Montclair Councilwoman: There Is No Town Of 'Upper Montclair'

MONTCLAIR, NJ — A recent ranking of the “richest towns in America” shows that you can’t always identify a town by its zip code, a Montclair councilwoman says.

Last week, a Bloomberg report identified the 100 “richest” towns in America, as defined by household income. A total of 16 New Jersey towns made the list, including Montclair… kind of.

Researchers ranked “Upper Montclair” – a census designated neighborhood within the township of Montclair – as the 45th “richest town” in the nation, with an average household income of $265,482. Read More: NJ Has 16 Of The 100 Richest Towns In America

While it isn’t a separate municipality and is served by the Montclair Public School District, Upper Montclair has a different zip code, 07043, than other parts of the township. It’s a distinction that often confuses people, much to chagrin of some residents, such as Councilwoman Renee Baskerville.

Reacting to the report, Baskerville said there’s one fatal flaw: there is no town of Upper Montclair.

“The suggestion that there is, points out the failings of the report’s over-reliance on zip codes to identify the richest towns in America,” the 4th ward councilwoman posited.

“If Upper Montclair were a separate town, it would qualify as one of the 16 richest towns in the nation,” Baskerville elaborated. “It would also qualify as one of the most homogenous towns in the nation.”

“The good news is that Upper Montclair is not a separate town,” Baskerville continued. “It’s an important part of our richly diverse township.”

Most Montclairites don’t prefer to live in a town of cookie cutter people in cookie cutter homes, she added.

“Our residents choose to live in Montclair because of its convenience, energy and diversity, including a diversity of political thought and differences of view regarding approaches for problem-solving, capitalizing on opportunities, and how and where we should invest our tax dollars to attain a better Montclair for all,” Baskerville said.

‘MONTCLAIR RISING TOGETHER’

Baskerville told Patch that the quest for diversity is one of the main reasons she chose to run for mayor this fall.

• See related article: Montclair Mayor Reportedly Not Running Again In 2020 Election

Earlier this month, Baskerville released the following campaign statement.

“As the Township of Montclair, the state of New Jersey and Americans across the nation celebrate the 150th anniversary of the 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution guaranteeing black men the right to vote, the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, giving women the right to vote, and the 55th anniversary of passage of the Voting Rights Act, prohibiting discrimination in voter participation, three seminal actions reflecting the power and the promise of ‘We the People;’ reflecting our slow and ebbing progress toward democracy, I present myself to my fellow residents as a candidate for mayor of Montclair, my hometown, that of my father and my grandfather. I come urging all Montclairites who believe in ‘We the People,’ the power and potency of democracy, the beloved community of humankind, and the possibility of one Montclair Rising together, to join me in moving Montclair to its next level of greatness and in making history in the process by electing Montclair’s first female mayor of color. I write respectfully requesting the vote of all Montclair eligible voters for Renee E. Baskerville, M.D. for mayor and the #MontclairRisingTogether slate.

“Our community has a rich history and a bright future. Believing, as I do, in the power of faith combined with affirmative actions; and the potency of ordinary people coming together across racial, ethnic religious, geographic, economic, wealth, political, and other lines that divide, working collaboratively, and fighting, for our shared ideals to make change happen, I thoughtfully, humbly and resolutely seek to become mayor of Montclair.

“As a lifelong, active and involved resident, I have a deep love for our Montclair. This a community that I have helped to prosper as a private citizen, special education professional in Montclair’s public schools, pediatrician and school-based health provider, member of the school board and the township council. I served and actively engaged as a member of every township committee and commission, garnering affirmative results. As mayor of Montclair, I will continue my life’s work of bringing people together and working toward a thriving, sustainable, resilient, and just township, with protected, secure, green environments, a thriving local economy and world class services. I want to offer you, my neighbors and friends, new hopes, new possibilities, and better results. I want to build on the strides Mayor [Robert] Jackson has led us in achieving, in fiscal responsibility, and in a number of initiatives that have made us a more vibrant Montclair.

“As your mayor, I will continue to build bridges between neighborhoods and ensure that we all and climb higher together. I will lead and together we will make Montclair a more prosperous, inclusive, just, equitable, safe and secure thriving community for all. We will become #Montclair RisingTogether.”

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