Meet Mendham Council Primary Candidate Mike Zedalis

MENDHAM BOROUGH, NJ — The primaries are upon us, and Patch is creating candidate profiles to give readers an idea of who is on their ballot.

Four candidates are seeking Republican nominations for the Mendham Borough Council race, including Mike Zedalis.

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Zedalis is running on the "Restoring Trust. Running Mendham Right" slogan alongside Joseph Murphy in the vote-for-two election.

The pair is running against incumbent Marilyn Althof and Marrie-Rose Garbac.

Mendham/Chester Patch asked candidates to share some information about themselves, and asked identical questions to all candidates.

Here are Zedalis' unedited answers:

• Full name: Michael S. Zedalis
• Age: 68
• Town of residence: Mendham Borough
• Position sought: Town Council
• Party affiliation: Republican (but, doing what's best / right for Mendham)
• Family: Married, 42 years; 4 Children (Brian, Mary, Mollie & Kathryn); 6 soon to be 7 grandchildren
• Education: BS - Lafayette College (Metallurgical Engr); MS / PhD - Northwestern University; MOT / MBA - Stevens Inst. of Technology
• Occupation: Retired; formerly a CTO for Ansell Healthcare; COO / CEO for Tingley Rubber Corp.
• Previous or current elected/appointed office (if applicable): Mendham Recreation Baseball (LL) and Basketball Board; Chairman of Mendham's Historic Preservation Commission (12 yrs.)

1. Why are you running for this position?
   1. Mendham Borough has lost its way under the present administration, and we need to 'right the ship' with respect to Affordable Housing, Operations & Financial Mgmt, Communication / Transparency, and Prudently Spending Every TAX DOLLAR.
   2. I'm retired and can devote the time needed to correct Mendham Borough's trajectory!
   3. The Team that Neil Henry has assembled is fantastic, and we will Run Mendham Right!
2. What do you believe to be the most pressing issue in the community, and what do you intend to do about it if elected?
   1. Developing / enacting a plan and Effective / Proactive Plan for Affordable Housing
      1. Open direct, constructive dialogue with developers to negotiate designs and plans that respect Mendham’s scale and character.
      2. Pursue an active land acquisition program leveraging available grants and trust funds to minimize taxpayer costs while gaining control over implementation.
      3. Advance farmland and open space preservation on appropriate parcels.
      4. Develop Borough-controlled sites for senior, disabled, and other qualifying affordable housing that meets obligations while fitting community needs.
      5. Maintain regular, transparent communication with residents throughout the process.
         
   2. Proactive Strategic Planning
      1. Develop a 5 yrs strategic plan for Mendham Borough including a Vision & Mission Statement; Goals / Objectives; Strategy to achieve the above; timelines, responsibilities; budget.
   3. Prudent Fiscal Management considering current lawsuits, Budgetary Pressures, Contract Negotiations, and Expense Management
      1. Deep dive into Mendham Borough's budget - line item by line items; looking for areas of possible cost savings; new processes or technologies that can be applied; possible areas where we can work more closely with our neighbors (Mendham Twshp, Chester Twshp, Chester Boro) to find areas for operational efficiences.
      2. Contract negotiations to save costs / enhance services with Mendham's Waste Management; Police Department; others.
   4. Communication / Transparency / Involvement with Borough Residents
      1. Monthly newsletters
      2. Live Streaming of council Meetings
      3. Improved 2-way communication
      4. Proactive vs. Reactive Communication
3. What qualifications and qualities do you possess that make you best suited for the position?
   1. As Former Chairman of Mendham's Historic Preservation Commission we expanded our district twice and created the Main Street Corridor to better 'blunt' affordable housing in the Borough;
   2. As Board Members for Mendham's Little League and Recreation Basketball, I worked with others to establish schedules, rules of play; team draft; field upkeep/expansion as well as budgets
   3. As a business CTO, COO and CEO I delivered on business results that help grow our business & shareholder value; and kept employees employed.
4. Municipal tax increases have been a growing concern throughout NJ. How do you intend to address it in your community?
   1. Assess current state & history - budgeted line items; what's included, largest changes (+/-), etc.
   2. Work with town CFO to assess future state and most pressing expense items
   3. Put in place a plan to either eliminate waste; gain efficiencies; collective bargaining, etc.
   4. Pursue additional funding from the state and any / all grant sources
   5. Manage our budget on a monthly basis
   6. Communicate our performance to our town on a monthly basis - no surprises!!
5. In a few words, what is your favorite thing about your community?
   1. The fact that we all want the same for our families: great schools; nice/safe neighborhoods; great recreation; pride in our town; and a town that our children want to raise their children in!
      
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      The primary election is June 2.