WEST ORANGE NJ – An advocacy group from West Orange has released a report card that rates local council members on several votes that were held last yea.
Our Green West Orange achieved its 2021 Town Council Report cardLast week, we noted that an A-grade refers to a vote “in public interest,” while an F grade is for a voting “not in public interest.” You can see it here.
The group gave the following grades to the five members of the town’s council:
- Cindy Matute Brown D
- Susan McCartney D
- Michelle Casalino D
- Tammy Williams D
- Bill Rutherford C
The following statement was made about the effort by the group:
“Our Green West Orange’s mission aims to keep our community safe, green, affordable, and sustainable. However, real estate and other business interests have had an impact on our elected officials and changed our town’s nature. Because of this, anyone could be on the wrong end of a rock slide or flood. This happened to 45 families living at the Ron Jolyn apartments at 265 Northfield Avenue, who lost their homes. Or without proper shade trees. Or sitting in endless traffic on Main Street, Prospect Avenue or Northfield Avenue. Or facing skyrocketing rates of tax. We believe our community has become more unsafe, less affordable, and less green over the past year. The Our Green West Orange 2021 Annual Report Card shows significant votes in areas that concern us. We are aware that our officials may be involved with other township activities but it is their votes, as council members, that matters the most.
“DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES, DIVERSE RESULTS”
Patch received a response from Susan McCartney, a council member. She is the liaison of the town council to the West Orange Environmental Commission and Planning Board.
McCartney stated, “I am aware of how passionately we all want immediate action and environmental changes,” and noted that “different perspectives create different results.”
McCartney stated that “From an environment point of view, WOEC, administration, and council have made strides to accept change and achieve it.” “Ofcourse, there is so many more things that need to be done.”
McCartney presented a list that included local projects in progress, presentations and amendments being considered, as well ordinances that were already adopted.
- Geoscape presentation on solar carports in municipal lots and WOHS parking lots
- The EV charging station presentations & finally the adopted EV Installation Ordinance
- Crestmont Country club purchased 94.5 acres of Crestmont Country Club land for preservation
- The resolution to conduct geo-technical studies of the Northfield region
- Letter from the Mayor to the State about slope stabilization
- The adoption of a Stormwater Management ordinance.
- NJ Association of Landscapers discusses the pros and disadvantages of gas-powered leaf blowers
- The amendments to Tree ordinance
- The steep-slope ordinance is currently being modified.
- NJ Clean Communities and Health Department jointly launched the single-use plastic bags campaign
- The partnership with Second Chance Toys will allow for the collection of plastic toys from the entire town to be donated and recycled for reuse, rather than being thrown away in landfills.
- The WOEC Heritage Tree campaign
- The Earth Hour Launch is an annual event
- The Artificial Floating Island Water Quality project in collaboration with the WOHS Green Team
- Sustainable Jersey grant application for bioretention systems at 5 public school – Liberty Roosevelt Kelly, Washington Street and Redwood
- The NJSDC Green Business Registry has been recently introduced
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