Committeeman Sheridan Proposes Economic Development Advisory Committee - Your Thoughts? (03/24/09 9:10am)
Committeeman Sheridan Proposes Economic Development Advisory Committee
Hanover Committeeman John Sheridan has announced he is proposing to his colleagues on the Township Committee an Ordinance that will create and establish a citizen’s Economic Development Advisory Committee (EDAC) to help with the financial well being of the Township. EDAC will be charged with proactively seeking out commercial, business and residential development as the Township moves forward in the next few years.
“Our Township presently has serious economic challenges due to Alcatel/Lucent’s planned abandonment of their property on Whippany Road. This has created an anticipated tax loss of $1 million in revenue. Additionally the Township is expecting a loss of ratables nearing $26M. State aid to the Township has been reduced by an additional $100,000.”
“We cannot stand idly by and ask our residents to absorb these losses in revenues. I will dedicate my time in office to promoting Hanover Township. Members of the advisory committee will be charged with seeking out entrepreneurs that want to locate in Hanover Township and work with the Township to become part of our community matrix.”
“We as a Township must take advantage of our geographic location with regard to our interstate and state highway system; our location, being within the greater metropolitan area and our suburban infra-structure and zoning. This is the beginning of an idea that will take root and flourish.”
“With the creation of this Committee, we will be able to research the advantages and utility of vacant land which is already zoned for business and commercial purposes. We will investigate the availability of State and Federal grants which may be conducive for the development of business and commercial enterprises in the Township.Finally this committee will serve as an economic think tank to help us improve our ratables. Many can talk about improving our ratables but we need people who can offer the ideas to do so.”
“The Alcatel/ Lucent property is an ideal location to incorporate this proposed committees strengths. This property can be zoned in such a manner as to allow for our much wanted ball fields and recreation areas for our children, 55+ housing, planned office and business development as well as upscale retail stores. There are 160 acres of buildable land on this site and to allow it to have a single use owner is a dis-service to our community. We must learn the lessons of the past with regard to having all our eggs in one basket. We must protect the Township from future lost revenues.”
Committeeman Sheridan's idea has merit and could represent a significant shift in the way Hanover approaches future development of its current inventory of abandoned or run-down existing sites. We don't have to say no or present unreasonable obsticles to prospective builders everytime a project is proposed, nor do we have to sacrifice our goals of maintaining a wide variety of open space inventory.
These are not mutually exclusive goals as some would have you believe and his idea could bring some rationality to this issue.
Kudo's to Committeeman Sheridan, that is a really good idea as long as you get a good cross section of people. I think that can truly help in the best usage and developement of lands in the township. Excellent job John
Carole. (03/24/09 6:50pm) REPLY
I'm all about thoughtful progress. Considering this was once a mill town that evolved into a viable community we must continue economic growth! There are far too many empty structures that cry out for new businesses where we residents of Hanover can spend our dollars! I also support all efforts to engage existing businesses to permit usage of their facilities and/or land after hours. What a fantastic idea. I hope some of the business owners in town step up to be part of the advisory committee as well. This committee needs to be established, and who better to spearhead it than our own John Sheridan ;) Oh, and btw sign me up John, I'll happily volunteer for your committee. I have many opinions and I'm not shy. Jen Nichols (03/31/09 10:25pm) REPLY
Committeeman Sheridan this sounds like an idea that has long been needed in
Hanover Township. It is unfortunate that as a Town we now have a reputation of
being "ANTI-BUSINESS". We are now in an economic downturn, the interested
parties that may have considered Hanover as an option have decided to invest
elsewhere or are on the sidelines.
We need to show the business community that we are a reasonable & responsible
Township. Then maybe we won't lose the opportunities that may exist when the
economy turns around.
This is a positive step for the Township. We wish you well.
From the Hanover Eagle, now that there are no copies being sold in stores. Our new mayor has never missed an oppertunity to get some ink.
Mayor Len Fariello said Monday he is aware of Sheridan’s plan and thinks it’s a good one that should be discussed.
“This will have to be voted on by the committee,” he said.
Fariello said it was a bit unusual for committee members to notify people of a discussion he wants to bring up by sending out a press release.
“But I remember when I was a new committeeman I had lots of new ideas, too,” he said. “It took a while, but my ideas like the tree ordinance eventually became law. New proposals are good.”
As to his tree ordinance, how much money is locked away in that poorly worded ordinance?
I heard it is nearly $1 million. What can it be used for except planting more trees. Seems more like an extra fee to build in HT.
Better wording would have allowed it to be used for parks and recreation. Active recreation, not this mythical passive recreation we hear about.
Passive recreation isn't "mythical" by any means. Why do people go to the Frelinghuysen Arboretum? Are there ball fields? Are there swing sets? No! There are trails and walkways and benches. And if that's not passive recreation, then I don't know what is. As far as spending the Tree Fund on parks and recreation equipment...that makes no sense. It's a Tree Fund. It's solely meant to purchase and plant trees. Just because you personally think it's just an "extra fee" doesn't mean it's a "poorly worded" ordinance. It's crystal clear...you don't don't agree with it. (04/02/09 8:55am) REPLY
What an arrogant response! This is a poorly worded ordinance. There is no reason that we should have a million dollars of our tax money locked away in a special fund, where we have pressing needs in the township that we can use that money for. Why can't we make a change to include recreation? How about installing lights at the Black Brook Field and plant trees to prevent the light interfering with anyones home? This field is far enough away it won't, but there are those taht have a concern. (04/02/09 4:14pm) REPLY
Once again, just because the Tree Fund does not include spending on anything besides trees (because it's a tree fund) doesn't mean it's poorly worded. It just means that you happen to disagree with the fact that it's limited solely to trees. I don't know why you'd expect it to be used for anything else. I think the name speaks for itself. It's not the Tree and Miscellaneous Recreational Spending Fund. I'm sure there is an appropriate fund from which lights can be erected, but not from the Tree Fund, because lights aren't trees. You wouldn't use DPW money to fund a new fire engine. Or the library budget to fill a pothole. So why would a Tree Fund finance lights? (04/02/09 9:08pm) REPLY
OK, I can see your point but where is our facility comparable to Frelinghuysen or the Tourne?
Are there any plans in place for a walking or hiking park?
How big was the tree fund intended to get since it was not poorly worded?
Is there any reason to still charge builders for removing trees on land they bought?
Will we ever be able to plant $1m worth of trees?
If not then I think my fee comment has some merit.
(04/02/09 4:56pm) REPLY
You know what? I hope we can spend that much money on trees. I've looked at aerial shots of our town taken over the course of about 20 years, and there's far less green nowadays. People are undermining the value and importance of trees. The biggest threat our town faces is flooding. And the more trees that disappear, the greater that risk. They hold the soil in place and absorb the water, not to mention they are essential in us being able to breathe. If we do have that much money sitting in the Tree Fund, it's time to start planting! (04/02/09 9:53pm) REPLY
I don't know how this all turned into a discussion on trees. but...if we are going to plant more, I think that careful consideration should be made as to where they are planted. Several years ago when the new trees went in on Ridgedale Ave. I thought is was strange that they were planted right under the power lines. Now some of them are growing, and in a few years will have to be cut back for the power lines! That kind of cutting is usually ugly, and I am sure very expensive! Who administers this "tree fund" and how are the decisions made? By the way - I love trees and would like to see more, but if we don't have the budget to spend $20,000 on Hanover Township Day, we don't need a million dollars worth of trees! The world today is about creative financing and reallocation of funds and this might be a good place to start! (04/03/09 9:30am) REPLY
Good point about where the discussion about the Tree Fund belongs.
I believe it took a turn based on a comment made within this topic regarding "Passive Recreation" being some kind of myth, combinied with critisisim about the Tree Ordinacne wording.
The main point (Ithink) of the post was to compliment Committeeman Sheridan. The writer chose to bring up other issue that affect our budget and expenditures which do have place in this duscussion but perhaps under a different topic.
I'll work on moving the comments strictly related to the tree ordinance to more appropriate area on the site.
Will we ever be able to spend that amount on trees?
Could a safe portion be used to improve our parks?
Will there ever be any walking paths in Hanover Township?
What's the next piece of land that will be locked away for the good of the township?
What is planned for the San Marco property that was just bought? (04/02/09 9:40am) REPLY
The Open Space Trust Fund can be used to create walking paths within the Township. This is something that the Open Space Advisory Committee can discuss in conjunction with Parks and Recreation, but neither side has really reached out to the other thus far. Where were you like to see a walking path? Any place in particular? (04/02/09 6:56pm) REPLY
Agreed that open space tax dollars can be used but that's a further burden on the tax payers while still not maximizing the use of the vast amount of money in the tree fund.
I'd like to see the new fields connected to Parsippany rd and then connected to the ponds and on to Bee Meadow pool finishing up with the path at Bee Meadow school.
It would be great for some of our scouts and dog walkers to have trails that do not require a car ride. (04/02/09 8:29pm) REPLY
Why not have a 50% reduction in this years open space tax dropping it from 4 cents per hundred to 2 cents per hundred and use the remainining 2 cents collected to do necessary park up-grades? (04/03/09 7:34am) REPLY
The Open Space tax never was 4 cents per hundred dollars. It was most recently 2 cents per hundred, and has since been reduced 50% to 1 cent per hundred as of the March 28th Budget Meeting. And money from that tax has always been used for various park upgrades, and will continue to this year. It will also continue to acquire, expand, and maintain open space in the Township. I hope that clears things up for you! (04/03/09 8:48am) REPLY
I applaud John Sheridan as a breath of fresh air and an independent
thinker.
Just so we're clear on our present situation:
The open space tax is cut in half.
They are not paving some roads.
They are buying fewer police cars.
Over time is cut to the bone.
The library budget is reduced.
There will be no HT day.
A private citizen is gracious enough to pay for our fireworks so the
INDEPENDENCE DAY celebration will not be cut.
And our taxes are still going up?
This is the group that told us Ron F. was an alarmist and things were not going
to be as bad as he claimed, right George?
In his press release Lenny states that he is the most experienced member
running, I'll take a chance on John Ferramosca. He will at least save us Lenny's
township paid health benefits.
SPONSOR's COMMENT: In fairness to Mayor
Fareillo, the issue of benefits is something that he is entitled to as would
anyone in this capacity. If the issue of benefits paid to the committee
members is viewed to be a problem by the majority of the voters, then an
effort should be mounted to abolish or modify this practice.
Thank you for the clarification.
Clearly he is entitled to the benifits as the law stands now, Ken was within his rigths as a public servent to ask the question.
I believe they did away with benifits for new part timers starting in 2009, so Sheridan and Copolla are not eligable.
Would abolishing the remaining benifits require a ballot referendum?
Would we need the same type of referendum to be able to elect a mayor instead of having an appointed mayor?
What would the time frame be for adding referendums? (04/11/09 8:57pm) REPLY
Hold on a second. This is only 50% of the story, and I'm sick of this biased nonsense. I know why you conveniently left out the other 50% of the story, because it’d throw off your entire point of trying to blame Lenny for the tax increase. But do you care to explain why our taxes are still going up despite budget cuts? No you don't...because you know that you can’t pin the reason on Len Fariello. The reason our taxes are increasing is because Hanover Township is facing a shortage in ratables mainly due to the departure of Lucent. Yep, that’s the reason our taxes are still going up. In fact, Hanover Township will actually be spending LESS this year than last year. You didn’t mention that either because that’s a REALLY GOOD THING done under Mayor Fariello’s watch. That goes to show you just got big of a hit we are facing with Lucent’s departure. We’re actually spending less and still owing more. And no, you can’t blame the Lucent issue on Lenny. I have nothing against John Ferramosca, I just think it’s wrong to try and seek support by bending or failing to acknowledge the truth. That’s low and dishonorable. Whether or not you support a candidate, it’s only fair to reveal ALL the facts. While I do support Lenny, my reasoning above is factual, not opinionated. All you have to do is look at the numbers. (04/11/09 10:05pm) REPLY
And as Mayor Francioli warned of this short fall, Lenny and George called him an alarmist and mentioned that shortly a new ratable would be in place at Lucent and we would be better off. Nice gamble but they got bit by the recession and now thier lack of experience is going to be glaringly obvious. (04/11/09 11:03pm) REPLY
Excuse me. No one has the experience to deal with this unprecedented economic time. No one in this town. Nor in this state...nor in this country...nor in this world. We've never seen anything so financially devastating since the Great Depression. So if you're going to tell me that someone has the experience to get us out of this economic crunch, then heck I've got a bridge to sell you. If such a person truly exists, then he or she should be heading straight to Washington. All you want to see happen is our current Township Committee fail so you can gloat and say "I told you so!" You know what? That's a terrible attitude. Because if they fail...we fail. But if they succeed...we succeed. They were obviously supported and entrusted by the majority, so just because your person isn't sitting in their chair, don't hold them back. In doing so, you are insulting the people's vote, and calling them incompetent. We all want what's best for Hanover, and those currently in office have every right to govern the way they deem appropriate as decided by the majority vote. If you don't like it, that's your right. But we're not going anywhere fast playing the "blame-game". (04/12/09 11:38pm) REPLY
The "blame game" started with the newly elected committeeman calling the previous mayor an alarmist and many voters agreed with this sentiment. Now we are exactly where mayor Francioli said we would be and we are left with a majority that has little if any planning board experience; Lenny 1 year and George 6 months. I do not know Ms Iradi's planning board numbers so no comment will be made although I must say I like her ability to seek information from the community. I wish them all well, as they PLAN our way out of this down turn. (04/14/09 1:27pm) REPLY
I don't really care how the "blame-game" started. But it really needs to end. And like my mother used to say, be the better person, just stop, and move forward. And like I said in a previous post, no one has the experience necessary to get us out of this mess. And if such a person truly exists, he or she should have bigger ambitions than our tiny town. Trust the judgment of those who were elected, because they didn't just fall into their positions...they were VOTED. Therefore, most people want them there otherwise they would have chosen other people. You are undermining the judgement of the majority of voters. If more people voted for Lenny, George, Ken, Judy, John over other people, there must be a good reason for it. (04/14/09 7:52pm) REPLY
You wrote - "no one has the experience necessary to get us out of this mess". I guess that includes the people everyone voted for? (04/14/09 9:45pm) REPLY
You bet it does! But at least give them the fair chance they deserve with the opportunity that they were given by the majority of voters. What's not fair is writing them off just because they aren't who you want them to be...because the fact is most people DO want them in charge. (04/14/09 10:54pm) REPLY
If we had the form of government that allowed us to vote for a mayor, you could say we have the government we want, as it is, we have the mayor that 3 people wanted and 2 people went along with to not show a fracture. This is not a new occurance as Ron was mayor for quite some time under this format. Was he the mayor that you wanted?(Gabriel 04/15/09 12:39pm) (04/15/09 12:39pm) REPLY
When you elect a person to the Township Committee, it's no secret that this person may become the mayor. A vote for a committee member is a vote for a potential mayor. That's how the system works, and I don't have the historical information to determine how far back it goes. The Township Committee members voted unanimously to appoint Lenny as mayor. In doing so, they elected his way of steering the ship, which was originally chosen by the people when they voted for him in the first place.(simpleman9 04/15/09 8:12pm) (04/15/09 8:12pm) REPLY
Ken got more votes than Ron in a few districts yet he is minimized by the three in power.
John is a great guy but until June, only the same 3 people listed above voted for him. John Feramosca got more votes in county committee. Had Lenny thought it through he would not be running against Feramosca, he should have gone with the county vote and appointed Feramosca over Sheridan. This might be an example of poor planning skills.(Gabriel 04/14/09 11:16pm) (04/14/09 11:16pm) REPLY
All three candidates submitted to the TC were very, very well and equally qualified to be on the TC. If I had voted emotionally as a friend my first choice would have been for my friend Henry Kafel. If I had voted as a vote-hungry 'politician' my choice (as you have stated) would have been for Ferramosca. However, I along with Ken, Len and George unanimously voted for John Sheridan, because we all felt he was the only candidate who would work effectively, as a team, with ALL the members of the Township Committee. Again let me state that in my opinion all the Candidates were equally qualified and it was a tough decision. Thank you. Judy (05/18/09 1:46pm) REPLY
You are kidding right? Didn't Henry Kafel, sue the town over the project across from Town Hall and stall the development of the project and our baseball fields before his case was thrown out? Yeah, he'd be a good choice! All equally qualified? A policeman with a few years of school board experience is as qualified as a business owner with an MBA and 12+ years of planning board experience? Glad to see you have a sense of humor.
With all due respect, both candidates Ferramosca and Sheridan are qualified individuals and each of them will bring something unique to the committee.
Sheridan's proposal for an EDAC was significant in that the idea would allow broader input about ratables at a time when Hanover desperately needs. After all he is seeing first hand where we are headed and the fact that he is interested in seeking advise outside of the Township Committee is a good thing.
Sheridan was also the first committee person to speak out against the closing of the Township Library. It might seem like a long time ago, but he had a lot to do with bringing focus to this issue and saving it from the budget axe.
Like it or not, the process of picking an interim committee person is well established and like it or not, we have to accept the decision the committee made. Elections are about choices and change if necessary and at least have the opportunity to make them.
