Election 2022: Millburn Township Council Candidate Michael Cohen

MILLBURN, NJ — Election Day is coming up, and Patch sent out questionnaires to all candidates seeking local public office.

The Millburn Township Committee election will be held on Nov. 8. Two seats on the five-member committee are up for election that day.

Six people are running for the two seats. You can vote for any two candidates, even though they are running on tickets.

Among the big issues this year: How Millburn will meet its state affordable housing mandate. READ MORE: Emergency Meeting Will Address Millburn Affordable Housing Mandate

We asked each candidate four serious questions and a more creative question. Here is the candidate profile for Michael Cohen.

Name: Michael Cohen

Campaign website: https://www.romanoandcohen.com/

Age: 65

Education: University of Rochester BA Mathematics; Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University; MBA Accounting/Management Information Systems.

Family information: Meryl Stone (wife), Benjamin Cohen (son), Matthew Cohen (son) Adult sons no longer attend school

Occupation: Retired. Former Vice President at JPMorgan Chase. Technology project manager (1983-2006) Government Reporting Manager (2006-2017)

Other sources of income: N/A

Does anyone in your family work in government or politics? No.

Volunteer work and community positions: Treasurer Millburn Short Hills Democratic Committee, Treasurer-Prupis campaign, Treasurer Miggins Vinayak campaign, volunteer for various other Democratic candidates

Other experience and elected offices: Democratic District Leader for District 3 since 2018.

What is the best thing about Millburn, and what are some things you believe should be improved?

Millburn is a great place to raise a family with excellent schools and a relatively good commute to New York and other popular work locations. Further, particularly in the last few years, it has become an increasingly diverse town offering the opportunity to citizens to become familiar with various cultures.

To improve Millburn, I would hope I am able to reduce some of the local political wrangling as, after all, we are all neighbors.

What makes you uniquely qualified to serve in this position?

I spent my career in a management position in an organization built on consensus decision making and team work. I’ve honed those skills over 30 years and they would be an asset to the Township Committee and Millburn as a whole.

With which political party are you registered? How much do you think political party, and national politics, should matter in the local race, and why?

I have been a registered Democrat since I became of voting age. Political party does play a role in local elections as it often reflects a set of values and beliefs integral to a person’s philosophy. Also, there are local issues, for example, such as the way the Covid 19 pandemic was handled that could vary depending on the party of the decision makers.

While the Board of Education is ostensibly non-partisan, in a town the size of Millburn, people often know the party of the candidates. I believe the recent call for non-partisan elections is an alternate way to try and win local elections.

How do you think Millburn should best meet its affordable housing obligation? Also, do you believe the amount of affordable housing mandated by the state is enough, too little, or too much?

Affordable housing is the law and like every other town, Millburn must follow the law. The town has signed a court approved agreement with the stakeholders and cannot change that unless all parties agree. Affordable housing ideally must be built in places where the tenants have access to shopping and public transportation.

While building at the DPW site is not optimal, Millburn is limited by the parcels of land owned by the township. Similarly, while I do not think a building that is comprised of 100% affordable units is ideal, the alternative of 80% marketable 20 % affordable would result in 300 additional units exacerbating issues with traffic and the schools. Lastly, if the site does prove to be toxic and it cannot be remediated, nothing will be built here and an alternative site will be chosen.

Just to have a more offbeat question and learn more about you: If you could donate just one book to the newly renovated Millburn library, which book would you donate, and why?

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. It is the story of someone who stands up for what he believes is right although not popular. It is a story I have always admired. It saddens me that it is often on the list of banned books for public libraries and schools.