MAYOR'S NEWSLINE

February 2006

IMPORTANT EVENTS - PAST AND FUTURE
And staff contacts for more information
Also consult the calendar
For Seminar details, contact David Harkness ext. 18.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Elected Officials Hall of Fame Past League President Dies Mayors Wellness Campaign New e-mail Service for Municipal Clerks

FROM THE PRESIDENT
By Herbert Stiles, Mayor, Elmer

On January 18, local elected officials from all around the New Jersey gathered in the State House Complex in Trenton to hear major policy statements from Governor Corzine and key legislative leaders.

We want to thank the new Governor, who, less than 24 hours into his term, took time from his busy schedule to address his colleagues on the local level. We also want to thank Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts, Minority Leader Alex DeCroce and Senator Ron Rice for their time and for their honest appraisals of the prospects for public policy progress this year. We finally want to commend the dozens of mayors and governing body members who came to Trenton on a wet and windy Wednesday morning for this important and informative session.

The main theme of all speakers was the need for timely and decisive action toward property tax reform. Other major policy areas discussed include ethics, the Transportation Trust Fund, pension costs and the State budget deficit.

EXECUTIVE BOARD

ELECTED OFFICIALS INDUCTED
IN HALL OF FAME
-Contact Bill Dressel, ext. 22

The League inducted 19 new members into the Elected Officials Hall of Fame during the Fourteenth Annual Mayors Legislative Day January 18, 2006 at the State House Annex in Trenton. This honor is reserved for those governing body members, active and retired, who have served 20 years in elected municipal office. There are currently 324 inductees in the Elected Officials Hall of Fame. Congratulations to our most recent members! Please see the enclosed 2006 Elected Officials Hall of Fame inductee list for more information. The full list is on-line.

FORMER LEAGUE PRESIDENT ROBERT
GRASMERE WILL BE LONG REMEMBERED
-Contact Bill Dressel, ext. 22

Long serving Maplewood Mayor and 1985 League President Robert Grasmere died December 23 of cancer.

Mr. Grasmere served as Maplewood’s mayor from 1970 to 1993, 33 years. He was the longest serving local official in the town’s history. 

He was also active in the League for many years. “He is probably one of the most photographed people in League history,” noted League Executive Director Bill Dressel. Dressel also said that Mr. Grasmere was liked and respected by all.

In 1981, he was honored with the League’s “President’s Distinguished Service Award.” He also represented the League as a member of the State Local Expenditure Revenue Policy Commission (SLERP), a Blue Ribbon tax commission appointed to deal with the restructuring of New Jersey’s revenue and allocation policies.

Widely regarded for his speaking ability, he was a frequent speaker and hosted a cable television show. Mr. Grasmere shared the knowledge of environmental issues he gained through his work in the water treatment industry. He was the founder and owner of Mountain Soft Water Service based in Maplewood.

He was an alumnus of Rutgers University and the U.S. Naval Training School. He served in the South Pacific during World War II.

MAYORS WELLNESS CAMPAIGN
-Contact Bill Dressel, ext. 22

The Mayors Wellness Campaign is a new community health initiative recently launched in cooperation with the League, New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute, and Rutgers University.

The goal of the campaign is to support Mayors in helping to improve health at the local level, reduce health care costs related to obesity, and make New Jersey a national leader in community-based health interventions. The Mayors Wellness Campaign seeks to foster active living and healthy lifestyles by providing communities the structure and resources to implement healthy community initiatives.

LEAGUE TO PROVIDE NEW E-MAIL
SERVICE TO MUNICIPAL CLERKS
-Contact Mike Cerra ext 20.

The League provides a wide and in-depth variety of services to municipal officials. Part of this service involves sending issue alerts and updates. Now the League will send Municipal Clerks alerts and updates via e-mail so they can be easily forwarded to appropriate parties electronically. E-mails will be sent by lb.bcentral.com on behalf of NJLM@njslom.com. This e-mail service ensures the confidentiality of all addresses on the list. For more information about this new service, contact Mike Cerra at the League office.

2006 NJ DEP QUARTERLY BROWNFIELDS
ROUNDTABLES
-Contact Stephen Kehayes (609) 777-0649 or
Stephen.Keyhayes@dep.state.nj.us

Over the last seven years or so, the NJ DEP Quarterly Brownfield Roundtables have provided a forum for communities and other brownfield redevelopment interests to learn more about available brownfield redevelopment resources and strategies and to share their lessons learned. The Quarterly Brownfield Roundtables have been scheduled for 2006.

The scheduled dates for the 2006 Roundtables are:
Friday, February 3rd, Friday
Monday, April, 10th
Monday, July 10
Monday, October 16