James Jimenez Understands the Importance of Asking Questions

James Jimenez understands the importance of asking questions.

Jimenez is currently an at-large councilman. He was Lawrence Maron’s term when Maron was appointed to a superior court judgeship in July and had to resign his council seat. Jimenez’s term will be for four years. If he is not elected, his term will end on Election Day, Nov. 8.

Jimenez served on the Board of Education for three years prior to his appointment. He said that experience has served him well during his time on the council.

While on the board he would call Business Administrator Junita Petty on a weekly basis and ask her questions regarding the district’s finances. He often is in contact with township Administrator Neal Bellett. Jimenez is a certified public accountant. He’s owned his own accounting firm for 10 years.

“When a client comes to see me, I’m looking at how they can best utilize their money,” Jimenez said. “That’s what I did on the board and that’s what I’m doing on the council, asking a lot of questions.”

Jimenez does not mince words. He is a very direct and chooses his words carefully before he speaks. He understands the weight his words carry.

“I’m not going to promise something that I can’t deliver on,” Jimenez said. “My job is to help the town be fiscally responsible.”

Helping others be fiscally responsible is something Jimenez said he enjoys doing. Being able to identify spending habits and trends are important characteristics government officials should possess, Jimenez said.

“The pennies add up to dollars,” Jimenez said. “Every time you sit down with a client you get to ask him or her questions and see what trends define their spending habits. It’s the same thing in government. We need to use those dollars in the right way and reduce the tax burden on our residents.”

Jimenez, a quite, soft-spoken husband and father of two girls, does not say a lot at council meetings. He does not see this as a negative aspect to how he represents taxpayers’ interests.

"I look at an agenda before a meting and ask questions beforehand so that I’m prepared to act," Jimenez said. “A lot of times when people ask questions of others at meetings, the person being asked doesn’t have the information in front of them to answer the question anyways. It’s very inefficient.”

Jimenez has lived in Wayne for 35 years. A graduate of Wayne Valley High School, he received his bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Montclair State University in 1992. He has been an accountant for 20 years, including 11 as a CPA.

Jimenez said that although he is still becoming acclimated to how the township is run, and the mindset that accompanies it, he sees a lot of parallels to the position he is running for and the one he previously held.

“I represented the entire town and everyone’s interests when I was on the Board of Education and that mindset is the same when it comes to the council,” Jimenez said. “I don’t think of Wayne as being split up into different wards and I didn’t care what school your child attended. I just want to represent residents’ interests, whether they live in the Sixth Ward or the First.”