrunswick2022.com

What makes you the best person for this position?

I am proud to be running for the Nov. 8 election to Town Council. This election term is critical in East Brunswick as our community needs to ensure those in office are considering the needs of East Brunswick. Listening and thinking outside the box is an attribute I have developed over the 35 years of my career. My education is in political science and history. During my college years, I interned for Pennsylvania State Representative Raymond Book, where I learned and experience firsthand gratitude towards public service. Also, as an educator for 27 years, I served the students and the community of East Brunswick. For the past eight years, I have been president of the East Brunswick Education Association where I work for 1400 teachers and support staff. The desire to assist, collaborate, inform, advocate, negotiate, and seek consensus has become second nature. I want to use the skills I have obtained over my lifetime to help keep East Brunswick moving in a positive direction. It is important to keep public safety, public services, green space, businesses, roads, infrastructure, Arts, and our Department of Aging to name a few, cared for with responsibility. These are cornerstones of our amazing town. However, I know it is equally essential to do this all while maintaining stable municipal property taxes. This takes work and “thinking outside the box” to achieve. I am committed to doing just that!

Property taxes are always a big topic in East Brunswick. What’s your plan to keep taxes low for residents?

Property taxes are always a concern in New Jersey. Our East Brunswick Chief Financial Officer along with her team does a remarkable job developing our town budget with input from elected officials. The budget is carefully reviewed and presented to the community and town council where questions can be asked, and input can be provided. East Brunswick has been awarded over $25 million in grant money due to fiscal responsibility thereby saving township residents money all while making improvements. That is smart work. Our amazing Aa1 bond rating is testimony to fiduciary excellence in East Brunswick. Keeping municipal taxes stable has been a priority of the mayor and town council and this has been achieved for many years with minimal increases amounting to an average of $12 per year over the past three years. Our level of services, recreation areas, infrastructure improvements, and roads are just a few examples of what we continue to build upon all while keeping municipal taxes stable. I want to continue supporting the East Brunswick we all love for our families by spending our township money wisely and working to save money for our residents through wise investments, grants, and working on new income prospects.

Development is also a big talking point in town. How would you address it?

The redevelopment in East Brunswick is exciting. Blighted property which has not only been an eye-sore but also a financial burden on our Township will now be producing revenue and bringing business into our community. I would like to see the redevelopment continue in the Route 18 corridor to bring more businesses, more job prospects, more recreation opportunities, and more green space for East Brunswick. Looking for opportunities to allow for commuting around East Brunswick is another wonderful aspect. Having shuttles run along the Route 18 corridor and to New Brunswick, would provide easy transportation and eliminate the need for excess cars on our roads. I believe many residents living in our redevelopment zone would appreciate having this type of service in lieu of having their own vehicles. Additionally, East Brunswick has done an amazing job of expanding our “green spaces” over the years with the recent openings of Tammany Park and Beaver Dam Park. I would like to see a continued commitment to seeking other locations in East Brunswick to develop green space. I want to ensure there is a balance of this redevelopment space. Lastly, looking to draw companies into our industrial areas would help our economy. For example, The FedEx building on Edgeboro Road now draws about $800,000 in taxes whereas the prior building only brought in about $80,000. This type of industrial development can bring in important tax money which will help to stabilize taxes. With this new re-development, we are looking to increase revenue for our Township through payments from the developer. Also, the developer is providing improvements (road reconstruction/paving, drainage improvements, etc.) that the Township would otherwise be responsible which is a huge cost saving. We need to be mindful of the concerns from residents and work to ensure that all issues are carefully thought out and addressed in a responsible manner.

What are the major challenges facing the community and how would you address them?

What makes our town great is the diversity of our community in many different aspects. Diversity in ideology can be most challenging. The key to success is being an open-minded leader who listens, reflects, seeks input, and who is inquiry minded. When we put these skills into practice, we all succeed in making informed, smart, and researched decisions. I firmly believe that we should continue the great work that has gone on over the years to continue moving East Brunswick in a positive direction with balance in mind. Fiscal responsibility is key to success of our town. Under this administration we have been able to keep the municipal taxes essentially flat even during the pandemic and with inflation, all while bringing in hundreds of businesses, redeveloping blighted areas, expanding our recreational areas, repairing aging infrastructure, repaving roads, and building our cultural programs. I want to be a public servant to our East Brunswick residents who uses the critical skills for the best outcomes I just described.

What sets you apart from other candidates?

I bring unique skill sets to the Town Council. As an educator and union president for 35 years I have learned and developed many important skill sets over my professional career -collaboration, compromise, negotiations, social astuteness, the art of delegation, and the ability to look for the “glass half full”. I am by nature a positive person – never looking to diminish the ideas of others but rather, looking for what we can learn from one another – building others up! Leading with kindness and fairness is the basis of my personal ideology. My family is four generations strong in East Brunswick. We love East Brunswick and are a fabric of this beautiful community.

What according to you is the best part about living in East Brunswick?

East Brunswick is diverse! The diversity of our community on so many different levels is what makes us special. I have dedicated the majority of my life to living, working, volunteering, and raising my family in East Brunswick. I have been blessed with the opportunity of family members who would share stories about East Brunswick describing the days when Ryders Lane was a dirt road, the building of the first schools, the creation of beautiful recreation spaces, the building of new residential developments, the expansion of Route 18 and more. This unique perspective of being able to see East Brunswick grow through their eyes, their stories, and their photos make me feel proud to live in our community. We have so many amazing opportunities to continue to create proud moments within our community, after all…we are the “heart” of New Jersey – officially!

What else would you like to share about yourself or your campaign?

I am very proud to be running with Kevin McEvoy, Dana Winston, and Jim Wendell. Our team has over 100 years of experience comprised of community service, government involvement, and hands-on leadership. Each member of our team has been actively involved in our community providing services to our community because we all LOVE East Brunswick and want to see our community prosper for ALL our children, and their children. Commitment, Heart, Dedication, and Community-Minded are a few attributes to describe this team. I am humbly asking for your support and vote for Town Council for this team…a team with experience and a team you can trust - McEvoy, Winston, Wendell and Zimbicki – Column B.

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