Council Candidates: Ward 1

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8. In Morristown, there are four spots open on the Town Council, one for each ward. In Ward 1, incumbent Independent Rebecca Feldman is being challenged by Republican Jenny Peters, who was a write-in candidate following the primary elections earlier this year.

Patch asked each candidate to fill out the questionaire below. As of this post, Jenny Peters has not responded to a request for information. Patch will update this when that information becomes available.

Name: Rebecca P. Feldman (Independent)
Age: 48
Occupation: Fifteen years of experience in Industrial Design, Product Development and Marketing Management, followed by 10 years of public service with the Washington’s Headquarters’ Neighborhood Association, Planning Board and Town Council.  

Previous elected or appointed positions (including previous terms in sought position, if applicable): President of the WHNA three years, Planning Board, three years. Planning Board liason to the Environmental Commission.  Two years as the Council Liasion to the , four years to SMLSS (Southeast Morris regional planning group).

Any other current elected or appointed positions: I am the Council’s voting member of the , charged with improving business downtown.

Other community associations: I am very often being pulled into all sorts of other groups’ and projects. I donate to (money and time) quite a list: Arts Council of the Morris Area, Grow it Green Morristown, Morristown Neighborhood House, Mayo Performing Arts Center, Girls on the Run (past organizer and coach), United Way of Northern New Jersey, activities at my kids’ schools and our synagogue, on a project basis with the Office of Sustainability and the Environmental Commission.

How long have you lived in town? 13 years

What do you see as the most pressing issues in a coming term, and what would you do about them:

• Invest in new technologies to get us better, more efficient services from every tax dollar
• Increase the opportunities for and pleasures of “living downtown” in Morristown, balancing the demands of residents, businesses and the “after hours scene” to accommodate more ratables-generating Smart Growth within a half-mile of the train station
• Use public-private partnerships to create active recreation opportunities in our open spaces, at no cost to, or generating dollars for, our residents.
• Redevelop Morris Street from Elm Street to Ford Avenue–especially the burnt-out lumberyard
• Launch a “Gateways Project” to transform each freeway exit into Morristown, using a combination of public and private funds. It seems NJDOT (New Jersey Department of Transportation) lacks the resources to keep these entryways in shape. Town taxpayers are already indirectly shouldering this burden because the damage to Morristown’s “brand image” hurts all of our property values.

What's one fact about you that most voters probably don't know? I love running into traffic (like you’re supposed to) but I use my brakes a lot when biking down hills.