Why I Am Running For Re-Election to Wyckoff Township Committee

Why I Am Running for Re-Election:

I have been on the Township Committee since January 1, 2017 when I was blessed with the opportunity to serve Wyckoff residents when I was appointed to the Township Committee to fill a vacancy. Wyckoff voters then blessed me with a win in the 2017 election for the one year term. I have not missed a single meeting and take my responsibilities very seriously.

I am running for re-election because I love Wyckoff and want to preserve the fine town heritage that makes Wyckoff the best place to live, raise our children and where our children can grow up and afford to raise their families. To preserve that fine tradition, I have worked with the Township Committee to keep our municipal portion of our taxes from rising while improving services with additional road pavings in 2018 and increased summer garbage collection in the month of June. I also actively support the awesome volunteers of our fire department and our ambulance corp. School safety is also a top priority and we work together with our police department to aid our schools with increased police presence and to have enough officers on duty to keep the town safe. The Memorial Field Turf project is also a top priority of mine for our children and the adults that also use the field.

I have also aggressively forced changes at Orange & Rockland Electric in how they manage the utility and continue to put pressure on them to ensure they can react to storms that damage our electric grid for 50% of Wyckoff. Those changes are happening with O&R moving forward with plans to install the main transmission lines coming into Wyckoff from Franklin Lakes and Allendale underground by 2021. This will ensure that the main transmission lines that at times feed a quarter to half the customers in town will not go out because of one tree. More changes have also been demanded and I am working with our Assemblyman Christopher DePhillips to change New Jersey State Law that would give Wyckoff the ability to revoke the utilities franchise if they don’t respond appropriately to damages in the next big storm so we could switch providers to PSEG, if necessary.

Ridgewood Water is another top priority I am working on to compel Ridgewood to refund the over changes from their rate increase ordinances that were invalidated by the Court and to set up a Municipal Utilities Authority that would give Wyckoff, Midland Park and Glen Rock a seat at the table for a say in the future rates set by Ridgewood Water and in the water quality. I advocated for Wyckoff at each of the Ridgewood Village meetings regarding their new rate ordinances even when the meetings ran to 3 am and no residents or candidates attended the meetings.

Contrary to claims made against me in this campaign, I support the videotaping and/or video streaming of Township Committer meetings. I made this clear at a Township Committee meeting when the issue came up six months ago and asked the Mayor to form a subcommittee to explore cost efficient options to professionally videotape or video stream our Township Committee meetings without breaking the bank of Wyckoff taxpayers. We are awaiting the committee’s report for a full discussion at our upcoming Township Committee meetings.

I am a devoted Catholic and member of St. Elizabeth’s Church in Wyckoff and was a member of Cornerstone Team 19. I am also a 4th degree member of the Knights of Columbus and a trustee of the Wyckoff Education Foundation. Previously, I volunteered as a member of the Wyckoff Zoning Board and Chairman of the Design Review Board. Volunteering runs in the Shanley DNA.

I have a loving wife, Melissa who grew up in Franklin Lakes and was a graduate of Indian Hills High School. By the grace of God, Melissa brought me to Wyckoff and it has been one of the best moves of my life. Melissa told me I would love Wyckoff and she was spot on. I am devoted to raising my 3 young boys here and teaching them the importance of volunteering in Wyckoff to help your community just as my parents taught me.

Please vote for two, Tom and Tim on Column 2, on November 6, 2018. The Right and Only Team.

God Bless Wyckoff and thank you for your time.

Timothy E. Shanley