GOP Race: Longtime Volunteer or Nonprofit Leader?

Primary voters will soon decide if they prefer the "proven experience" of Mayor Rudy Boonstra or the "insight and experience as a nonprofit leader" that the Rev. Jeffrey Boucher says he will bring to Township Committee.

Boonstra, a first-term committeeman, and Boucher, the pastor of Powerhouse Christian Church, are vying for the right to represent the Republican party on the ballot in the fall, with a three-year seat available. The winner of the June 8 primary will face Democrat Dr. Henry Velez, who is contending for one of the five committee seats.

The mayor has touted his more than 40 years of service to Wyckoff during the campaign, including Wednesday night in an appearance before the Wyckoff Republican League at the Larkin House. Boonstra's service on Township Committee caps a volunteer career that has been marked by stops aboard the zoning Board of Adjustment, the Wyckoff Board of Education, the Ramapo Indian Hills Board of Education and the Wyckoff Fire Department, as well as charitable work outside of Wyckoff.

"I have a broad breadth of experience in Wyckoff," Boonstra said, feeling it leaves him uniquely qualified to help address the township's concerns.

Boucher is a political newcomer but says his background should not be be construed as lacking in experience.

"Anyone can look at my track record and see its one of success," said Boucher, who founded and serves as president of Touch the World Ministries, which marshals resources for needy youths overseas. "I have 25 years of experience," said the former Wyckoff Baptist Church youth pastor, who also serves as chaplain of the Police Department.

Boonstra told the GOP League crowd that his service in various capacities in Wyckoff helped prepare him to be mayor, which he calls  a "great honor." He pledges to help preserve the character of Wyckoff, which has the "same small-town feel that it had when I was a kid.

"(But) we are facing challenges to that hometown sense," the mayor said.

Boonstra said the governing body is "still looking for solutions" in discussions to purchase Russell Farms, which faces environmental cleanup costs. A county grant and municipal Open Space money is available to purchase the former apple grove, which had previously been targeted for residential development. The mayor said the issue of who would pay for cleanup is still being worked on.

Boucher, who said he was told about the GOP League event too late to cancel a prior engagement, "would love to see it (Russell Farms) preserved" but does not advocate the township paying for cleanup.

"I don't think its fair to put that on the taxpayer."

Boonstra also discussed the efforts by the Township Committee to assist the homeowners in the vicinity of Rambaut Lake, who cannot pay for necessary and state-mandated dam repairs. The mayor thinks "municipal government has to play some role in preserving that lake," albeit without cost to the taxpayers.

Boucher believes the township should have stepped in sooner, when more options may have been available, or at least more time to act. He said the township can't avoid "some responsibility," especially if the dam were ever to be breached in a storm. 

"I would be looking at this from the perspective of the residents," whose home values would likely be negatively impacted should the lake ever be drained. The reverend is encouraged by the effort to engage the community in a search for resolution, as the "best solutions come from the bottom up." 

While Boucher doesn't necessarily advocate the use of public money at Rambaut, he said "if you were to use taxpayer money, the public should have access." While anyone can use the lake, most access points are only through homeowners' yards.

On Wednesday, the mayor spoke of fiscal restraint, touting the resolution of a PBA contract without costly arbitration as well as the Township Committee's work on the defeated school budget, saying they "crafted a maintenance budget" in economically challenging times.

Boonstra also is hopeful that Gov. Chris Christie's proposed arbitration, contractual and budget reforms will give Wyckoff greater control of its finances, and has endorsed Christie's calls for a 2.5 percent local budget spending increase cap.

Boucher agrees, saying the "best decisions are made at the local level" and "measures have to be taken" to control property taxes and give local authorities greater flexibility in contract negotiations. "Unions are totally out of control," he said.

While he applauds the Township Committee's efforts to cut the school budget, he does not agree with the push to ask the teacher's association to open their contract, which would "set a bad precedent."

Boonstra also is proud of recent transparency initiatives, including "Meet the Mayor" forums and public participation in the Master Plan review process. 

Boucher feels that the governing body can go even farther, regularly encouraging community input. While the "committee still gets the final say" more efforts should be made to solicit the views of those on the "front lines of their particular township activity."