Byrne and Hoover Encourage All Madison Residents to Vote on November 8

Democratic candidates for Madison Borough Council, Maureen Byrne of Albright Circle and John Hoover of Overhill Drive, encourage all Madison residents to vote on November 8rd. The candidates stated:

“We encourage all voters – Democrats, Republicans, and Independents – to make their voices heard this Election Day by exercising their right and obligation to vote. This could be the most critical presidential election in our lifetimes. If you have any concern as to the direction this country will take over the next four years, and possibly for a generation, you need to get out and vote. It is critical nationally and just as important locally as two borough council seats and two board of education seats are up for election on November 8th.”

Byrne noted, “The last time I ran for borough council, I lost by a margin of only 15 votes. In Madison, every vote really does count!”

Byrne and Hoover stated, “We fully support the directions taken by our mayor and council over the past four years. They have made great strides in improving the borough’s finances. They have expand shared services, invested in our roads, water mains, parks, and sewers, preserved Madison’s AAA stable credit rating, while, maintaining a stable municipal tax rate.

Unlike our opponents, we believe that pay-as-you-go funding is the right approach to address the short and long term needs of our electric utility. We also oppose a10% cut in utility rates. A cut of this magnitude (over $2 million) would have serious consequences for the quality of life in Madison, impacting taxes, borough services and infrastructure investment. We believe that a year-end dividend payment, when justified by the borough’s and electric utility’s financial performance, is the responsible way to manage utility rates.”

Hoover continued, “While Madison has developed a stellar reputation as a desirable place to live, we believe there is more work to be done. Like many communities, our historic downtown business district is troubled by a high rate of business turnover and vacant storefronts, which concerns me. I was therefore thrilled to be selected to participate on the Steering Committee of the borough’s new Downtown Economic Revitalization Committee, which selected Urbanomics to guide us in developing a detailed blueprint to reinvigorate our downtown area.”

“Many older homes are being torn down to make way for newer homes,” observed Byrne. “While not one to stand in the way of progress, we think attention needs to be made for the mix of homes available in town for families of all income levels. Madison’s diversity has been one of its strengths for many years. We need to strike a balance between development and preservation and insure the availability of residences our seniors, public servants, single income households, and young couples and millennials and can afford to buy or rent.”

“Madison voters know us and our records, and they know that they can trust us to do what is right for Madison,” Byrne and Hoover stated.

Maureen Byrne is an eight-year member of the Downtown Development Commission (DDC). She supervised the establishment of the Madison Farmers Market on Waverly Place and served on the Public Improvement Committee that coordinates improvements to the Downtown area. Byrne Co-chairs the DDC’s annual ‘Taste of Madison’ event and served as Chair of the Friends of the Madison Public Library where she oversaw four Annual Appeal campaigns that raised over $150,000 for the library.

Byrne served as Chairman of the borough’s Strategic Planning Committee on Operations that reimagined the borough’s website to make it easier to navigate and more meaningful for its users. The new website was rolled out last fall. She is a twelve year member of the Thursday Morning Club (TMC) and is a five year member of Madison Rotary.

John Hoover is also a DDC commissioner. He serves as its Secretary and chairs its Sign and Façade Committee. He is also the volunteer Logistics and Onsite Market Manager for the DDC-sponsored Madison Farmer’s Market He is the Chair of Madison’s Senior Citizens Advisory Committee, a member of the Board of Education’s Budget Advisory Committee and was the Program Manager for Rotary’s High School Mentoring Program.

Hoover also chairs the Madison Area YMCA’s Member Togetherhood Committee and served along with Byrne, on the borough’s Strategic Planning Operations Committee. He developed and initiated the Madison Rotary Club’s Friends of Rotary program, served on the club’s Board of Directors, Strategic Planning, Membership Development and Service Projects Committees, and chaired its By-Laws Committee. He previously served as President of the Madison Board of Health.

Byrne and Hoover concluded, “If elected, we will give Madison residents the kind of good government that they have come to expect – government that is sensitive to the needs of the community, listens to its constituents and delivers dependable public services in a fiscally responsible manner.”