Village President Candidate Profile: Janine Bauer

As South Orange goes to the polls, Patch profiles the candidates.

Meet candidate Janine Bauer:

Bio and Background

Janine G. Bauer was elected as a Trustee in 2009. She is the chair of the Public Works Committee, and also serves on Finance and Legal/Personnel Committees.  She was appointed to the Environmental Commission in 1999 and the Planning Board in 2000. Bauer was also a member of the Citizens Budget Advisory Committee and is the chair of the River Greenway committee. 

Bauer is an attorney, admitted in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. She focuses her practice on transportation, environment, and land use matters. She is the former director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, a Manhattan-based non-profit.

Prior to her experience running a non-profit corporation, Bauer was an assistant prosecutor in Trenton for three years. 

Bauer obtained her law degree from Rutgers University, where she graduated with honors, won a prize for Contracts, and was a member of the Law Review editorial board.  She clerked for the New Jersey Supreme Court, and was the State’s first death penalty clerk. Janine Bauer was awarded the New Jersey Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division’s Professional Achievement Award.  

Beliefs and Achievements

Through my service with Village government— as a current Trustee, vice-chair and member of the Planning Board for six years, chair of the River Greenway Committee,  member of the Citizens Budget Advisory Committee and the Environmental Commission— I’ve learned how to get projects built, ordinances passed, and policies changed. I’ve also identified ways to make more progress— which is why I am running for Village President.

We have reduced the Village’s debt and operating budget, created a business environment that encouraged new businesses to open, improved the downtown, and parks and recreational facilities, and added over 50 parking spaces downtown, with additional spaces for commuters.  There is more to do.

Plans and Priorities

My specific goals are:

Property Taxes

• Reducing the tax burden in South Orange is my top priority. We have already achieved successes such as the shared municipal court.  We are now looking to share or merge other departments; restructuring delivery of services saves taxpayers money.

 Public Safety

• As former prosecutor, I am committed to working closely with the Police Department to reduce crime and enhance security. Statistics show that most serious crime is decreasing.  I will ensure that the SOPD has the tools to do its job, and make capital improvements to all neighborhoods, such as added lighting and security.   

Development

• During my term, development applications for both the Third and Valley Street and the former Beifus site will be approved, complementing Eden Marketplace, SOPAC, Sloan Street and businesses on South Orange Avenue. We will make better use of Seton Hall’s rich resources, including its business school, marketing service, and talented students, while trying to better serve their needs. I will seek additional parking for shoppers and commuters.

Art, Culture, Music and History

• I will pursue grant funding to make needed repairs to our historic buildings. I will support the arts. We will coordinate art and culture offerings from the Baird, and pursue a multi-town art and culture calendar to attract even more visitors.  SOPAC will take on management of more of our musical offerings. 

 Last Word

I ask for your vote for Village President on May 10, along with my Row B, Pure Progress running mates, Howard Levison, Deborah Davis Ford, and Mark Rosner. To learn more please visit www.pureprogress.org. Thank you.

For more election information:

The election is May 10, 2011. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m.

Deadline to apply for an “Application for Vote by Mail Ballot” for the Municipal Election is May 3, 2011.  Download the “Application for Vote by Mail Ballot” here.

Apply in person at the Essex County County Clerk's Office up until 3 p.m. May 3, 2011.

How:

To register or to find out more, contact the Village Clerk’s Office at clerk@southorange.org or call 973-378-7715 x7724.