Watchung Council Candidate: Daryl Eisenberg Knegten

WATCHUNG, NJ — Daryl Eisenberg Knegten is one of the four candidates running for a council seat in the contested 2018 Watchung election on Tuesday, Nov. 6.

Two candidates are vying for four-year seat as Mayor with candidates including Democrat Keith Balla and Republican Stephen Black.

There are also four candidates vying for two three-year seats on the borough council with candidates including: Democrats Lindsay Goodloe and Daryl Eisenberg Knegton and Republicans David Mobus and Maria Alberto.

Daryl Eisenberg Knegten

Hi! I’m Daryl Eisenberg Knegten. I grew up in Watchung at 65 Hill Hollow Road. I went to Bayberry, Valley View, Wathung Hills Regional High School. I graduated from New York University Tisch and started my own Broadway casting company 14 years ago.

Then it was back home to Watchung where I’m raising my two little boys (6 months old and 3 years old) and my 12-year-old cousin. I’m a business owner, a mom, and I’m hoping to bring some change to Watchung council.

Why are you running?

I care deeply about Watchung and it’s been my home my whole life. Yet our property values are tanking, we’re losing resources (they’re closing the library we’ve had for 50 years!), and we’re still paying so much in taxes. Our sidewalks and paths just end or fall apart. And yet we have a council that has been led by one party, unopposed, for decades. Watchung is made up of republicans, democrats, and independents alike. We deserve a council that represents all of us. We deserve a council that is transparent and accountable to all of us. We deserve change.

What experience do you have that would help you serving?

I run a business. I served as the student representative of the school board at WHRHS. I’m treasurer of the Oakwood Road Association. I’m a mom, raising my kids here in our schools, and I care about the future of Watchung.

What issues would you like to see addressed if elected?

We need a council that is transparent, open, and accountable to its citizens. So many decisions get made behind closed doors, without public involvement or debate. That needs to change. I want to address our declining schools, property values, and stabilize our tax base. I want us to address our emergency preparedness so that we don’t lose power for a week every hurricane season. And I want us to be smart about where we invest, and present sound investment cases to the public and let them weigh in on where we should be spending our money. I want us to look into issues like the library as investments, and explore multiple options for rebuilding that are fiscally responsible. And I’d like us to have sidewalks!

— (If you are a candidate and would like to participate in the profile, please email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com)

(Image provided: Daryl Eisenberg Knegten)

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