MAYOR'S UPDATE:
OCTOBER 8

It was another busy and productive week in Westfield, and it’s wonderful to see so much activity around town. I hope you had a chance to meet with members of the Police Department this week at Coffee with a Cop, see the amazing new Central Avenue Mural Gallery, or enjoy the Wicked Windows popping up throughout Downtown Westfield for AddamsFest.

On a more serious note, today I issued a joint statement with Councilwoman Habgood and Councilman Parmelee to address false claims being circulated regarding our lease renewal discussions with the Westfield Senior Housing Center. In short, these false insinuations are baseless, and the Town is fully committed to the continuation of their senior affordable housing indefinitely. None of the tenants in the facility are in jeopardy of being evicted or paying higher rents as a result of this dispute. The current lease is in effect for five more years, and there is no plan whatsoever to convert these facilities into luxury condos, as has been falsely asserted. There is a long history between the Westfield Senior Housing Center and the Town, and I highly encourage you to read the information we have made available on our website, which includes many years of audited financial statements, the lease documents, and the financial agreement. This information, as well as our full statement, can be found at westfieldnj.gov/WSHC.

As a reminder, municipal offices will be closed on Monday. I hope to see you at the Town Council meeting on Tuesday night.

Wishing you all a great weekend!

VOTING INFORMATION SESSION

While Monday’s Facebook outage thwarted our ability to livestream our Voting Information Session, we recorded the discussion, where I was joined by Town Clerk Tara Rowley and Union County Board of Elections Administrator Nicole DiRado. It was a very informative conversation about voter registration, voting by mail, voting in person, and early voting. The discussion is posted, along with Nicole’s slides, on our website at westfieldnj.gov/elections.

COVID-19 UPDATE

Regional Health Officer Megan Avallone reports that one of the six regions in New Jersey (our Central East region) is showing a high level of activity.

Locally, Westfield is showing a moderate level of activity, with 29 cases identified between October 1 and October 7 (down from 34 last week and 42 the previous week). The age ranges are broken down as follows:

Age 9 and under: 5 cases
Age 10-19: 4 cases
Age 20-29: 3 cases
Age 30-39: 3 cases
Age 40-49: 8 cases
Age 50-59: 4 cases
Age 60-69: 1 case
Age 70-79: 1 cases
Age 80-89: No cases
Age 90 and above: No cases

The state’s seven-day average for new confirmed cases is down 14% from a week ago and down 14% from a month ago, and the statewide transmission rate is .90.

Statewide, vaccination rates have increased 30% from last week’s rate, with an average of 25K doses administered per day. More than 5.91 million New Jersey residents are fully vaccinated, representing about 75% of all those who are eligible.

In Union County, 406,712 (73% of the total population) have received one dose of vaccine, and 357,363 (64% of the total population) are fully vaccinated.

In Westfield, our fully vaccinated population consists of 93% of those 65 and older, 93% of those 30 and older, 94% of adults (18+), 90% of those 12 and older, and 74% of the entire population.

The FDA will hold an Advisory Committee meeting on October 26 to review the Emergency Use Authorization of the Pfizer vaccine for children ages five through eleven. The FDA Advisory Committee will also meet on October 14 and 15 to review expanding the current Emergency Use Authorizations for the Moderna and J&J vaccines to include booster doses.

Any resident interested in receiving the vaccine can call 908-789-4070. They carry Pfizer (primary series and booster doses) and J&J at the clinics, and residents can receive Moderna (primary series and third dose) by making an appointment. A schedule of upcoming vaccination clinics can be found at the H ealth Department website.

To assist with the many vaccination clinics the Health Department will be conducting through the winter, they are looking to hire additional vaccinators. Resumes can be sent to health@westfieldnj.gov.

TAX BILLS

Fourth quarter property tax bills were mailed over the past week, along with my annual municipal budget highlights letter to keep you apprised of where your tax dollars go and some updates on our key progress to date in 2021. This year’s municipal tax increase equals $66 for the average assessed household, and is part of a four-year average increase of 1.1% (versus 2% over the prior four years). I’m pleased to highlight our unprecedented road paving initiative, investments in technology to drive efficiencies, historic levels of grant funding, and our focus on smart growth.

POLICE UPDATE

Chief Battiloro reports the following notable incidents occurred in Westfield this past week:

October 3
A Westfield resident reported that his black 2019 BMW M55 was stolen from the private parking lot of Echo Lake Country Club located on the 500 block of Springfield Avenue. Video surveillance captured the theft, which occurred at approximately 8:00 AM. It appears the suspect exited an accompanying newer model blue Mercedes Benz and entered the 2019 BMW M55’s via its unlocked driver’s side door. The key fob was left inside the unlocked vehicle at the time of the incident. This vehicle was recovered later the same day in Clifton, following a three-vehicle crash involving a police vehicle. At least one occupant was arrested.

A resident of the 1000 block of Ripley Avenue reported that his 2020 Jeep was burglarized during the overnight hours. A wallet was reported missing from within the vehicle, which was left unlocked at the time of the incident.

At approximately 11:15 PM, it was determined that a 2019 Buick belonging to a resident on the 700 block of Fairacres was burglarized while it was left unlocked with its windows down in the driveway. The vehicle was rummaged through, but nothing was reported missing.

October 5
At approximately 4:08 AM, the Westfield Police Department was alerted of a 2019 Lexus, previously reported stolen from Maplewood, traveling east on Route 22 from the North Plainfield area.

This stolen vehicle was subsequently located by patrol officers traveling south on Lawrence Avenue. An officer attempted to stop it, but its driver refused to do so and turned the vehicle’s headlights off. The officer pursued the stolen vehicle at an extremely high rate of speed east on Dudley Avenue to Mountain Avenue, then east on Route 22. The pursuit was eventually terminated at the direction of a police supervisor in the interest of public safety.

This same stolen vehicle and its occupants were apparently just involved in a vehicle burglary and an attempted vehicle burglary on the 700 block of Lenape Trail. Entry was made to a 2005 Nissan X-Terra left unlocked in the driveway of one residence. Entry was attempted to a 2021 Mercedes Benz in the driveway of another residence, but that vehicle was locked and could not be entered. Video surveillance from one of the residences indicates the stolen 2019 silver Lexus was occupied by at least three persons.

Chief Battiloro reports that 23 vehicles have been reported stolen to date in Westfield in 2021. He further reports that 21 of those vehicles have been recovered. Keys or key fobs were used to steal every single vehicle and over 91% of these vehicles were left unlocked with their key fobs inside at the time of their thefts.

You can always read more detail about police activity in the weekly Police Blotter, which is posted every Tuesday on the Westfield Police Department’s website, as well as on the Westfield Police Department’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

FIRE PREVENTION WEEK

As we wrap up this Fire Prevention Week, please join me in thanking our fantastic Westfield Fire Department for their ongoing professionalism and commitment to the community. As we saw recently with Tropical Storm Ida, we are very lucky to have their talent, dedication, and compassion.

ADDAMSFEST

AddamsFest is in full swing, and there’s something for everyone this year! Last night, I attended the opening of the Complements art exhibit at The Rialto, pairing the work of artist Suzanne Heilmann with that of Charles Addams. It was fantastic to be back in the Rialto and see it reimagined with amazing future possibilities. Don’t miss this incredible exhibit every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday through October 31 -- full details are available on the AddamsFest website. Thank you to the numerous volunteers who put in many hours of work to transform this beloved space and make the exhibit possible.

This weekend, don’t miss the amazing Wicked Windows throughout Downtown Westfield, and be sure to vote for your favorites in the Haunt Your House Contest! The online voting booth opened today.

Addams Family Fun Day will be held next Sunday, October 17, and more information is coming soon about Dudley’s Drive-In later this month! Make sure you subscribe to receive event updates at addamsfest.com/updates.