3 Takeaways From Morristown Council Candidate Debate

MORRISTOWN, NJ — Candidates for Morristown's fourth ward faced off virtually last week at a debate co-hosted by the League of Women Voters.

The virtual debate included Ward 4 Democrat Christopher Russo and Republican Bruce Meringolo, the town's lone contested council race this fall.

The nearly hour-long debate drew both candidates, who answered questions submitted in advance.

The Morristown Council will witness a change in this year's election cycle as Councilman Stefan Armington has decided not to run for re-election to a fourth term in the Third Ward.

Morristown Council President Sandi Mayer was also defeated in the primary election for the nomination to represent the Fourth Ward by her opponent, Russo.

The candidates who filed for these seats are:

Ward 1:

• Robert Iannaccone

Ward 3:

• Steven Pylypchuk

Ward 4:

• Bruce Meringolo
• Christopher Russo

During the forum, there was no audience participation allowed, but all questions posed to the candidates were generated by members of the public and screened by the League to eliminate duplicates and personal attacks.

Each candidate had one minute for opening statements, one minute for answering questions, 30 seconds for rebuttals and two minutes for closing statements.

Three Main Takeaways From The Debate:

Morristown Medical Center expansion

During last week's debate, the Morristown community aired their concerns about a planned expansion of the Morristown Medical Center, with the opening questions concentrating on the candidates' thoughts on the proposal.

Both Russo and Meringolo noted that although there had been no decisions made on the project, there needed to be more transparency from the town surrounding any future developments.

"The lack of transparency so far and the way the information has dribbled out is really shameful and to exclude council representatives who are actively engaged in those communities is disappointing," Meringolo said.

In a statement to the public, Mayor Tim Dougherty said that there has been only one meeting between Atlantic Health System, the parent company of Morristown Medical Center, and the town.

"The hospital, if they have purchased the properties, has the right to invite the mayor and the council and say, 'Hey, this is some of our ideas.' We didn't even have a second meeting to talk about what we thought and what we saw," Dougherty said.

Dougherty assured the public that there was no deal or promise made to Morristown Medical Center about a future project.

While Meringolo emphasized the hospital's importance in the Morristown community, saying that it generates jobs and benefits the local economy, he stated that he would not support an 11-story building expansion, which had supposedly been discussed with the town.

Russo agreed, stating that he did not believe that an 11-story addition would fit the character of the community.

"Nothing should be done in a blanket manner; everything will be done in the purview of the public, going through the zoning board and planning board. There are different procedures that need to be done and the public will be made aware of it, and if it does not fit with what the town is looking for, it just won't happen," Russo said.

Noise around town:

Both candidates were asked to share their opinion on the upcoming public vote to ban the use of gas-powered leaf blowers in town from January to September.

A debated ordinance, which was brought up by council member Stefan Armington's successful petition, was put to a vote by the Morristown Council on Aug. 8. After a contentious discussion between the mayor and the councilman who led the initiative, the ordinance was defeated 4-3.

However, the matter will now be turned over to the public during this upcoming election.

Armington started the petition earlier this summer, calling on Morristown to take a stand and take action on a contributor to local pollutants and resident headaches: gas-powered leaf blowers.

Russo stated that although he is not personally affected by leaf blower noise, he has spoken to several residents who have expressed frustrations with the increase in noise.

"A lot of people work in a hybrid situation; they are working at like 2 p.m. and they are hearing leaf blowers in the background and I get it, that can be annoying when you're on a Zoom call or you're doing a debate, or whatever the case may be," Russo said.

Meringolo said that he thought the referendum was a great idea, noting that he personally uses battery-operated tools, but that he understands the argument from the perspective of landscaping companies.

"I think as technology improves and as battery technology improves, we will certainly be in a position where we will be all-electric, all battery and no more gas blowers. I don't think that we have to force the issue," Meringolo said.

Development around town:

Both candidates were asked to give their opinions on the state of development around town, noting that Morristown has undergone a significant amount of change in the last decade.

In response, both Meringolo and Russo stated that all development is not a bad thing, but it's about how the town chooses to do it.

Meringolo said that what he's tired of seeing is the overdevelopment of apartment buildings around town. "Development is an ongoing thing, but it's got to be the most appropriate development for the area. What we are seeing now is a lot of apartments; what we are not seeing is any kind of retail or other type of commercial that brings in businesses," he said.

Russo noted that development in Morristown was all about balancing out generating revenue for the town while still making sure to protect open space.

"With some of these PILOT programs, they are fantastic. They are coming in and they're generating revenue for the town, plus a lot of them have been built on dilapidated and contaminated areas that were not really earning any revenue previously. They are bringing people into the town, which is good for small businesses so I think there is a balance there. Development is a good thing in the right areas of Morristown," Russo said.

Meringolo added that he would personally like to see the old lumberyard turned into an open space and for the town's skateboarding community to have a permanent home.

The debate was live-streamed on YouTube and has been posted to the League of Women Voters of the Morristown Area, YouTube page. To view the entire debate, click here.