Meet Eileen Fishman: Roseland Borough Council Candidate
ROSELAND, NJ — Meet Eileen Fishman, Democratic candidate running for Roseland Borough Council on Nov. 6.
Fishman, currently the senior pharmacist and acting director with EC Community Health Services, is a registered pharmacist with a degree from Arnold and Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy, Long Island University. She and her husband, Sandy, are nine-year residents of Roseland and have a blended family of five children and eight grandchildren. The two youngest children were educated in North Caldwell and Newark Academy in Livingston.
Q: Why are you running for borough council?
A: I am running for Borough Council because there is a need for a change, positive change. I want a better government in Roseland — a government that is transparent, ethical and has high moral standards. A government that represents ALL of the residents of our Borough no matter their differences.
A: I have a lot of experience that lends itself to the job of Council member. I have diverse business experience as a business owner and manager. That means I know how to manage and create budgets and stick to them. I also know how to manage staff, make appropriate staffing decisions, and negotiate with unions having represented management. I also have great experience in locating grants appropriate for our needs as well as writing and applying for those grants.
Q: What do you believe is the most important issue in this local election? How would you change it?
A: There are many issues that need to be addressed in our Borough but the top ones are affordable housing, infrastructure, keeping Roseland affordable and, as I said earlier transparency as well as respectful and ethical leadership.
In order to deal with these difficult issues I will work with my Council colleagues to create an appropriate Master Plan for Roseland. This would ensure that future development will be done in a smart, thoughtful and fiscally responsible way. A Master Plan will allow us to plan for every contingency necessary while meeting our affordable housing obligations, our infrastructure needs, the needs of our municipal services, our public school, residents and corporate/business partners.
Q: Tell us about your other career.
A: In my career, I like to say that “I save lives every day.” By that I mean, as a Pharmacist, when I filled prescriptions in the community, I counseled my patients so that they would understand how to take their medicines and get the most out of them thus helping them in controlling their ailments such as high blood pressure, diabetes, etc. In my current position as Acting Director of Essex County Community Health Services, I over see and work with programs which help residents with “Substance Use Disorder” get into recovery programs and there again I’m helping save lives. The Opioid epidemic we are living right now is far worse than any other epidemic in US history and since addiction does not discriminate, we need to do everything we can to aid in recovery. As you can see I am very passionate about my profession and the work I do.
Q: What should people know about you that they might not know already?
A: People should know that I am a consummate professional with high moral and ethical standards. I am a caregiver by nature and a very hard worker who will work tirelessly for the residents of Roseland if elected. In my professional role listening is VERY important and so I am a very good listener and responsive to the needs of my clients. I will bring that skill to the Council and the residents of Roseland. I will not forget that residents thought enough about me to vote for me and entrust me with helping run our Borough and I promise I will always do the right thing.
Editor’s Note: This article was published as part of a series to be published on each of the mayoral and council candidates over the next week, pending their response.