Election 2011: Municipal Primary Election Preview

Tuesday, voters will go to the polls to support their respective local party members who will run for borough council in November.

Republican incumbents Mayor Rose Heck, Councilman Justin DiPisa and Councilwoman Pamela Link all seek re-election . Catherine W. Ellison is running for the Democratic mayoral position  to challenge Heck in November and Mary K. Blanusa and Doris Tousto seek election to the council. They will run against DiPisa and Link for the council seats in November.

Below are profiles on each candidate.  Attempts to reach Democratic candidates Catherine W. Ellison and Doris Tousto were not successful.

Democratic ticket
Council candidate – Mary K. Blanusa

Mary K. Blanusa, candidate for council has lived in Hasbrouck Heights a total of 23 years. She was raised in the borough and returned to raise her family here.  Her first interest in politics goes back to when her father ran for council when she was a young girl and since then she has always been aware of issues impacting citizens on the local, state and national level.

Professionally she has more than 15 years of experience in the fields of environmental consulting and non-profit management and has worked with diverse stakeholders on public policy issues in the fields of development, planning, and education reform at local, state, and national levels in the U.S. and overseas. Through her professional career she also led successful grant proposals on all levels of government. She hopes to use this experience in public policy and sustainable development to address the issues of continually rising property taxes and over development of residential properties in town. 

She said she is running because as a parent of two young children she wants to be sure that Hasbrouck Heights remains a place where people want to and can afford to live. She hopes to provide a voice to the young families in town and long-time residents  “to promote management and development policies that are both environmentally and fiscally sustainable.

"Fiscal responsibility includes taking a close look at all areas that impact property taxes, including salaries of town employees and processes for recruitment and retention of those employees. Environmental sustainability requires a dedication to preserving green spaces in town and tree lined street whenever possible."

She also believes that “checks and balances are needed to have a fully effective and representative government, that is not the case with a single party holding all borough positions.”

She is a member of the Hasbrouck Heights Junior Women’s Club, the Mayor’s Celebration Committee and the Jeffersonian Democratic Club. She has also served as a Peace Corps volunteer teaching English and environmental education in Hungary.

Republican ticket

Mayor - Rose Heck

Rose Heck seeks her second consecutive term as Mayor of Hasbrouck Heights. Heck was the first woman ever to be elected to the borough council. She served one term on the council and two as Mayor until January 1996.

Heck has been a resident of the borough for nearly 50 years when she and her husband Raymond first moved to the borough in 1962 to raise their family. She quickly became involved in the Corpus Christi Rosary Society. Later  she was asked to become involved the Republican organization. She subsequently became a county committee woman, municipal chair and became involved in multiple borough organizations which includes a founding member of the Friends of the Library.

She was elected to the state assembly in 1991 and served a total of 13 years.  Among some of her noted accomplishments on the state level include being credited with the establishment of the Hudson Bergen Light Rail System and she introduced the bill that established four regional child abuse and neglect diagnostic and treatment centers in the state one of which is the Audrey Hepburn Children’s House at Hackensack University Medical Center.

In Hasbrouck Heights, she worked to obtain the grant that helped establish the senior center, and community service bus and initiated work on the senior citizens housing unit. Through her 2007 campaign for mayor she helped put together “Fresh Start for 2008” which includes committees that have been deemed successful such as the Research Committee, Hasbrouck Heights Hot Line and the Mayor’s Youth Committee.

She has received numerous awards from local and state organizations including Elks Woman of the Year Award, the Hasbrouck Heights Mens’ Association Citizen of the Year Award and the recipient of the VFW local, district and state volunteer of the year award.

Mayor Heck said she and her fellow Republican candidates have kept the following pledges to the people: “to serve, not dictate; to represent Hasbrouck Heights in an intelligent and  dignified manner; to bring honor back to Hasbrouck Heights; to be frugal in managing your tax dollars; to keep communication open; to uphold the rights of all residents, young and old alike; to seek funding wherever possible; to analyze and evaluate each matter on its merits; to maintain Home Rule; to adhere to strict zoning laws to protect property values and  to keep well informed on local matters, as well as county and state matters relating to our community."

Council candidate –Pamela Link

Pamela Link seeks election to her second term on the borough council. A lifelong resident of Hasbrouck Heights she is the daughter of former Councilman Andrew Link III.

She currently serves as council president, commissioner of finance, social services and public facilities, deputy commissioner of health, council liaison to Community Awareness Access for All (CAAFA) committee where she serves as treasurer, and is also a member of the Mayor’s 911 committee.

She works with the Mayor’s Research Committee to find ways to save money while not giving up services while also investigating energy alternatives, recycling programs, available grants and other environmental projects.

Some of her accomplishments include working with the CAAFA, which educates and promotes the needs of those with disabilities, towards renovations at Woodland Park which includes new restrooms and making the pavilion handicap accessible. She also was actively involved with the committee in putting three handicap parking spaces on the Boulevard. She also worked to help initiate the File for Life program to assist those in emergencies, ensuring medical records are accessible to emergency personnel.

Link serves as municipal chairman of the Hasbrouck Heights Republican County Committee, vice chair of the District 38 Republican County Committee and deputy vice chair of the Bergen County Republican Organization. She is also an active member of the Hasbrouck Heights Republican Club.

She is also a member of the World Wildlife Foundation, the American Indian Relief Council, the NY Genealogical and Biographical Society and the Bergen County Historical Society.

Link stated, “Together, with my family, we are actively involved in town, believing in giving back to a community that we love. I seek to serve and assist to the best of my ability in maintaining Hasbrouck Heights as a community we all can be proud of and call our home.”

Council candidate - Justin DiPisa

Justin DiPisa seeks his sixth term on the borough council. A lifelong resident of the borough and pharmacist by trade, he formerly owned DiPisa’s Pharmacy in Hasbrouck Heights for 17 years.

DiPisa was elected in 1994 to fill a two-year unexpired term and was then re-elected to serve again multiple times over the past 16 years. He currently serves as police commissioner and deputy finance commissioner and deputy recreation commissioner.

He formerly served as president and vice president of the Hasbrouck Heights Chamber of Commerce. He has been active with town sports having served as past-president of the HHHS Touchdown Club and served as manager and coach of the Little League for 15 years. He is also a member of the Republican Club.

DiPisa is a parishioner of Corpus Christi Church and has served as president and vice president of the Corpus Christi Home School Association. He has also served on the Board of Health.

He was instrumental in starting the Health Fair and served as council liaison to environmental and transportation commission and the Community Awareness Access for All (CAAFA) working with the committee to help build the handicapped accessible facilities at Woodland Park. He also helped obtain a grant for File for Life and initiated the 2005 Women of Distinction Awards. He also co-founded the Young Community Leadership Scholarship.

He currently works for the New York Drug Chain and is an adjunct professor at Monmouth University.