Council President Greg Vartan's Goals For Summit In 2023

SUMMIT, NJ — After he was unanimously elected to serve as Summit's next Council President, Councilman Greg Vartan shared some of his goals for 2023 at the reorganization meeting on Tuesday.

From addressing auto thefts to pedestrian safety and traffic issues, Vartan outlined a number of initiatives he hopes to accomplish by the end of 2023.

As the new Council President, following Councilwoman Marjorie Fox's two-year term, Vartan said people can expect that he will continue to lead with "honesty, respect, courage, and determination."

"In all things, I will seek a balanced approach," Vartan said. "I take my new role and the business of government incredibly seriously, but I am joyful about the opportunities we must make a difference in this community we all love, and I hope you will find that my attitude will be positive and welcoming."

From the city government, Vartan said the public can expect all actions it takes to fit into one of the following three buckets:

1. Ensuring and enhancing health and safety
2. Responsibly managing our financial resources
3. Pursuing the goals set forth in the Master Plan

More specifically, Vartan said before the end of 2023, the council will:

• Continue our initiatives to address auto theft
• Work to improve pedestrian safety and the flow of traffic
• Ensure the utility companies fix the roads they have ripped up during necessary upgrades
• Support the efforts of nonprofit groups and city departments to assist our unhoused population
• Adopt a responsible municipal budget
• Bring the Broad Street West Redevelopment through a process that considers all options and to a conclusion that makes sense for the Summit community
• Reach a decision about the future of Maple Street
• Open the dog park at the Transfer Station and plan for the rehabilitation and replacement of playgrounds
• Advance construction of the Park Line trail
• Continue to support the rehabilitation and construction of affordable housing

"In addition to these specific actions, we must place emphasis on finding creative sources of funding from grants and other levels of government, increasing our environmental sustainability, improving the resident user experience, and ensuring equity," Vartan said.

He also noted a change in the order of business at council meetings. The public comment period for items that are not on the agenda has now been moved to the end of the meeting — after the council considers ordinances and resolutions.

"At the most basic level, the purpose of council meetings is to conduct official city business that has been listed in the agenda and detailed in the packet ahead of time," Vartan explained. "From a practical standpoint, by discussing, deliberating, and deciding on those known items first, we give councilmembers, staff, and the community the opportunity to fully explain, ask questions, comment, and truly debate actions the government is taking on behalf of the community."

The public will still be able to comment on every action item. Vartan believes this will increase engagement and foster "greater understanding of the work of [the] municipal government."

Besides contacting councilmembers via phone or email, which can be found on the city website, Vartan outlined a few new things the council will be doing to increase public access:

• Soon, council will have office space in City Hall for meetings and appointments with residents and set office hours.
• In small groups (no more than three) councilmembers will host informal Facebook live chats on specific topics that may be of interest and answer questions virtually.
• On a regular basis, during the Council President’s report, Vartan will encourage other council members to provide updates on what they’re doing in their committees.

According to an announcement from the City on Friday, Mayor Nora Radest and Vartan will host a Facebook Live on Tuesday, Jan. 10 at 4 p.m. on the City of Summit Facebook page. Members of the public can ask questions about municipal government operations, council actions, or anything of importance to them. Questions may be submitted live on Facebook during the video or in advance to pressoffice@cityofsummit.org.

Additional Facebook live events will be held twice monthly on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month and include two alternating members of council or Mayor Radest. Following the live events, the videos will be posted on the City of Summit YouTube channel.

"I recognize there are challenges we face as a community but am fiercely optimistic that Summit’s best days are ahead," Vartan said. "Thank you for the incredible honor and pleasure of serving the people of Summit, who know the power of our voice and the value of our vote."

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