Experience vs. Change: Morris County Commissioners debate – Morristown Green
By Marion Filler
The classic election saga of incumbents versus newcomers played to a virtual audience at the Morris County Commissioners debate sponsored by the League of Women Voters and the Morris Chamber of Commerce this week.
The contest for three Commission seats pits a trio of relatively inexperienced candidates against veterans with years of political service.
Unfortunately, one of the challengers, attorney Dina Mikukla had to cancel and no explanation was given. It was left to fellow Democrats Aaron Oliver and Thomas McCourt to carry the banner on Tuesday.
Oliver, an Army combat veteran and Episcopal priest in the Newark Diocese, serves on the shade tree- and the environmental commissions in Morristown where he was born and raised. He is chairman of the local Democratic Party. Oliver was rebuffed by the grassroots NJ 11th for Change and the Morris County Democratic Women’s Caucus for anti-abortion views he never revealed to his running mates.
McCourt, a resident of Dover, serves on the planning board there, the Morris County Heritage Commission, and is outreach coordinator for the Morris County Young Democrats. He co-founded the LGBTQA+ caucus for Morris County and unsuccessfully ran for Dover Alderman in 2019.
Video:Morris Commissioners virtual debate, Oct. 26, 2021:
In contrast, incumbent Republican Commissioners Deborah Smith, John Krickus and Stephen Shaw have years of county experience behind them.
Smith lives in Randolph. She was elected as County Commissioner in 2016 and and is seeking a third term. She has multiple degrees with a background in finance and municipal government.
Krickus resides in Long Valley and also seeks a third term as Commissioner. He is a CPA, and serves on the budget- and strategic planning advisory committees that have been key to maintaining the County’s AAA finance rating during the pandemic. Previously, he served on the Washington Township Committee for 12 years, including three years as mayor.
Shaw, a resident of Mountain Lakes, is a civil engineer and builder. He also serves on the budget- and strategic planning committees, and is pursuing a second term. Previously, Shaw served on the council and planning board in Mountain Lakes, where he was mayor for three terms.
Smith, Krickus and Shaw took a different approach from their fellow Republicans, state Sen. Anthony M. Bucco and Assembly members Brian Bergen and Aura Dunn, who also are on the Nov. 2, 2021, ballot, from Legislative District 25. Those latter three all declined to debate with Democrats.
The Commissioners used the debate to emphasize their accomplishments, in hopes of extending a half-century of single-party rule in Morris County.
Because Mikulka was detained, the moderator read her opening statement. It was the only opportunity to hear from this candidate.
“Everyone sitting in on this call and streaming at home knows this election is bigger than all of us,” stated Mikulka, a family law attorney in Mine Hill who put herself through school by working nights as a state parole officer.
“While working as a Deputy Attorney General here in New Jersey, I focused on ensuring that children and families across the state were protected.”
Her statement continued: “It’s been five decades since anything on the county level has changed. Morris County has rapidly changed since then and that is something that we as leaders should embrace with open arms.”
Mikulka added that “taking no real action to modernize and monetize our one-of-a-kind solar program, while climate change threatens constituents’ day-to-day lives, does not build a stronger Morris, and doing nothing to attract new industries to stimulate our economy and create new jobs absolutely does not build a stronger Morris.”
What exactly is a county commissioner, and why is the office so important?
There are seven commissioners (formerly known as freeholders) who are elected for three-year terms.
Along with the remaining four Republicans on the commission, Smith, Krickus and Shaw are supported by a Republican majority of officeholders in the county: Surrogate, Clerk and Sheriff. The state Senator and Assembly members in District 25 also are from the GOP.
According to the Morris County website, Board of Commissioners duties include:
- Preparing and adopting the county budget.
- Authorizing expenditures and bonds.
- Appointing county officials and members to boards, commissions and authorities.
- Passing on all claims against the county.
- Supervising the administration of county government.
Incumbents enumerated their credentials in law, finance, elected office and a wide range of boards during opening statements.
Krickus announced that 2022 will mark the third year in a row without a county tax increase, “a stark contrast with Essex, Union and Passaic, where county property taxes are 76 percent higher.”
McCourt went on the attack, stating the dangers of single-party rule.
“This position (Commissioner) manages over $300 million of our tax dollars, so it is vital that as many voters as possible get a chance to kick the tires and see who they want to vote for even if there’s only one week to go before Election Day.”
He continued: “We will hear tonight and probably many times, that everything is fine, we don’t need to make a change. But the blunt truth is that as far as our county government is concerned, Morris County deserves better.
“This is a campaign focused on the future, not the past, focused on where we’re going, not where we’ve been,” McCourt added.
Several questions submitted by residents were concerned with taxes.
So many residents are moving out of New Jersey because of high taxes. What is your plan to keep quality services and control the county taxes imposed upon us?
Smith said many people don’t realize that county taxes are just a small portion of their total tax bill.
“Municipal taxes are really the largest portion, and school taxes, over which we have no control,” she said.
“You get a lot of bang for your buck for the money you give the county, that provides you with a place where you can live, work, play and raise a family, with over 20,000 acres of open space, and the communities and business we have.”
McCourt countered that “it’s very easy for the Commissioners to say that they’re not going to raise taxes in 2022 when municipalities are doing it for them. When the amount of taxes taken in by the municipality goes up, the county’s share of that pot gets bigger and therefore they don’t have to raise county taxes.”
Shaw felt shared services are an effective way to keep taxes steady. He cited examples of Sussex County inmates, who are brought to Morris County as sources of revenue, as well as the Morris 911 Call Center, which he described as “tremendous.”
Krickus cited the Hope One anti-drug program introduced by Sherriff James Gannon to reduce police overtime. It’s become a national model, said Krickus, and the savings are invested in other projects.
What priority would you like to see in the next budget for Morris County and how would you minimize impact on taxpayers?
McCourt was first to answer: “Prioritize social services. Human services spending has seen a 20 percent increase since 2015 while the OEM (Office of Emergency Management) had an increase of 56 percent.”
The incumbents agreed that in addition to keeping everyone safe, a top priority is helping residents and businesses get back on their feet from the pandemic.
A multitude of programs already are in place, from extended sidewalk dining, to supporting local events such as the recent Morristown Festival on the Green, to the use of small parks for dining and social activities. More programs are in the pipeline, they said.
What is your vision for providing and protecting our open space?
All the candidates thought parks and trails are essential to the quality of life in Morris. But if so, McCourt wondered why the Park Police are being disbanded? He also hoped to see some movement on the Pequannock Rail Trail program, which has stagnated.
Krickus introduced Historic Preservation to the conversation, offering the newly restored Saint Cecilia stained glass window at Acorn Hall as an example of significant allocations by the Commissioners.
Oliver expressed concern about retreating tree canopies, and Smith described the ongoing ash tree blight that requires removal of infected and healthy specimens.
The remaining questions explored whether a good job by the incumbents could be better?
“We need a fresh set of eyes looking at these issues,” said Oliver.