Union County, Stronger Than Ever

By

Chairman, Union County Board of County Commissioners

December 2021

Almost two years ago today, I was working on my Commissioner Board re-organization speech as the incoming Chairman. It was December 2019, and the first thing that came to my mind was the strength of our Union County community.

We had been through a rough stretch that began with the global economic crisis of 2008 and included Hurricane Irene, Hurricane Sandy, a major ice storm and even an earthquake.

“And yet, through all of the chaos, we stood together and we pulled ourselves up. Today our Union County family is thriving, and growing,” I wrote.

Now the meaning of those words rings more clearly than ever before.

I delivered that speech on January 5, 2020. Less than three months later, Governor Phil Murphy issued emergency orders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, shutting down all but the most essential services.

And, Union County delivered those essential services.

Union County personnel quickly and calmly shifted into virus prevention mode and deployed remote, contact-free operations wherever possible. From the first days of the statewide lockdown we continued providing core services to the public that cannot stop, including public safety and assistance for those in need.

Within days after the statewide lockdown order was issued, we also had the first free county-based, drive-through mass COVID-19 test center of its kind up and running.

The Union County Test Center began operating at Kean University on Monday, March 23, 2020. We provided 200 tests on that very first day.

To date, we have administered almost 174,000 tests for Union County residents, as well as front line medical personnel and first responders in New Jersey.

By May of 2020 we were distributing emergency food supplies on a mass basis, to help alleviate the financial distress caused by the pandemic. We still continue this program. To date, we have distributed enough food to provide more than 10 million meals to households in need.

Throughout the summer of 2020 we also worked to distribute federal CARES Act funds where it would have the most impact, including COVID-19 grants for restaurants, small businesses, schools, libraries and special needs families.

As my second consecutive term as Chairman began last January 3, Union County was on the forefront of the nation’s historic mass vaccination effort.

The Union County Vaccine Center at Kean administered its first doses of free vaccine on January 7, 2021. Since then, we have averaged more than 10,000 doses per month, for a total of almost 127,000 to date.

Our partnership with Kean also grew to encompass the establishment of the first and only county based, academic COVID-19 test lab in the nation, located at the Kean University campus in Union Township.

Just as importantly, this past year Union County regained its forward momentum despite the pandemic, and despite the destruction left by Hurricane Ida.

In public safety, this year we marked the start of construction for a new emergency dispatch center in Westfield, as we continue to expand and provide more services to additional municipalities, hospitals and other entities.

We also joined with the Prosecutor in a gun buyback that took more than 500 weapons out of our community.

In the area of human services, we realized a goal of mine when we launched the new “Fresh Start” mobile service, which brings laundry and showering facilities to unsheltered residents.

We also expanded the Passaic River Parkway with a newly acquired property in Berkeley Heights, we continued working to restore the Clark Reservoir, we opened a new Disc Golf course at Oak Ridge Park, and we introduced new public recreation events such as the Cultural Festival at Conant Park in Hillside.

We celebrated the return of the Four Centuries in a Weekend history event and the inclusive Sensory Friendly Theatre series at the Union County Performing Arts Center, and we resumed grant programs for children’s recreation and historic preservation.

In Cranford, we opened a new playground at Nomahegan Park. In Rahway we completed renovation of the Ulrich swimming pool at Rahway River Park. And, in Plainfield we broke ground on a new LGBTQ inclusive space at Cedar Brook Park that symbolizes the welcoming spirit of our community.

As we look forward to new challenges in the coming year, I know that Union County will come back stronger than ever before.