MAYOR'S UPDATE:
OCTOBER 15

Thanks to everyone who attended this week’s Town Council meeting, where we heard valuable input from residents on a variety of topics. I’m also very grateful to everyone who watched last night’s Mayoral Candidates’ Forum. If you missed it, the replay is available on the Town’s Facebook and YouTube pages, and I encourage everyone to view it and gain an understanding of both candidates’ positions on the important issues that will shape Westfield’s future.

There’s lots to do around Town this weekend, with AddamsFest in full swing with events for all ages! For Charlie’s Ale Garden ticket holders, note that the festivities have been moved to Sunday night due to the weather forecast. You can find details below on this and the other upcoming events, with full information on the AddamsFest website.

Wishing you all a great weekend!

VOTING INFORMATION

If you are a registered voter, please make sure you have a plan to vote! Your options include:

In-person voting on November 2, with polls open 6:00 AM - 8:00 PM. Westfield’s polling locations can be found at westfieldnj.gov/elections.
In-person early voting, from October 23 through October 31, at Union County College
Mail in voting: If you have already signed up as a mail-in voter, you should have received your ballot by now. If you have not yet applied for a mail-in ballot, the last day to do so by mail is Tuesday, October 26. You can apply for a mail-in ballot in person at the County building in Elizabeth or Westfield up to and including Saturday, October 30. Once you have received your mail-in ballot, place it in a mailbox or in the drop box located at the Fraser Building on North Avenue.

As a reminder, I recently hosted a discussion with Town Clerk Tara Rowley and Union County Board of Elections Administrator Nicole DiRado about voter registration, voting by mail, voting in person, and early voting. The discussion is posted, along with Nicole’s slides, on our website.

COVID-19 UPDATE

Yesterday, the FDA Advisory Panel unanimously recommended Moderna boosters for certain groups who are at increased risk for severe COVID. The FDA has yet to determine if they will act on this regulation. Today, the group also recommended Johnson & Johnson boosters for those 18 and older.

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

Locally, there were 30 cases identified in Westfield between October 8 and October 14 (with 29 last week and 34 the previous week) The age ranges are broken down as follows:

Age 9 and under: 3 cases
Age 10-19: 6 cases
Age 20-29: 3 cases
Age 30-39: 4 cases
Age 40-49: 4 cases
Age 50-59: 5 cases
Age 60-69: 3 case
Age 70-79: 2 cases
Age 80-89: No cases
Age 90 and above: No cases

The state’s seven-day average for new confirmed cases is down 8% from a week ago and 27% from a month ago, and today marks 22 consecutive days in which the average has dropped. Hospitalizations have also dropped by 23% over the last month. The statewide transmission rate is .94 .

Statewide, vaccination rates have decreased 18% from last week’s rate, with an average of 20.6K doses administered per day. More than 5.95 million New Jersey residents are fully vaccinated, representing just over 75% of all those who are eligible. New Jersey is one of only seven states to top a 75% vaccination rate.

In Union County, 360,267 (64.7% of the total population) are fully vaccinated. In Westfield, 93% of adults and 75% of our entire population is fully vaccinated. Additional breakdowns by location and age group can be found on the NJ COVID Dashboard.

Any resident interested in receiving the vaccine can call 908-789-4070. The Health Department currently has all three brands of vaccine, and offers primary doses of all, as well as booster doses of Pfizer in the office and pop-up clinics. There is currently no booster authorized for J&J and Moderna, but individuals who are immunocompromised can receive a third dose of Moderna. The next pop-up clinic will be held in Westfield on October 28 from 4:00 - 6:30 in the Health Department office -- no appointment necessary.

ADDAMSFEST

Another AddamsFest, another rainy forecast! For those attending Charlie’s Ale Garden, the festivities have been moved from Saturday to the rain date, which is Sunday night from 5:00-10:00, on the grounds of the Westfield Armory. The event organizers have put together a fabulous evening, featuring beer and wine poured by the Harvest Restaurant Group, food for purchase, and a great lineup of local bands!

For the under 21 crowd, there's something for everyone at Addams Family Fun Day this Sunday from 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Head on over to Quimby Street, which will be closed to cars for a day of family fun -- including Addams Family character visits, live performances, incredible displays by the Maniac Pumpkin Carvers, activities with some of our local merchants, and more. While you’re downtown, be sure to stop in The Rialto for the Complements art exhibit!

It’s also a great weekend to take in the Wicked Windows throughout Downtown Westfield, cast your vote for your favorite Haunt Your House entries, and grab your tickets for Dudley’s Drive-In or the Cult Classics at The Rialto (yes, Rocky Horror is back!). For full details on all of the Addams Fest activities, visit addamsfest.com.

POLICE UPDATE

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

October 9
A resident of the 900 block of Mountain View Circle reported that his 2020 Land Rover was burglarized on at approximately 1:54 AM. The vehicle was located in the driveway of his residence and left unlocked at the time of the incident.

October 12
At approximately 12:52 AM, an officer on routine patrol observed a 2018 Land Rover Range stopped in the middle of the road on the 800 block of Highland Avenue, as a subject ran from a nearby driveway into the car and departed. The officer attempted to stop the car to investigate, but its driver fled onto Route 22 at an extremely high rate of speed, resulting in termination of the pursuit. It appears the suspects were targeting a car in the driveway of a residence on the 800 block of Highland Avenue for theft when the officer approached. It was subsequently determined that the 2018 Land Rover was reported stolen from New York City.

At approximately 8:53 PM, a resident of the 400 block of Alden Avenue observed a black Mercedes Benz parked in the street in front of his residence, just behind his 2018 Mercedes Benz E-Class convertible, with someone inside his vehicle rummaging through its interior passenger side glove box. The resident confronted the subject, who then shoved him, entered the passenger side of the accompanying black Mercedes Benz and fled the area. The victim’s car was parked in the street, unlocked with its top down at the time of the incident.

October 15
An unlocked 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee parked in the driveway of a residence on the 200 block of Wells Street was burglarized, which occurred at approximately 3:19 AM and was captured on video surveillance.

An unlocked 2019 Audi parked in the driveway of a residence on the 200 block of Sunset Avenue was burglarized, which occurred at approximately 3:42 AM and was captured on video surveillance.

An unlocked 2018 Mercedes Benz parked along the curb line in the street in front of a residence on the 600 block of S. Chestnut Street was burglarized, which occurred sometime during the overnight hours.

A 2015 Land Rover was stolen from a driveway on the 500 block of Boulevard, unlocked with the key fob inside.

As Chief Battiloro has repeatedly reported, unlocked high-end vehicles are being targeted for burglary and theft. Suspects will usually exit accompanying vehicle(s), approach target vehicles on foot, and then pull on their door handles. If the vehicles are unlocked, suspect(s) will enter and attempt to start and steal them. In just about all documented instances, the accompanying vehicle(s) are also stolen. Chief Battiloro strongly urges residents not to ever confront perpetrators, but rather immediately report incidents to the police via 9-1-1.

Please take appropriate action to protect your property. This includes removing valuables, including key fobs, and locking vehicles at all times, regardless of time of day. Also, please report all suspicious persons, vehicles and/or activities immediately via 9-1-1.

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.

FACEBOOK LIVE PANEL: IT'S TIME TO GO BACK TO WORK!

Join us for our upcoming Facebook Live panel discussion, “Offices: It’s Time To Go Back To Work!” on Tuesday, October 19 at 7:00PM. I will be joined by Westfield resident, workplace futurist, and founder of SWAYworkplace Denise Brouder, as well as renowned architect Michael Green, Planner Phil Abramson of Topology, and both Christian Michel & Richard Heapes of Streetworks Development.

TRAFFIC SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS

This week, we finalized the installation of traffic islands at the intersection of South Euclid and St Marks, putting a much-needed improvement in place in response to neighborhood concerns. I’d like to thank the residents who raised this issue with the Public Safety, Parking & Transportation Committee, led by Councilman Mike Dardia. The temporary islands were installed last year on a trial basis, during which time the Police Department monitored the installation and collected traffic data. That information was shared with our on-call traffic engineer and resulted in the permanent installation to help calm traffic in an area of concern. The temporary islands are now being used at the intersection of Grove and Boulevard for a similar analysis to determine if a permanent installation would also make sense in that location.