Candidates Contrast Leadership Styles at Forum

In a reserved and cordial candidates’ forum at the , the two candidates vying for the one open seat on Springfield’s Township Committee contrasted most sharply in descriptions of their leadership styles.

Democrat Hugh Keffer, the current Mayor, is defending his committee seat against the Republican challenger, former Mayor Ziad Shehady. The two men had served together on the Committee. Each took time during of their remarks to compliment their opponent’s honor and commitment to the Springfield community.

While character was not an issue, management style was. Keffer characterized Shehady as a micromanager who left township employees on edge. Shehady said his military background had taught him the value of strong leadership and the need to hold people accountable.

As in past forums, Springfield Chamber of Commerce chair Lorraine Seidel moderated the panel, asking the candidates questions written in advance by residents attending the Library event. In her brief opening statement, Seidel said she would discard questions she considered personal attacks on candidates.

In his introductory remarks, Keffer relayed his professional experience as an attorney, including his tenure as a prosecutor in Hillside, and as a parent of three children. He said that one of his proudest accomplishments as Mayor was introducing a tone of civility to government; he noted that people had regularly stuck around after Township Committee meetings.

Shehady emphasized his commitment to Springfield in his introduction, emphasizing his recent work with local legislators in the aftermath of tropical storm Irene. After summarizing his biography, he struck a note of concern, saying he was worried that the township was behind the curve in relation to its neighbors. TK TK 

The first question had the candidates hold forth on the efforts to fund a turf athletic field for Jonathan Dayton High School. After providing background on the turf field, Keffer said his administration had looked at a variety of ways to fund the project, and touted a recent $75,000 recreation grant from the County. Shehady said that while he was in office, he had met with the Board of Education to find ways to fund the project, and indicated that the $75,000 County grant was a trivial part of a multimillion dollar project.

The next question also involved recreation, focusing on the future of the Chisholm Community Center. After providing a brief outline of the center’s recent history—it housed a YMCA branch until the organization decided the rent was too steep—Keffer said that there were two promising potential tenants for the building, but that at this point the Township was maintaining the building at taxpayer expense.

Shehady said the mostly empty Chisholm Center was a result of “lack of long term planning.” He said with the municipal pool, the Sarah Bailey Center and Chisholm, the Township duplicated its own recreational offerings, and said that an outside, private entity could run one or more of the facilities more efficiently.

Shehady characterized past referendums on upgrading the pool as “political football,” with various officials passing the issue around without addressing it in a responsible manner or properly explaining it to residents. Keffer said the referendum votes reflected Springfield residents’ lack of enthusiasm for pool upgrades and characterized the referendum as a success.

“It allow[ed] the taxpayer to not get hit by a big Taj Mahal project,” Keffer said.

The candidates clashed over the Saks property, a commercially zoned structure near the Millburn border that has sat dormant for years despite interest from Stop and Shop due to legal issues.

“The supermarket is doomed to fail,” Keffer said. “It’s too competitive of a market.”

Shehady countered by saying that the fate of the building should be left to the market, not to government.

One question read by Seidel late in the forum turned away from specific problems and issues and asked the candidates about their approach to leadership.

“I like Ziad personally, but I do see differences in my views on governing,” Keffer said. “When you sit on a board, your job is to set policy goals.”

Keffer said it was not the job of the Township Committee to sit in Town Hall day in and day out, scrutinizing how people do their jobs.

“That’s called micromanaging, and that makes it more difficult for people to do their jobs,” Keffer said.

Shehady similarly launched his answer to the question with praise for his opponent.

“I too like Mr. Keffer,” Shehady said. “He is a man of honor and respect. My approach is that of a strong leader. I’ve learned that you have to hold people accountable.”

He said that as a member of the National Guard, he grew accustomed to and grew to value spot checks, which he said was different than micromanaging.