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| | Posted on Tuesday, May 21, 2002 - 9:14 am: |     |
Kathy Leventhal's Responses
1. a. Mr. Profeta is taking heat for changing his stripes and becoming a New Democrat. Does this fact wipe away all the many, many years of service he has given to Maplewood's civic life?
My opponent's party change raises issues of his integrity. Last year he vowed that he would never become a Democrat because it would be hypocritical. His having done so certainly calls his credibility into question. Credibility and integrity are important characteristics for one who would hold the public trust.
1b. Ms. Sharif-Drinkard is taking heat for being new to town. Is tenure more important than intelligence and dedication?
Not in Khadijah's case. Her values, her experience, and the issues she believes are important to Maplewood are well suited to the Township Committee's work. She has already shown her dedication to the values that are important to Maplewood in her work with the young people of our community.
2. Do you support building anything into the open vistas of our current parks? i.e. dog runs, soccer fields, more courts. If so, why and what?
Open green spaces in our parks are part of what makes our community desireable. The open spaces make it possible for our parks to be used for walking and picnicing by all our residents, and for community-wide events, like the 4th of July festivities, Art in the Park, and concerts in the amphitheater. The recreation facilities we currently within our parks -- the tennis and basketball courts, baseball and soccer fields -- do not appear to be overutilized. Given our current budget constraints, I favor using the funds appropriated for our parks and recreation for maintaining and improving on the recreation facilities that we already have.
I support the current efforts of citizens meeting to address the dog run and I very much look forward to their suggestions. In light of our budget, I fully support the possibility of a public/private partnership for a dog run.
3. Do any of the candidates support letting certain items go to referendum for the township to vote on? For example, the budget.
Generally, I don't favor voting by referendum. We elect a local government to establish policies and budgets to serve all the residents in the community. We are not so large a town that citizens are unable to be heard, by speaking at meetings or by calling or writing an elected official. Voting on an issue by referendum has a certain false appeal; however a government and a budget must be the totality of the needs of the community, not just those that are placed on a referendum. I am also concerned that referenda are much more subject to special interests that do not necessarily represent the needs of the majority of the community.
I fully support involving the Citizen's Budget Advisory Committee earlier in the budget process than it is now. I served on the CBAC, including service as the chair of the committee. I know the helpful role that it can play on budget issues, and I will work to bring more citizens into the process. I will use my own CBAC experience on the Township Committee in analyzing the budget and making sure that we are getting the best value out of every dollar we spend.
4. What do you think of the job the Township Committee has done over the past five years? Do you take issue with any major actions during that time, and if so, which action and why?
In general I believe that this Township Committee has done a good job. I believe that greater efforts to reach out to citizens would have helped during the past few years. I do see this happening more now. For example, the current discussions on a proposed dog run are an example of better communication, and it is a style of communication that I would like to continue. I do believe that the Township suffers from the lack of an official website, and I would like to work to ensure that this moves forward. I also would like to repeat my statement from the HNA debate: I believe that the township has been remiss in enforcing the leash laws in Maplewood.
5. Assume that you have been elected, and Governor McGreevey calls you on your inauguration day to ask you, as a newly-elected Maplewood official, what initiatives should be pursued to deal with the over-reliance on property taxes to fund education. What do you tell him?
Right after thanking him for asking, I would emphasize the need to change the way education is funded in New Jersey. It is vital that we gather citizens to discuss the use of the income and sales tax to reduce the reliance on property taxes in this state.
6. How high is Springfield Ave. on your priority list? What do you like about what's being done and what would you like to see done differently? Does the recent defeat of KFC bode well for the Avenue's business development or are you just as happy to see it go away?
Springfield Avenue is #1 on my priority list. I am very excited about the current plan for the streetscape improvement on the Avenue. I am certain that this will set the stage for improved business development. Rather than the expensive full-time planner that my opponent proposes, I suggest that we retain a business recruiter on a commission basis to market properties and businesses to the avenue. In the long term, I do not believe that the decision on the KFC has a great impact one way or the other.
7. Assume that you have been elected, and re-elected for a second term. At the end of your sixth year in office, you're walking down Springfield Avenue, which has developed along the lines you envisioned back in your 2002 campaign. What do you see? (Be as specific as possible.)
I see a very successful commercial strip that is vibrant, full of places to eat and shop, that serves the entire community. The development has been small scale - two and three story buildings - some of which are exclusively commercial/retail, and others that are commercial and residential. Senior housing has been developed on Springfield Avenue, with public transportation and commercial enterprises geared to meet the residents' needs.
8. What statement do think one makes when they say that they are a Democrat, and what does it mean when a candidate says that they are a Republican?
When a person identifies with a political party, it means that they support and share the principles of that party. The words "Democrat" and "Republican" are not empty labels and they are not interchangeable. They reflect allegiance to a way of thinking about issues, as well as the range of issues important to that party. I am a lifelong Democrat. I chose that affiliation because I believe that the Democratic party is inclusive, incorporates diversity of thought and opinion, and is interested less in supporting wealthy special interests and more in helping people across the economic spectrum.
9. Do you see parking to be an issue on S/A or in the Village, and if so, what needs to be done that that the current TC has not done to solve the problem?
I agree with Khadijah on this issue. I think that we should work to educate people about parking availability in our business districts. While it has been suggested by some that the Township Committee take property by eminent domain to add parking, I would be very cautious about moving in that direction, and would only pursue such a direction if all other options are explored.
10. Now that KFC has pulled out of the S/A and Yale property, and now we know that any business that may consider using the lot would dump traffic into the neighborhood, and be short on parking, what do you propose the town do with the property?
The notion that "the town" can do something with the property is false; this is a piece of private property that is zoned for a commercial use. The Township must encourage development and keep the streetscape attractive for businesses and patrons. The planned streetscape improvements must proceed because they will help to improve the attractiveness of the Avenue and thus property values. The lot at Yale and Springfield will be attractive for a smaller shop that would generate more walking traffic than a larger business would. |
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