Boucher: Record of Accomplishment, New Ideas

Editor's note: The following was submitted by the Rev. Jeffrey Boucher, who is challenging Mayor Rudy Boonstra for the Republican nomination on the ballot this fall, when Boonstra's seat will be contested.

Ever since college I have embraced the enduring ideals of the Republican Party, ideals like low taxes, small government, fiscal responsibility, American ingenuity and creativity, and in particular, faith and freedom.

And although there have been times when the party has lost its way or individuals within the party have poorly articulated or lived out these ideals, the Republican party still embraces both the foundational principles that I agree with and many high integrity members to carry them out. This is why I am a Republican.

Having said that, it is important to note that I am not a party man. I am an independent thinker who weighs all the facts on every issue before making a decision, and I will always form my own opinion on every matter and vote my convictions.  Everyone that knows me well will confirm this.

MY VIEWS

Involvement of the People—We live in a day of fiercely partisan politics.  Party is important to draw distinctions on issues and to bring clarity to positions on things like community, security, fiscal approaches, individual rights and freedoms, education, etc., but they are dangerous when individuals throw away their common sense and buy into the party-line thinking simply because it is the party-line thinking. That stifles creativity and ingenuity.

I believe that the most creative solutions to problems and some of the best ideas come from the bottom up in organizations and from across party lines. This means that it is incumbent upon leaders at every level to create and foster an atmosphere that is conducive to hearing and responding to input from the least senior member of their organizations and even from the opposing factions.

In the case of Wyckoff this means that Township Committee members must be vigilant at identifying people that are on the front lines of their particular township activity and invite them into the process of vision, creativity, implementation, review and problem solving. If people don't feel their leaders want to hear from them they won't share some of their most creative ideas and, as a township, we will have lost a great opportunity and perhaps a life-changing program.

My particular style is to get out among the people to see what they're doing, which programs and ideas are working, and then to marshal their energies into making good things great. I will work for the people and the people will know me.  President Ronald Reagan showed us the way like no other when it came to bringing people of opposing views together. He is my inspiration.

I believe that the nonprofit model provides the best example. Nonprofit leaders are unable in most circumstances to provide motivation through financial reward or promotions. Instead, nonprofits have to inspire individuals by casting vision for what they are trying to do and including everyone in the advancement of that vision. Once successful, everyone shares in the victory—or we won't get them back.

Fiscal Responsibility—It is no secret to any one of us living in America today that significant challenges face us on every level: political, social, economic, military and so on. It is also no secret that great leadership is required more now than at any other time in recent history.

In the words of Lee Iacoca, "We're running the biggest deficit in the history of the country. We're losing the manufacturing edge to Asia, while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health-care costs. Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent energy policy. Our schools are in trouble. Our borders are like sieves. The middle class is being squeezed every which way. These are times that cry out for leadership."

And leadership is exactly what I offer. I believe I bring a very unique set of skills to the Township Committee. Leading in the nonprofit world for the past 23 years gives me a very specific and particular view of fiscal responsibility.

I see three basic fiscal approaches:

• The government approach—spend $1,000 of taxpayer money and get nothing in return;
• The business approach—spend $100 of their own money and get $200 in return.
• The nonprofit approach—spend $1 of donor money and get everything the government was trying to get for $1,000.

I will bring to the township my insight and experience as a nonprofit leader. Part of this experience is to see resources where they were not looked for previously and then to acquire them through vision casting, inspiration and negotiation.

Family health—"It has been said that the intact family is the most successful Department of Health, Education, and Welfare ever created. Of all society's institutions, none is as good as the family in meeting people's—wives,' husbands,' and childrens'—needs. Survey after survey and report after report come to the same conclusion: the family is the foundation of all human relationships and the foundation for every society." (Contract with the American Family, R. Reed, pg. 51, ©1995).

My whole career has been spent in building up the family. And, while I think Wyckoff is a family-friendly community, I also believe there is much that could be done to meet the many challenges that face family today. 

I believe that our township could do the following to increase the health and welfare of our families:

• Gather information from local churches, synagogues and other nonprofit organizations about their programs for children and families and promote them to the general public;
• Convene a cross section of leaders from the recreation, education and religious sectors to brainstorm creative ways in which all of us could work together to meet the challenges our families are facing today;
• Keep an active and accurate resource list of local counselors, in-patient facilities that treat substance abuse, depression, anxiety disorders, etc. to be offered when needed;
• Create a confidential call-in line for families hit by economic difficulties and then connect these families with volunteer organizations that have resources to help;
• Team up with local churches, volunteer organizations and schools to sponsor family programs and parenting seminars;
• Call upon our senior citizens to help create a life-mentoring program where young people and middle-aged individuals who do not have grandparents or parents living in the area could benefit from the wisdom of their years of experience.

I have a plethora of additional ideas that I would bring to the table and help execute as we move forward as a township.