West Orange mayoral candidates duke it out in debate

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The Pleasant Valley Civic Association held a West Orange mayoral candidates forum on Sunday, Oct. 23, at B’nai Shalom in West Orange. The event featured the town’s four mayoral candidates — former Councilman Joe Krakoviak, Councilwoman Cindy Matute-Brown, Council President Susan McCartney and Councilman Bill Rutherford — answering questions submitted by residents. 

Among the many questions asked during the debate, the candidates were asked what they would each do as mayor to make West Orange streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists. 

Answering first, Matute-Brown said that this issue begins with the planning board, which needs to make recommendations to change zoning with respect to speed limits. She also explained that a lot of county and state roads run through West Orange, making effective collaboration vital.

“It definitely needs attention. The right way to do that is to make sure that we have a working relationship with the county so that we can be effective in making those changes. We currently do not have an effective relationship, and that is very damaging to us,” Matute-Brown said, adding that the individuals tasked by the town to combat pedestrian safety issues need to be up to the task. “It’s also making sure that those who serve on the pedestrian safety committee in town are actually effective in the jobs that they have been appointed to do,” she continued, pledging to appoint board members who are committed to the work and experienced in it.

But Krakoviak said the issue lies with the township council, not the advisory board. 

“Kudos to the Pleasant Valley Civic Association and the Pedestrian Safety Advisory Board; they’ve come up with a lot of different and good suggestions, a lot of recommendations. Virtually none of them have been passed by council. We need to do a better job of that,” Krakoviak said. “We need to go through the areas of town where seniors walk and we need to make sure the lights are timed for senior citizens and not just for regular people. We need to use technology to get a better understanding of where the traffic problems are. We need more bike paths, we need to accommodate the e-bikes that are around and we need to move more traffic to single lanes to slow people down.”

In her response, McCartney touted the town’s current work to prepare a Vision Zero plan; Vision Zero is a movement to redesign streets with the express purpose of eradicating pedestrian fatalities.

“Earlier this year, the township was granted typical assistance from N.J. public transportation to prepare a comprehensive Vision Zero action plan, and a $920,000 N.J. Department of Transportation grant for Safe Routes to Schools. To date, the township has in place a Pedestrian Safety Advisory Commission, and it adopted a master plan to influence policy” on a bipartisan, federal level, McCartney said, going on to list the many grants she has helped the township secure in the area of traffic safety. “As a council member, I have worked collaboratively with the administration and the county to apply for these grants.”

Rutherford told the audience that, since he and his wife moved to West Orange in 2001, they have not seen sidewalks upgraded.

“It is way past time that we did something about that. Just this year, I’ve worked with Sanjeev Varghese from the (Essex County) Department of Public Works to begin a relationship with our county exec and, in that relationship, in that conversation, the county executive is very supportive of new sidewalks in the county, including down Northfield Avenue, from the top of the hill going into the reservation, to allow folks that live on the Livingston side of town to get there without having to drive,” Rutherford said. “We can do better. And it’s about how we need to get politics out of the way and about making sure we have the right relationships at the county and state level to get these jobs done. I will do that for you as mayor.”

As the debate was held at the B’nai Shalom synagogue, it was appropriate that candidates were asked about the rising antisemitism in the nation. According to the moderator, residents have experienced that antisemitism, especially on social media; she also pointed out that many townwide events are scheduled on Saturdays, when observant Jews cannot participate.

“I think it’s important for us to acknowledge what an antisemite actually looks like. This is not about tweets, this is not about a post, it’s about doing the real work that’s necessary to build community, to build bridges between communities,” Rutherford, a Baptist minister, said, adding that he has in the past worked with other faith leaders to discuss how they can create safe spaces across town for all residents. “That’s the real work of an ally. Now, because the politics in town are so difficult, I had to stop that, because some would assume it was for political gain, and that does not bring the right outcomes.

“My door is open to every community,” he continued. “I understand the challenges the Jewish community faces in particular, and I’m happy to do the real work about building community.”

In her response, Matute-Brown promised to help town events become more accessible and welcoming for all residents.

“I have not waited to be elected mayor to begin to speak on this, to advocate for all of our Jewish brothers and sisters, all of our brown and black brothers and sisters, in this community. I do believe it is unfair to exclude a large percentage of our community here in West Orange when we only plan things that are convenient for us. We do need to change and alternate the way that we celebrate, honor and have events in town that will give our Jewish community access to all those events, so that they can feel they are truly a part of our community,” Matute-Brown said, adding that she would like to organize a roundtable to address the division she sees in town now. “There is rising antisemitism across the nation and even in our own town. Right outside of this synagogue we had a swastika painted. Thankfully, the police acted quickly and they were able to apprehend the perpetrator, but also in Livingston, they just had another incident where a student drew a swastika in their school facility. We need to put a stop to this, and the only way to do that is if we come together as a community and advocate for one another.”

Krakoviak decried prejudice of any kind in this country but spoke optimistically of West Orange’s many upstanding citizens who do speak out when they see an injustice.

“This is the United States of America — we should not tolerate discrimination against any group of people whatsoever at any time. The Orthodox community here in West Orange is vital. It’s part of the foundation of this town. And we need to recognize that, and we need to make changes in the way that we operate the town. We need to move some of our Saturday events to Sunday so we can attract more people. On Facebook, it is true that we get some comments that are interpreted as or that are actual antisemitism, but Facebook runs two ways,” Krakoviak said, mentioned the Sept. 28 debate, which was initially planned for Sept. 26, which was Rosh Hashanah. “There was plenty of pushback, not only from the Orthodox, but from the rest of the community saying that this should not be tolerated, so we need to take that into account.”

McCartney spoke with pride about the cohesion of West Orange’s varying religious communities, reaffirming her commitment to inclusion and diversity, both in the preschool she owns and the town in general.

“I am proud of our community that reminds us to support all of our religious affiliations in town. For 25 years, my school has been housed in Congregation Ohr Torah across the street, and I taught Sunday school at St. Joe’s for 23 years. At my preschool, diversity and inclusion are the core values that I live by,” McCartney said. “As mayor I will recognize — I already recognize — and appreciate the diversity of our town.”

To watch the entire debate, visit tinyurl.com/29mp2bum. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8.

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