Election 2022: Christine Serrano Glassner For Mendham Borough Mayor

MENDHAM, NJ — Election Day is coming up on November 8, and candidates are set for the Mendham Borough Mayoral race.

Patch sent questionnaires to both candidates running for Mayor, asking them to share information about themselves and why voters should choose them to represent the borough.

The responses received will get published between now and Election Day.

Here are candidate Christine Serrano Glassner's answers below:

• Name: Christine Serrano Glassner

• Town of residence: Mendham Borough
• Position sought: Mayor

• Previous or current elected appointed office: Mayor

Why are you seeking elective office?

I am running for re-election as Mayor of Mendham Borough so I can continue to serve my community in this leadership role. Here in Mendham Borough Mayor, Council, and our staff all work very well together as a team. Our town was ready for significant updating behind the scenes when I began four years ago. We have a number of projects in the works, as well as some in early planning stages that I would like to see to completion.

If elected, what do you hope to accomplish while serving on the council?

If re-elected as Mayor some of my goals are to continue improving our parks and open space areas. We are currently in an early planning stage of doing more to connect our open space areas, making it easier for us all to enjoy the great outdoors. An additional accomplishment will be to continue to make doing-business with the Municipality easier and more efficient for our residents and business owners. We have implemented the use of new technologies to make it possible to do business online, but this is only the beginning as we will be adding more of our processes to maximize the convenience factor. Finally, although we completely renovated our communication system, we still have a long way to go in improving how our residents stay up to date on town business. Communication has been important to me from when I first became Mayor and I plan to expand on that.

What do you think is the most pressing issue facing residents right now and what do you intend to do about it?

From a Municipal perspective, and in relation to what we can impact at this lower level of government - property taxes in New Jersey are on many resident's mind. We have all see how this current state of inflation is impacting our home budgets. The Municipality has also been subject to these rising costs. Maintaining the municipal portion of property tax bills below the 2% cap while continuing to provide the highest level of services is a big priority. We will do this by watching our capital expenditures and delaying any expenses for purchases that are not urgent. At the same time, we will continue to look for opportunities to bring in unforseen revenue and save costs through shared services.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence that you can handle this job?

With over fifteen years in government and having served Mendham Borough for the last four years as Mayor, and two years on Council I have the experience to handle any situation that impacts the Borough. The Covid Pandemic is a perfect example of my ability to react quickly and implement new measures to keep our town operating smoothly, while keeping our residents safe. I called our first Office of Emergency Management (OEM) meeting with our team to discuss what might happen and how it could impact the Borough. This meeting took place in mid January, before we received any advice from our Federal or State representatives. It was this first meeting and the subsequant meetings that we had almost daily that gave us the time to get supplies in before they had run out, as well as put together the most information we could provide to our town. Another emergency that occurred was a power outage that lasted for a week. That particular outage was the first time that we made our Cooling Station at the Garabrant Center available for residents, especially those that needed internet access to work remotely. I personally manned our Center from morning till night for the entire time any resident was without power. It is this kind of dedication that I bring to the job that makes me know I can handle being Mayor.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Being Mayor of Mendham Borough is a significant committment. When you decide to step up and commit your time, you must do so knowing the personal sacrafices you will make for our community. When you run for Municipal office you know that there is a world of statutes, regulations, and codes that you will need to learn and understand while making certain that we remain legally compliant. I hold this office because I love this community and want to provide the same accepting and loving place that I grew up in for generations of families to come. I hear from residents new and old that they love living in Mendham and feel that it is a very special place. I would like to continue to be Mayor so I can hear more people share with me that same sentiment. For that reason I would be honored for my Mendham Borough family to vote me in as Mayor again. Thank you all for giving me this opportunity. Warm regards, Christine Serrano Glassner, Mayor