Meet the Westwood Mayoral Candidates

The mayoral race in Westwood has three candidates: a Democrat, Republican and Independent. Patch asked each to answer four questions to give voters an idea of why they're running and what they hope to accomplish.

Polls will be open Tuesday for residents to cast their votes.

John Birkner Jr. (Democratic incumbent)

• Why did you decide to run for mayor?
  Four years ago when initially contemplating a run for office, Westwood was headed down a dark road. Our infrastructure was crumbling, Westvale Park was an embarrassment, confrontation and controversy were the normal order of business and employee morale suffered because of it. I knew I had something to offer to help put Westwood on the map as a premiere place to live, raise a family and continue to be able to afford upon retirement. I began with a management philosophy that brought respect for the ideas of all members of the governing body and insisted on the professional treatment of our borough employees who, after all, provide the services that our residents rely on.
  
  This time around there remains work to be done as there are a few projects that have been started that I would like to see through and there are also new challenges to be met. The governing body is on the right track with a prioritization of infrastructure projects we have identified, the implementation of environmental initiatives and sound fiscal policy that has resulted in the bond rating increase for the borough to AA. That has allowed us to restructure much of our old debt at lower interest rates thereby saving taxpayer dollars. It is my desire to continue the positive progress that Westwood has seen during my term with a focus on fiscal responsibility.
  
  
• What do you think is the biggest issue facing Westwood? Why?
  That question needs to be broken down into parts: immediate and long term, and they all inertwine. Our most pressing immediate issue is the approval process for the opening of HUMC @ Pascack Valley as the full service acute care hospital that our region needs. We are on the verge of seeing that happen, and I won't be satisfied until those doors are opened. Traffic in and around Westwood is a concern that is being addressed. We have a very important and vibrant central business district, however we must move forward with planned improvements in order to see that pedestrian and vehicular safety remains a priority.
  
  Taxes and how much we pay for municipal services are a perennial concern. Now more than ever towns are burdened with cuts to state aid, increased costs and unfunded regulatory mandates. We are forced to seek ways to continue to provide the level of service our residents expect and balance that within the framework of responsible spending. As mentioned previously, we now have sound fiscal policies that empower each of our department heads to make key decisions regarding the budget process. They are provided with the tools to create innovative solutions to meet the demands of a difficult economy. Tax ratables are a concern since the number of tax appeals we are seeing is on the rise. Once the hospital is opened, that will increase our tax base and provide an enormous boost to our local economy both in the amount of real estate taxes we receive and also with the creation of hundreds of jobs and increased commerce.
  
  Another long term issue that has been discussed with a sense of urgency is that of flooding of some of our neighborhoods. There sure is a lot of finger pointing but not a lot of real action. Admittedly there are no quick fixes, but Westwood has been at the forefront of bringing new ideas and a fresh look at providing solutions for relief in a meaningful way. Other towns agree with our approach, and we are presenting our residents concerns and working with our local, county, state and federal representative to achieve long term results.
  
  
• If elected, what do you plan to accomplish in the borough?
  My plan is to keep Westwood moving forward by tackling the difficult and complex issues mentioned above without losing sight of the small details that need to be taken care of and that make Westwood a special place. Obviously, I intend to continue to pursue solutions to the flooding problem by working with our residents and neighboring communities; I will continue to bring grant funding for municipal projects that need to be done. The intersection plan will bring close to $3 million in county funding back to Westwood. It is my goal to increase our shared service opportunities with our neighboring municipalities. Officials are recognizing that the only way to continue to provide a high level of service with limited funding is through shared services. There is a lot more willingness for cooperative programs, yet there are still many old fashioned obstacles that must be navigated.
  
  
• Why should voters choose you?
  I have a proven track record. Quite a lot has occurred in the four years of my term, and Westwood has come together to meet challenges on every level. We have been faced with tragedy and adversity, joys and triumphs. Through it all Westwood is better today than it was in 2007. The 80-year-old Pascack Brook Sewer Pipe has been replaced, more roads have been paved, new committees have been formed to address environmental and historical concerns, our police department has been recognized for their professionalism, we are about to realize our dream of opening our hospital and the list goes on. In 2007 I promised that I would bring in grant funding to complete Westvale Park and by following a very careful and deliberate plan, did so. Because of our project, Bergen County is now in the process of renovating Pascack Brook Park and when completed this year will connect to Westvale and effectively provide over 110 acres of active and passive recreation in Westwood for residents of all ages to enjoy. The passion, energy and commitment that I have demonstrated in leading the borough this past four years has not diminished and I look forward to the next four years of progress for Westwood.

Robert Miller (Republican challenger, current Westwood council president)

• Why did you decide to run for mayor?
  I decided to run because I wanted to protect what makes Westwood special, its residents and make certain Westwood is affordable. I have the needed business skills of problem solving and financial discipline combined with the people skills to listen to the many voices of the residents, to do that. It is easy to just say yes or just say no to everything, but that is not leadership and that does not prepare us for the future. I am running to make a difference by leading our community in spending only what is needed and making sure every dollar is well spent.
  
  As Council President for the last two years, I know that the decisions made by a governing body impacts the daily lives and budgets of each and every resident of Westwood not only today and tomorrow but in some instances five or 10 years into the future. That is a responsibility I take very seriously. Thoughtfulness, management experience in both the private and public sectors, attention to detail and dedication as a public servant are necessary ingredients for the job of mayor. Applying these skills, I made a difference as council president and I know I can make even a more significant contribution as mayor.
  
  
• What do you think is the biggest issue facing Westwood? Why?
  While there are many important issues, traffic, flooding, being two, taxes and the reopening of our community's hospital have the most significant impact to the largest number of residents. We must require that every dollar spent is necessary and each dollar spent produces true value. The reopening of our hospital is critical to both the safety of our residents and the ability for them to remain in Westwood. We, as a community, must make sure that we manage our collective community expenses responsibly and conservatively, applying the same care and concern each of us applies to balancing our own personal household budgets. This is Job 1 - keeping taxes low while maintaining public safety and the high level of municipal services that maintains the fabric and character of our community and makes it the special place it we all love and enjoy. If we do not manage expenses we will lose our greatest assets, our residents.
  
  Re-opening of our community's hospital is essential to the quality of life in our community as is making sure that, once open, it thrives and that the area surrounding the hospital is zoned properly so physicians and diagnostic services want to locate there so that we wind up with a thriving medical community anchored by HUMC at Pascack Valley. As a Republican mayor I would be in an excellent position to work seamlessly with our Republican Governor and Republican County Executive to make sure this happens.
  
  
• If elected, what do you plan to accomplish in the borough?
  My goals would include managing our municipal budget in a thoughtful, conservative and creative manner to make sure that we endeavor to spend even less than the mandated cap, so as to make sure that Westwood stays affordable for our residents who make up the fabric of our community. I would continue the effort I lead as Council President, which resulted in our improved credit rating and thus real dollar savings.
  
  I would also seek creative ways to manage our services so we continue them at their current level, as I did when my redesign of the health insurance saved $200,00 starting this year and future years. The reopening of the hospital and development of the surrounding commercial area which is currently zoned for industrial use an becomes a thriving medical related community is critical to our financial future, I would apply a portion of the tax the hospital pays to pay down debt and or for capital improvements and not allow it to become part of the operating budget.
  
  
• Why should voters choose you?
  I am uniquely qualified having both breath and depth of needed experience. This experience filled with achievements includes holding senior level management with industry leaders, managing small business, as well as state level budget experience. This management experience is supported with true leadership experience, two terms as Westwood’s Council President and Deputy Mayor of Ridgewood. I combine both the analytical, management skills with the vital people skills to listen and involve all residents. I have a proven track record of achievements. These achievements consider the impact they have today but also for our children and grandchildren.
  
  The past four years the council which I had the honor to be the Council President the past two years has passed budgets below the state mandated caps and have shown the fiscal discipline which resulted in our credit rating being increased to AA. In addition, due to my management knowledge I was able to redesign the health insurance program, which resulted in $200,000 of immediate annual cost savings beginning in 2011 while preserving benefits for our valued employees. A creative but effective approach, saving real tax dollars while still respecting our employees.
  
  I am the only candidate who has voted for a Westwood budget, the only candidate who has been responsible for decisions that impact your lives. I know what it is to vote and be responsible for a decision. I am the only candidate who has management achievements and people skills. I will protect our greatest asset, our residents.

Thomas Wanner (Independent challenger, former Westwood mayor)

• Why did you decide to run for mayor?
  Each election season we hear sound bites and rhetoric amongst real issues. They flow like a brook after a heavy rain. Issues du jour are raised, dialogues open, and with the election, recede quickly.
  
  Westwood’s Mayor and Council focused the last four years on a $3 million tax funded sports complex. Their spending spared no expense in a time of national economic stress. Discussions for expenditures focused on creating a community showpiece, ignoring the broad impact such an investment could have on all taxpayers.
  
  While the community needs to cultivate youth recreation outlets, it also needs to be actively aware of economic realities, understanding each decision has a real cost impact on all residents. For example, what is the projected usage of this complex by Westwood residents — and county residents; inasmuch we assigned the county access rights for a small stipend in grant money. That usage will generate electric bills with its 26 stadium lights. It will generate water bills to irrigate the new sod fields. It will generate a liability insurance bill along with various personnel and capital maintenance requirements. Expenses, when added together, that represents real tax dollars required every year, in addition to the debt service cost.
  
  Now take those expenses and add similar tax costs to the school budget. The school board just spent a comparable $3 million on its field upgrades. Westwood’s municipal debt, minus the school, is today at $21 million, a new town high. With projects like these who’s watching that growing debt, or their associated operating costs? As a former mayor having worked many hours with the town’s finances, I see a negative spending pattern which I had hoped wouldn’t return so soon. It’s a pattern Westwood taxpayers cannot afford.
  
  
• What do you think is the biggest issue facing Westwood? Why?
  There are three primary issues at the moment but they are by no means the only concerns of residents. These issues branch out to many of those other concerns, like traffic congestion and development.
  
  Issue 1 – Reopening a Hospital – It is a centerpiece to Westwood’s standing as a hub of the Valley. It offered a ready access to healthcare needed by seniors and families. In addition it provided a major public destination that helped generate auxiliary customer traffic to area businesses. That in turn assisted in maintaining area commercial property values, allowing for greater tax revenue to offset residential property tax demand.
  
  To date Westwood has been a spectator to the process. Early on it hosted a protest walk to an opposition hospital to highlight something that apparently escaped my understanding. Were we trying to say there is another hospital in walking distance or seeking to generate a photo-op? In addition there have been many offerings of rhetoric but little to explain how Westwood is actually involved in the return of a hospital above and beyond the expected vocal support.
  
  We are now told a hospital is almost certain to return. “Almost” is a qualifying adverb, not a definitive certain. I have followed the issue since leaving office in 2007 and maintained a blog (wewantahospital.com) to chronicle the complexities. When the decision is rendered, whatever it is, Westwood should be prepared to participate in the legal fight — which is the only aspect in this issue that is certain. The questions that will be raised can’t simply be about the business of hospitals. It has to be primarily focused on the geographical healthcare access for Westwood residents and surrounding communities.
  
  Issue 2 – Flooding – It has been an ongoing problem that will require a multifaceted approach. While buyouts of some properties through federal programs may seem to be a solution, it is more of a limited approach than a solution. Suggestions of a 40-hour review being a “scientific” study also appears to be more an election season ploy then a direction. Similarly, activities such as walking a brook in waders to see water flow may be photo-op material but with limited goals, it too serves as a distraction to only support illusions of hope.
  
  There are many considerations that need to be thought through in the flooding discussion. It’s a conversation that needs to understand the flooded residents concerns, appreciate the topography realities, and then determine the substantive options and develop a course of action. It’s a problem that affects flooded property owners directly and all other property owners indirectly. For example, each property potentially bought out by federal funds will remove it from the tax rolls. That loss will then be amortized over all the other property owners. And that makes it a problem that affects the entire community and demands a comprehension solution.
  
  Issue 3 – Taxes – Property taxes, a foundation block to a community’s quality of life. It’s nice to have all our family’s wants met, all the various services, etc., but if a home life is stressed to meet monthly financial demands that are technically in the hands of your elected representatives, the family’s quality of life is hurt. There needs to be a balance between community wants and needs. Often there are solutions to meet everyone’s basic requirements but that requires rational discussions with an understanding for the potential fiscal impacts.
  
  
• If elected, what do you plan to accomplish in the borough?
  Communities are a conglomerate of partnerships between recreation groups, school activities, church committees, volunteer groups and more. They’re diverse in personalities and goals, where each has wants, and they all currently coexist within Westwood as a community. Westwood’s leadership has to consider those wishes, but do so within the fiscal restraints of the community at large. I would first and foremost seek to respect those wants in balance with everyone’s needs.
  
  Beyond that basic goal, the above referenced issues are here and now. They are not simple. They require comprehensive attention, not more rhetoric. I would seek to set an agenda that would find solutions using cost/benefit analysis to assess both the tangible an intangible values in any solutions.
  
  
• Why should voters choose you?
  When I ran in 2003 it was because I had a serious concern for rising taxes, which were in my opinion, affected by ill-defined spending choices. When Westwood closed its books that year it had $19.6 million in bond debt, $2.6 million in Tax Anticipation Notes (TANs) and virtually no surplus. The community was borrowing for every capital expense with the rhetoric that each debt was minimal. Often it was trivialized, comparing the amortized cost to a premium cup of coffee when spread to all taxpayers. Unfortunately that fiscal policy had everyone on a caffeine rush when the tax bill came due. We’re on that road again, eliminating road repairs from our operating budget, paying instead through bond debt. Remember, debt spending falls outside the control of the state’s 2 percent tax cap.
  
  During the Wanner administration (2004-2007), the Mayor and Council completed the landfill capping delayed by DEP bureaucracy, establishing the foundation for Westvale Park’s future. They completed an over budget firehouse construction project. They purchased a new Fire Rescue truck below projected cost. They redirected a planned $150,000 steel salt facility to a $17,000 salt enclosure, completed two pond dredgings that increased area drainage capacity, established a 15-year road resurfacing plan tied to a repair program for an ignored sewer line infrastructure, and much more. Results accomplished through lively discussions, prioritizing, analyzing and monitoring expenditures. It was a fiscal policy that reduced gross debt 15% and reestablished a strong surplus while holding the line on taxes.
  
  Councilwoman Waneck and Councilman Sciara served in the Wanner administration and contributed to its accomplishments. They’re on the ballot for reelection. Their service in the current administration highlights how mayoral leadership makes a difference. The mayor leads through an agenda, with the advice and consent of the council. If the mayor doesn’t understand his own goals, with its many facets, then it will cost the taxpayers.
  
  I’m running on my administration’s record of results, which in fact moved Westwood forward with fiscal strength. It’s easy to be nice without monetary restraints, avoiding tough decisions, but that’s pandering, not leadership. This election offers voters real choices. I’m the only one that offers verifiable fiscal conservative leadership.