Morris Township Committee Election 2021: Tara Olivo-Moore

MORRIS TOWNSHIP, NJ — It won't be long until Morris Township elects members to its Township Committee. Patch has asked local candidates to share their thoughts before the Nov. 2 General Election.

Patch sent out emails to all candidates to the email addresses listed for their campaign provided to the office of the clerk. The responses received will get published between now and Election Day.

Here is the response from Morris Township Committee candidate Tara Olivo-Moore.

Name: Tara Olivo-Moore
Age (as of Election Day): 50
Party Affiliation: Democratic
Family: Husband (age 53), daughter age 20 and son age 17
Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? No
Education: BA in history and philosophy from Huron College; MA in history from University of Wisconsin-Madison; BSN from UMDNJ (now Rutgers University); MSN from William Paterson University.
Occupation: I have been a nurse (RN) since 2011 and a nurse practitioner since 2017. Early in my career I worked in non-profit fundraising and then I was a full-time parent for several years.
Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office: Morris township Board of Health since 2019, currently vice-chair of Board of Health. Board of Adjustment since January 2021.
Campaign website: www.markandtara2021.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

I love Morris Township. This is a great community, and it has been a wonderful place to raise my family. I think local government needs people with different backgrounds and perspectives. Having come through the coronavirus pandemic, it is clear to me that we need someone with a healthcare background on the township committee.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

When out canvassing residents often tell me about speeding in the neighborhood, or the effect of a nearby condo development. We need to continue and build on the work started by Mark Gyorfy and the Traffic Advisory Committee to make road safer. The goal is that everyone shares the road safely. With development, we need a comprehensive development plan that meets the needs of the community, and preserves green space.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

My core principles are: open decision making, putting people first, thinking long-term, and keeping sustainability and resiliency in mind with every decision.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I want to consider the environmental impact of our decisions. We see an increasing number of storms, greater storm severity, more heat stress. We have seen Morris Township residents experience flooding from these storm and power outages during severe heat-waves. These climate-related events are costing us money and affecting our health. We need to think ahead and cooperate with surrounding municipalities to work on environmental mitigation strategies.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I worked as an ER nurse in one of the busiest emergency departments in the nation (St Joseph's, Paterson, NJ; 4th busiest ER in the US). Being an ER nurse requires technical competence, quick thinking and compassion for every human being under your care. I have been a nurse practitioner through the twists and turns of the pandemic, learning to handle each new development along the way, while caring for my patients. I focus on people while being a problem-solver.

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