Seven try for three open seats on WOTC – Essex News Daily
WEST ORANGE, NJ — This election season, there are seven candidates running for three open seats on the West Orange Township Council. Incumbents Michelle Casalino and Jerry Guarino are seeking to maintain their seats against challengers Monica Perkowski, H. William “Bill” Rutherford, Susan Scarpa, Brent Scott and Tammy Williams. Councilman Joe Krakoviak chose not to run for reelection, citing his strong belief in term limits for all elected officials.
Casalino, who is running for her second full term on the council — having also completed Councilwoman Patty Spango’s term when she resigned — has spent the past 20 years as a regional business director for a commercial real estate firm. In addition to her elected service, Casalino has served as a Girl Scout district leader, a West Orange schools’ PTAs member, a Police Athletic League participant and member, a UNICO member, and a Friends of the West Orange Public Library trustee. Prior to being appointed councilwoman, Casalino served three terms on the Board of Education, where she enforced strict registration procedures to ensure that only town residents were in the schools and helped develop policies that saved transportation and custodial monies.
“I take great pride that I am a lifelong resident and longtime community advocate,” Casalino told the West Orange Chronicle, expressing her added pride in West Orange recently being named an AARP Age-Friendly Community and in the town’s purchase of Rock Spring Golf Club. “When I took oath to serve as council president in January of 2020 it was inconceivable to imagine the hardships and challenges that West Orange would face due to the global pandemic. Since then I have worked to provide essential services to our residents, support to our first responders and provided information through our coronavirus task force team to keep our residents and business community safe and informed.”
Guarino, who is running for his third term on the council, has an extensive background in public administration, business and risk management, beginning his career in county government and progressing to the retail sector. Prior to serving as councilman, the nearly 40-year resident was appointed to the Rent-Leveling Board and the first Main Street Economic Development initiative. For 25 years he served the Mountain Top League in multiple roles, from coach to vice president.
“I am currently the deputy executive director of the New Jersey State Lottery, the only state government unit that manages and oversees retail vendor operations. My skill set also transfers easily to those needed as a councilman — specifically, financial analysis, budget development and modification, implementation of revenue-producing and capital projects, internal controls, knowledge of capital and other dedicated funding streams, budgeting to generate revenue versus fixed costs, are the same concepts in public budgets and analysis,” Guarino told the Chronicle, adding that none of his current or prior employments lead to conflicts of interest for him as a councilman.
Having lived in West Orange her whole life, Perkowski has an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business and has, for the past 20 years, worked for a series of insurance firms in their marketing spheres. Throughout her years in town, Perkowski has served as a member of the first aid squad, helped to found the town’s Domestic Violence Response Team, chaired the town’s Relay for Life event, served on the Public Relations Commission, been a Friends of Edison trustee, a member of the West Orange African Heritage Organization and a project director for the financial literacy program for teens run by CORESSWC.
“I am a lifelong resident of West Orange,” Perkowski told the Chronicle. “My parents chose West Orange for a few reasons, probably not different than many others. The homes were affordable, partially due to the higher taxes. Many of the schools were walkable, and there were great programs for kids — especially the MTL/PAL sports programs and the free, full-day summer rec program. We were a family that required dual incomes, my father a Teamsters union member at UPS for 48 years and my mother as a customer service rep at a finance company.”
A 19-year resident of West Orange, Rutherford spent 23 years working as a financial adviser, eventually retiring from that profession in 2016 to become a full-time pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Orange. He has been an active volunteer with the Mountain Top League, HANDS Steering Committee for the Valley Arts District, Luna Stage and the Unique Performance Arts Center. Being a pastor allows him to take a more advanced role in community service, overseeing the church’s food pantry and soup kitchen, which have become especially important during the pandemic. His community service work also encompasses programs that involve tutoring, scholarships, anti-violence, the arts, substance-abuse recovery and child care.
“When my wife and I were married in 2000 we were living in Montclair. When we decided to have a family, we chose to buy a home in West Orange to raise them here,” he told the Chronicle. “We moved to the St. Cloud section — still one of my favorite neighborhoods — on Lessing Road. My oldest daughter came home from the hospital the day we moved in. It was quite an eventful day, lots of stress and noise, but when everyone left — movers, friends and parents included — and we listened to the quiet of the evening, we knew we made the right choice. We’ve since moved from that home but chose to stay in West Orange and don’t anticipate leaving, even when we retire.”
Scarpa, who grew up in West Orange, has worked as a speech language pathologist in the West Orange School District for more than a decade. Prior to that, Scapa — who has an MBA in international marketing from Fairleigh Dickinson University — owned and operated a telecommunications consulting firm, servicing Wall Street banks and investment firms. Here in West Orange, Scarpa has been an active part of the Gregory School community, including on the PTA; the Mountain Top League; the Friends of the West Orange Public Library; and the Nikhil Badlani Foundation. Most recently, Scarpa has been “angel” training to be a volunteer with “Operation Hope,” in which police assist those afflicted with substance-abuse disorders find rehabilitation.
“I am running for town council to represent the people of West Orange not as a politician but as a businesswoman and an educator experienced with balancing budgets and managing large-scale projects. I grew up in West Orange, a special community that embraces the best of a nurturing small town yet is culturally and economically diverse, providing the sophistication of city life,” Scarpa told the Chronicle.
Scott has lived in West Orange with his wife since 2016 and is an adjunct professor of graduate studies in organizational leadership at Mercy College. Here in West Orange, he is a member of the West Orange African Heritage Organization, currently serving as co-chairperson of the 2021 Black History Month Committee; he has also previously served on WOAHO’s Recruitment Committee and has been appointed the organization’s historian. Additionally, Scott is a member of the Open Space and Recreation Commission, served on the Complete Count Committee for the U.S. census in West Orange, has volunteered with the West Orange Art Gallery and served on the BOE’s Gifted & Talented Reform Committee.
“I support creating a senior citizens commission to represent the needs of the West Orange senior community. From parks and recreation to transportation and development, senior citizen voices must be included in the decision-making process,” Scott told the Chronicle, adding that the town needs smart development that protects our environment while supporting residents. “It is a truism in business and government that better decisions are made when more people are involved in the decision-making process. From policing to snow removal to maintaining our parks and open spaces, all West Orange residents deserve a voice in public policy and setting budget priorities that reflect our values. Accountability means going beyond posting the council agenda on a website. Accountability requires a commitment to inclusion and community involvement.”
Williams, who has lived in West Orange for 18 years, is a real estate broker with more than 20 years of experience in sales and organizational leadership. In West Orange, she is perhaps best known for her role as chairperson of the Human Relations Commission, where she has worked to increase dialogue in town regarding diversity, including by hosting the town’s annual Martin Luther King. Jr. celebration. She serves on the Planning Board and the Citizens’ Budget Advisory Committee, and helped create the West Orange Suicide Advocacy Coalition.
“I lead the West Orange Suicide Advocacy Coalition, whose mission is to gather and streamline public education, supportive services, training, and intervention resources related to suicides and mental health advocacy. In its first year, the WOSAC held a 5K run/walk to raise community awareness; provided mental health training workshops to the West Police and Fire departments (and) West Orange schools’ counselors; hosted mental wellness activities at West Orange High School; and was recognized with a township proclamation for providing relevant community awareness,” she told the Chronicle. “I believe that by working together ‘Everything Is Possible.’ My leadership experience makes me an ideal council member.”
When asked, a few candidates cited COVID-19 as the top issue facing West Orange right now.
“It affects physical and mental health, economy, education, societal and every other aspect of life for all residents of West Orange,” Guarino said. “I made the decision to run for reelection because I felt my institutional knowledge and professional background makes me best suited to work with other council members and the administration to address this crisis appropriately. I do not require a learning curve or to function in an on-the-job training mode.”
He added that, with the constraints brought by the pandemic, he is worried for the future of several long-term projects, such as Rock Spring Country Club, the need for a new library and affordable senior housing.
“Right now we need to maintain and possibly enhance services to residents, find ways to continue and enhance various projects, and meet newly emerging needs. We need to implement a series of both short-term and long-term economic and budgetary strategies that will control our budget and continue with projects that will provide additional revenue streams to reduce the load on the taxpayer. This will increase our property values and continue to work towards making West Orange a desirable place to live.”
Casalino agreed that COVID-19 is the top issue at the moment.
“Our township’s future is in limbo until this virus passes,” Casalino said. “Our resident’s health and safety, our children’s education, our businesses’ economic survival and our township’s finances are still vulnerable. All development projects are at a standstill, our schools are working to reopen, many residents are still unemployed and we need to continue to protect our senior citizen community.”
As council president this past year, Casalino said she helped the township get meals to seniors in need; provide personal protective equipment to first responders and seniors; utilize the Mayor’s Sunshine Fund to support area small businesses; assist locals having difficulties collecting unemployment; work with the library, recreation department and Pleasant Valley Productions to provide safe programming; and work with the school district to give guidance and help bridge the digital divide. According to Casalino, the next step is to work with the town’s chief financial officer to prioritize and reduce spending, and seek grants.
While Williams believes there are many issues that could be classified as “top issues,” when asked to pick one, she too chose COVID-19.
“It would be making sure West Orange can recover from COVID-19. We have to support our residents and our local businesses. West Orange is a community of approximately 15,000 households. Many of our businesses are small and independent business owners. They have been shut down because of the pandemic and are still struggling,” she said. “As we head into fall and winter, outdoor opportunities will be limited. We must continue to reimagine opportunities to support these businesses and residents in our community. Our residents are managing closed school buildings, continued loss of employment and food insecurity. This is a time when West Orange has to unite and become our neighbor’s keeper. We should remember to shop local and follow all recommended guidelines.”
Though COVID-19 is certainly a top issue, Perkowski believes the top issue in town today is how town officials tackle growth and strategic planning.
“I’ve been harping on a more holistic strategic vision and the reintroduction of a township planner for four years,” Perkowski said. “Our town is just too big to make commercial investment and redevelopment choices in a vacuum. The addition of a professional who can actively market our assets to the right buyer, who can drive our overarching strategic plan, and who can shepherd local businesses through the building and zoning requirement maze is perhaps the best investment we can make in building West Orange for our future. Though several others now support this approach, it has not gained much traction with our current elected officials.
“The council majority approved an ‘economic development consultant’ in the budget 18 months ago. But in 18 months, no one has been hired. COVID is not a valid excuse,” she added.
Rutherford said that the most important issue is creating a long-term plan to stabilize property taxes.
“That requires several approaches that require immediate and simultaneous execution,” he said. “First, there are opportunities to save money right now. We should put every appropriate contract out to bid. The competitive bidding process allows us to understand the true costs involved with the contract and ultimately should lower expenses. Specifically, our health and retirement benefits for employees should be reexamined. I have advocated for moving our public employees out of the private insurance plan we currently have and into the State Health Benefits Plan. That move, for all employees, would save up to $5 million per year.”
Next, Rutherford is calling for a moratorium on tax incentives for residential developers, as he does not believe the town needs more housing, with the exception of affordable housing. He also believes the town needs to maximize its income from Rock Spring — which he said he would not have voted to buy had he been on the council at the time — by making a moderate investment in the clubhouse and pool and partnering with a restaurant, which would bring more people for private events and recreation. Lastly, he has a plan for “smart commercial development” along the Main Street corridor that would bring ratables without further burdening the school system and highlight the town’s history.
Along the same lines, Scott believes that reducing property taxes is the most vital work to be done in West Orange. He said he would accomplish this by “working with our congressional delegation to bring N.J. income tax funds back to New Jersey and, specifically for West Orange, items such as policing, streets and roads, transitioning our jitneys to clean energy vehicles, as was done in Atlantic City, funds for historic preservation and restoration on Main Street/downtown, environmental enhancement/protection projects and federal community-policing funds.”
He supports applying for and accepting N.J. Green Acres funds to the tune of $6 million to maintain the Rock Spring Golf Course as open space.
“Purchase of the golf course was predicated upon accepting those funds and preserving the land as permanent green space for West Orange residents,” he said. “I support the N.J. Court’s finding that Essex Green was improperly designated an area in need of redevelopment, striking down the 30-year PILOT which would cost West Orange taxpayers tens of millions in lost revenue from what should be a ratable property. I support saving West Orange residents another $500,000 that is currently being paid to an insurance broker by enrolling employees into the state’s health insurance program.”
Scarpa similarly believes that balancing the budget better is vital to West Orange’s future.
“If you ask most people what they believe is the most important issue, they will say something along the lines of, ‘Taxes are too high.’ I, however, believe that better managing taxpayer dollars is not an issue but instead one of the most basic responsibilities of government. Some of the difficult issues we need to tackle in the next couple of years include the need to balance the budget, deal with the issue of overcrowding in our schools, and make West Orange a safe and walkable community where small business can thrive, citizens can feel a real sense of community, and seniors can age in place among our family and friends,” she said. “All of these are interdependent on the management of the overwhelming top issue in West Orange today, one we have been concerned with for quite a few years: the need for better strategic planning for the redevelopment of our township that does not give tax breaks to wealthy real estate developers at the expense of the taxpayers. Our township would benefit from a professional town planner with commercial real estate experience who would help us develop a more safe and walkable community.”
There has currently been a lot of talk nationally about the role of law enforcement in communities. Candidates were asked what they view the West Orange Police Department’s role to be in the community and how to ensure the department fits this role.
“I have had the opportunity to work alongside our police and fire departments through many of my volunteer activities, and I do believe they should continue to be an integral part of our community. However, as a community, we need to proactively address racial inequalities, both inside these departments and within the broader community,” Perkowski said. “I do not think the solution lies in reducing funding in a budget that is already strained.”
She advocated for increased training, specifically with more stringent de-escalation and implicit bias training. She also expressed her support for initiatives such as “Operation Hope.”
“Recently, ordinances were enacted that limit use of force, repealed the loitering ordinance and required body cam footage. These are all steps in the right direction for accountability on the department,” Perkowski said. “I also support a refocus on community-based policing, where our officers get to know residents by name, and vice versa, so people don’t fear calling for help when it’s needed.”
While Rutherford believes there is always room for improvement, he believes the WOPD can serve as a role model for other departments nationally.
“I believe we are ideally situated in West Orange to show the rest of the world how a strong diverse community polices herself. We are not a major metropolis. While we do have a history of policing in this town that has some very difficult moments, our police have not engaged in any of the behavior that has garnered national attention,” Rutherford said. “We can absolutely do better; profiling is still an issue. But we have not had an officer-involved shooting, or other reports of excessive violence or force that resulted in death or serious injury. If we want to keep it that way we need to build stronger relationships between police and community.”
He recommends community policing, with officers attending town events to mingle with residents, encouraging new hires to purchase homes in West Orange, removing police from the schools, hiring mental health professionals and social workers, in addition to cross-training officers and enhancing training and equipment.
Like his fellow candidates, Scott believes the WOPD does a good job but that more can always be done.
“Fortunately, West Orange has not experienced the kinds of criminal incidents we have seen in other parts of our country. Going forward I support body cameras. I support contracts that prohibit the immediate questioning of officers following an incident. The same rules of inquiry should apply equally to citizens and police alike. I support the police union’s position on health care, specifically placing police within the state health insurance program,” he said. “I support continuous training in best practices and regular refresher training in hidden bias. I support development/appropriating new hiring techniques to weed out potentially abusive police personnel. I support applying for federal community-policing funds to help pay for this ongoing training.”
Scott also supports creating a civilian unit for nonviolent issues, writing and passing an ordinance to address cyberstalking, and increasing police training to deal with cyberstalking and online harassment.
“It is clear that nationally a disproportionate number of police stops, arrests and convictions are of people of color,” Guarino said. “While West Orange’s statistics may not be as disproportionate as other areas, we still need to acknowledge and address the institutional bias that exists. We need to begin with addressing racial bias in the hiring and training stages, to hire those more representative of the community and institute and continue racial and cultural bias education as required ongoing professional development.”
Guarino also believes West Orange needs to better monitor 911 calls, stops and arrests to identify bias.
“I believe the role is to protect residents and not criminalize them,” he said, adding that as policing evolves, police officers require additional professional skills in interpersonal interaction, customer service and psychology. He has supported collaboration with the Mental Health Association of Essex and Morris Counties to provide training to officers to de-escalate situations.
Casalino cited many of the same accomplishments in her response.
“I am very proud that our West Orange Police Department was one of the first departments in the state of New Jersey to implement a ‘community-policing’ policy,” Casalino said, describing the various programs in place that connect the WOPD with the community, such as the Junior Police Academy, school resource officer program and Operation Hope to assist those with drug addiction find rehabilitation. “Our WOPD has been nationally recognized by CALEA, the national (Commission on) Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. This accreditation is only given to those departments who provide adequate training for their officers. The WOPD has also been performing at Campaign Zero, which bans chokeholds and the use of tear gas.”
Casalino did acknowledge that there is always room for improvement and, like Guarino, touted the WOPD’s recently forged alliance with the MHA.
“I supported two ordinances memorializing the department’s banning of the use of force on residents and supported sending all township staff members inclusive of the administration and council to implicit bias training,” she said. “I always try to stop by to support those efforts and our men and women in blue.”
Scarpa is also proud of the work currently ongoing at the department.
“We are fortunate in West Orange to have a police force that has adopted a community-policing model, and I would like to see them continue to build on this effort,” Scarpa said. “I have watched our officers work with our students at Washington School, implementing various educational programs, and also worked with ‘Operation Hope’ and am confident that our police force will continue to embrace training that will be consistent with social justice reforms.”
According to Williams, the WOPD needs to continue its work to establish and maintain public trust.
“I have worked closely with the WOPD as the chairwoman of the HRC and in developing the strategies for WOSAC to understand police protocols during suicide calls,” she said. “Our department leadership prioritizes training; the department hosts community-policing activities. Just this August, the WOPD partnered with the HRC for a Black Business Block Party and Census Push in the Valley. These types of community events will continue to build relationships between the officers and the residents. Additionally, funding opportunities and partnerships like the one recently established with the Mental Health Association of Essex and Morris Inc. and the WOPD will continue to support mental health services for our residents. The national climate has intensified the scrutiny of policing in America and, of course, West Orange. West Orange, in my opinion, can continue to increase diversity and antibias training. Our administration and police department must be more reflective of the diversity in our community.”
The final day to vote in this election is Nov. 3 by 8 p.m. All residents should have received a mail-in ballot, which can be returned via the post, ballot boxes placed throughout the county or, as a last resort, in person at a resident’s polling place.