Five candidates are running for two Township Council seats in the Nov. 5 election.
Incumbents Ada Erik and Marilyn Lichtenberg, both Republicans, are seeking re-election. Also running are Democrats Karen Phelan and Brian Zlotkin as well as Steve Jarvis, an independent.
Here are the candidates’ statements:
ADA ERIK
Why are you running for the Township Council?
I am running for council as a lifelong resident of our community. For the first time in as long as I can remember, we have an administration and an elected body that are committed to working together. I am proud to be part of this elected body that prioritizes the needs of our residents and focuses on enhancing our quality of life.
What are the top three things you aim to accomplish if elected?
1) My top priority will focus on building a better future for our children and seniors. For too long, our facilities have fallen short of what our community deserves. I am committed to ensuring that our current plans are successfully completed, allowing West Milford to take pride in the much-needed field and complex that will benefit our youth and all residents for years to come.
2) I aim to seek progress made under the Highlands Act. I believe municipalities should have the opportunity to obtain exemptions for public-use projects, similar to the current exemptions granted solely to schools. This change would greatly benefit communities like West Milford, which face significant challenges under the current restrictions.
3) Continue to build on the progress we’ve made in modernizing outdated ordinances to better serve both businesses and residents. We have successfully reviewed and updated over 90 ordinances so far, making necessary adjustments to streamline project completion. However, there is still more work to be done, and I am committed to continuing this important effort.
What makes you the best candidate for this position?
I am a lifelong resident of West Milford with a deep passion for our community. As a dedicated volunteer, I have actively participated in and led numerous committees and commissions. My commitment extends to my church and supporting those in need. As a lifelong Republican, I am also devoted to promoting fiscal responsibility.
STEVE JARVIS
Why are you running for the Township Council?
I decided to run for a town council position because I felt disenfranchised by the decision the council made to change West Milford’s form of government.
I want to help make thoughtful decisions. The decisions that are made and the ordinances that are passed affect thousands of people; many of whom are my family, friends and neighbors.
What are the top three things you aim to accomplish if elected?
1) Reverse the ordinance that changed West Milford’s form of government.
2) Revisit why this town has a double-digit amount of dispensaries.
3) Make West Milford a place to move to, not a place to move away from.
4) Encourage family-friendly businesses, parks and recreation.
What makes you the best candidate for this position?
I have experience as a manager.
I have a long history in West Milford. I’ve participated.
I care about West Milford and its future, but we’re going in the wrong direction right now.
Background and qualifications.
My background is in manufacturing. I served my apprenticeship as a tool and die maker in the early 1980s. In 1987, I started a machine shop in West Milford. I closed and sold it in 2016.
At that point, I got a job offer from a previous customer of mine who needed a production manager to run an oil-burner manufacturing company in Parsippany. I did that for four years, but when Covid hit, they were forced to go on a four-day furlough.
I accepted a job as a technician, from a different prior customer, and I’m still working there today.
MARILYN LICHTENBERG
Why are you running for the Township Council?
I love my town. Since I arrived in West Milford as a high school freshman over 50 years ago, I have never stopped volunteering in our township.
I have been on the town council for a total of 12 years and I enjoy serving our community.
I want to continue to increase town services while keeping taxes stable, improve communication throughout our township and seek additional revenue sources that our township may qualify for.
What are the top three things you aim to accomplish if elected?
1) Concern about high taxes is probably one everyone shares. My goal is to see that we do not lose services for the taxes we pay. I have seen improvement in increasing services by searching for and receiving grant money. We have kept our municipal budget level during a time period in which prices of everything have gone up.
2) Getting the word out in West Milford can be difficult as we are the second-largest township in size in New Jersey. There are many things I have done to make communication better and hope to enhance upon this. I want to increase information about what community resources are available, township events and transparency regarding how our government functions.
3) The Highlands Council has given us many planning grants but not any financial relief for the township to be able to enact the planning suggestions. I want to seek alternate revenue sources that our township may qualify for as we are in a 100% preservation zone.
What makes you the best candidate for this position?
My multitude of experience, including as a town council member, township treasurer, a corporate CEO and community lifetime volunteer, makes me the best candidate for this position.
I strive to make sure all voices in our community are heard, and I am always available to hear our residents’ concerns and ideas.
KAREN PHELAN
Why are you running for the Township Council?
I am running for council because I believe the residents of West Milford deserve a genuine alternative to our incumbents, especially after our council recently approved unpopular changes to our government. If we can’t vote officials out, we can’t hold them accountable.
What are the top three things you aim to accomplish if elected?
The first issue I’d address, if elected, is revisiting the position of a full-time, salaried mayor, which our council enacted despite overwhelming opposition.
Major changes to our government should be put to a public vote, and I’d like to initiate a public referendum to return to a nonpartisan ward system of government.
While I am part of the West Milford First committee that seeks to do this as citizens, it’s easier to make this change through a council-sponsored charter study commission.
Secondly, I aim to improve the often-hostile atmosphere at our meetings and enhance the transparency of council decisions. It’s understandable that residents become frustrated and angry when significant changes and expenditures are rushed through alongside numerous ordinances. Local governments rely on community volunteers so fostering better communications and interactions is critical for our success.
Finally, our development master plans over the years consistently recommend using ecotourism to revitalize our town, specifically building more multi-use trails and marketing our natural resources. Unfortunately, implementing these recommendations has been slow to nonexistent.
I want to start by building two trail connections to our retail and parking areas, fund them through grants, and use grant money to promote the Highlands as a destination for day tourists.
What makes you the best candidate for this position?
While I am a published author and speaker, I’ve spent most of my career transforming under-performing companies.
Successful transformation requires uniting people around a common vision, developing viable plans for enacting the vision, then making it happen. I’d like to use these skills to make West Milford a better place to live for all residents.
BRIAN ZLOTKIN
Why are you running for the Township Council?
My wife and I want to raise our family in West Milford.
I have an opportunity to contribute my professional experience and ability toward improving our hometown and our future.
I am not the type to stand by. I am a participant.
What are the top three things you aim to accomplish if elected?
We have neglected buildings and properties in town and it is going to cost taxpayers money in the future unnecessarily. I will use my professional experience as a contractor to reduce future costs with smart investments in repair and maintenance.
I will work to restore checks and balances in our government, through a referendum vote by the residents, by returning to a non- partisan ward system of government. We will keep it local and end party-line divisiveness, so we can all work together for a better West Milford. Residents will vote for one councilperson from their local area as well as two members of the council “at large” and a mayor. Everyone will have a local representative.
If I am elected, I will advocate for major and controversial decisions to be voted on by the residents in a referendum. The current council would do the same if they valued your opinion.
However, when faced with overwhelming opposition in a standing-room-only council meeting and 900 signatures of residents on a petition, my opponents voted to ignore the residents and illegally remove the checks and balances of our system of government outlined in the Faulkner Act, which legally defines the roles of the members of our government.
Residents of West Milford, above all else, I promise to be your representative and your advocate.
What makes you the best candidate for this position?
I am a contractor who has been trusted by large construction companies and government officials to meet engineer and architect specifications on a budget.
My experience will save the town money. The work I see done around town does not meet the minimum standards of quality I have set for my own company. I can hold contractors to a higher standard of quality and this will also save our residents money.
In Shady Lake, I have been an avid volunteer. My neighbors and I, despite having different opinions about many things, come together to make our community better for all of us. There are no party lines when it comes to working together to repair our community pool, helping an elderly neighbor by fixing a wall that was hit by a delivery truck, or manually breaking up the mailbox bank glaciers so no one gets hurt.
For the past eight years, I have been impressed time and time again by the cooperation and kindness of the residents of West Milford. I look forward to our future here and, elected or not, I look forward to contributing to our community.