I Support Judy Hernandez for Council

Letter to Editor

As co-founder of the Parsippany Green Team, I would like to offer a letter of support for Judy Hernandez in her campaign for Council. I am particularly excited to highlight her longtime, extensive work and care toward environmental concerns and sustainability leadership for the township of Parsippany.

Judy and I met in 2019 after a Parsippany master plan public review session. One of the discussions was about environmental aspects, including a recommendation to start a Green Team. Upon volunteering to start the team, I was met with enthusiasm from both Mayor Soriano and Judy. Initial work was focused on alignment with work in progress for municipal energy management. After collaborating with the municipality on resources, the township signed a resolution officially forming the Green Team in 2019, thus joining over 400 towns in NJ which are either certified or are pursuing certification in the Sustainable Jersey program. Our work now includes the goal of achieving the admirable Sustainable Jersey Gold Certification in Energy.

Having co-lead the Parsippany Green Team since 2019, Judy has personally run initiatives around emergency management & resilience, land use & transportation, a sustainable land use pledge, natural resource conservation and water management. These actions around critical local sustainability matters constitute over 25% of our total submitted actions for Bronze certification in the Sustainable Jersey program this year. Likewise, her continued focus includes efforts around complete streets, green infrastructure, enhanced stormwater management and water protection. In addition to her long standing guidance as the Vice Chair of our community’s Environmental Advisory Committee her leadership and direction on the Green Team have had a paramount impact on our success thus far, which is representative of both her appreciation for the environment and her stewardship of our community.

The Green Team’s mission is to collaborate with our residents, township government and business community to identify and implement programs that improve our quality of life and the physical, environmental, and financial sustainability of our community. To this end, I thank and applaud Judy for her past and continued efforts to protect our planet and our community, which is a testament to her leadership, her character, and her integrity to always do the right thing for all residents. I urge you to join me in supporting Judy Hernandez for Council in this year’s election.

Respectfully,

Matt Kavanagh

Co-Leader

Parsippany Green Team