PROMISES KEPT: YEAR FIVE
MAYOR BRINDLE'S 2022 YEAR IN REVIEW
2022 was a year where we finally returned to normalcy, reflected in numerous downtown new business openings, a spectacular Memorial Pool season, popular downtown happenings including Open Quimby and Sweet Sounds, new art murals, the best-ever AddamsFest, and the return of a rhythm in Town Hall which made for a very productive year operationally and legislatively.
As I do every year, I’d like to take this opportunity to reflect on what we accomplished this past year before turning the page to focus on an ambitious and exciting new year.
But first I must acknowledge the passionate, committed, and first-rate team of people that have dedicated themselves to pursuing and accomplishing the ambitious goals of this administration. First and foremost, I’d like to thank the members of the Town Council, including Finance Committee Chair Linda Habgood, Public Works Committee Chair David Contract, Public Safety Committee Chair Mike Dardia, Code Review Committee Chair Mark Parmelee, Councilpersons Dawn Mackey, Scott Katz, Emily Root, and Mark LoGrippo, as well as former Councilman Jim Boyes, for their leadership and contributions this past year.
None of these accomplishments would be possible without the incredible efforts and dedication of our Town employees, including the unflappable and hard working Town Administrator Jim Gildea, Town Clerk Maureen Lawshe, Town Attorney (and former mayor!) Tom Jardim, and our department heads Police Chief Chris Battiloro, Fire Chief Michael Duelks, DPW Director Greg O’Neil, Town Planner Don Sammet, Construction Official Frank Vuoso, newly promoted Assistant Town Administrator Heather Re, Public Information Officer Kim Forde, and Regional Health Director Megan Avallone, as well as all of our Town employees who continue to keep us safe, healthy, and informed.
And nothing would be possible without the enduring support of our families and you, our residents, for which we are extremely grateful.
Our significant progress these past few years can be attributed to our focus on the four key priorities that have remained consistent since we were first elected: (1) strong fiscal oversight, (2) charting a vision for our future, (3) championing quality of life issues, and (4) increasing resident engagement. I share these 2022 Town Council accomplishments to reaffirm our commitment to continuing to work for you, and to ensure that you hold us accountable for representing your interests.
HIGHLIGHTS- Welcomed 30 new downtown businesses with additional openings planned for 2023, including Millburn Deli, Maize Cocktails & Cocina, Fresh & Co, Rumble Boxing, German Doner Kebab, Mochimoly Donuts, and more
- Introduced a proposal for One Westfield Place, the culmination of three years of planning and collaboration with HBC | Streetworks Development, which will deliver a healthy downtown for generations, diversify our housing stock, address long-standing traffic, parking, and congestion challenges, enable the Town to invest in major public improvements that would otherwise not be feasible, and bring in unprecedented new sources of tax revenue
- Adopted historic first formal shared service agreement with the Board of Education for the Edison School Fields Project, paving the way for future additional BOE shared service initiatives
- Delivered a 1.9% tax levy, well below the rate of inflation, resulting in a five year-average increase of only 1.3% while continuing to maintain a healthy budget surplus
- Conducted a remarkably successful bond sale yielding a net interest cost of 2.49% in an unfriendly interest rate market, and reaffirmed the Town’s AAA bond rating, one of only 44 (out of 564) New Jersey municipalities to achieve that status
- Reduced auto thefts by 50% as a result of added police patrols, increased surveillance, and License Plate Reader installations at key Town access points
- Paved 16 miles of roads, with approximately ten paid for by the utility companies as a result of 2019 road paving ordinance – bringing our total to 60 miles of paving in five years
- Oversaw the groundbreaking of Maize Cocktails & Cocina, an adaptive reuse of the Town’s historic northside train station enabled by this Council, with an anticipated late spring 2023 opening
- Oversaw the groundbreaking of Redi-Farms, the region’s first hydroponic vertical farm, an adaptive reuse of the former Handler Building that was permitted by this Council, with an anticipated late 2023 opening
- Held the fifth and most successful year of AddamsFest, which is financially self-sufficient, ensuring an enduring new tradition for Westfield
- Adopted 21 general ordinances which regulated 5G, designated historic homes, allowed outdoor consumption of alcoholic beverages downtown, and more
- Addressed many resident public safety concerns by adding speed boxes in eight locations, new striping measures, numerous stop signs, and addressed long-standing traffic and pedestrian issues at Prospect and East Broad Street
- Attained professional accreditation for WPD Dispatch, making the department one of only five in the state to achieve accreditation for both its service and dispatch departments
- Planted approximately 640 trees Town-wide by the DPW
- Designated three additional historic landmarks including: 23 Stoneleigh Park, 112 Ferris Place, and the Train Station Coffee Kiosk, bringing this administration’s total to ten voluntary designations
- Received approximately $1,300,000 in pursued grants, comparable to 2021, which was the highest amount in decades
- Awarded Silver Certification by Sustainable Jersey for the third time in Town history, increasing eligibility for grants and funding
Listed below is a comprehensive list of 2022 accomplishments, broken out by key priorities.1) Provide strong fiscal oversight, enhance operating efficiencies, and identify new revenue sources - Successfully managed post-COVID fiscal recovery by continuing to keep budget increases below 2%, restoring impacted revenue sources (parking, court, pool), replenishing surplus to stable levels, and maintaining our AAA bond rating
- Paved 16 miles of roads, mostly funded by County, State, and utility companies
- Prioritized a Town culture of innovation, customer service, and inclusion, with 50% of leadership positions now held by women; hired the first female Public Works employee in department history, and installed dynamic new female hires in key roles, including new Recreation Director, Assistant Town Administrator, Zoning Officer, and Downtown Westfield Corporation Executive Director
- Finalized new four year contracts with FMBA and Teamsters
- Improved leaf collection with accelerated schedule and daily Nixle alerts
- Conducted second road assessment to gauge quality of every road to guide future paving program through 2026
2) Chart a vision for Westfield’s future that embraces growth and innovation, improves the downtown business climate, and effectively manages redevelopment- Introduced proposal for One Westfield Place, the culmination of three years of planning and collaboration with HBC | Streetworks Development, to repurpose their Lord & Taylor site and the North & South Avenue parking lots, which will enable a healthy downtown for generations and deliver on the key recommendations of the adopted 2019 Master Plan Reexamination
- Continued collaboration with the DWC to enhance downtown streetscapes with new lighting, art murals, and signage, as well as provide support for ongoing DWC initiatives (including Open Quimby, Pizza Run, holiday tree lighting) and new programming (Winter Wonderland, Hanukkah Hoopla, Kwanzaa Fun, and Shakespeare in Foundation Park)
- Assured developer accountability and Town oversight of key development project at Ferris Place and Prospect Street (The Sophia) by adopting a redevelopment plan and agreement which included key construction milestones and quality control measures
3) Champion quality of life issues that impact all residents Parks/Recreation- Approved historic first-ever formal shared service agreement with the Board of Education for new athletic and recreational facilities with the Edison Fields project to significantly improve field capacity
- Held another successful season at the Westfield Rink at Gumbert Park
- Held two park clean-ups organized by the Green Team
- Continued partnership with Friends of Brightwood for extensive clean-up and expansion of educational and recreational opportunities
- Initiated Mindowaskin improvements, including restoring Daffodil Hill with new legacy Wildflower Garden in conjunction with Friends of Mindowaskin, Garden Club of Westfield, and the Department of Public Works
- Installed new playground at Windsor Park; held a record breaking sold-out successful Memorial Pool season; partnered with Girls Softball to make significant improvements to Memorial Park softball fields
Green Team/Sustainability- Awarded Silver Certification by Sustainable Jersey for third consecutive year
- Ran successful events including fourth Free Market and second Green Energy Fair
- Restarted food waste recycling program at Jefferson in partnership with the Board of Education
- Initiated installation of two bike oases paid for primarily with grants; 1Q23 expected completion date
- Installed two additional EV chargers from Volta in Lot 7 at no cost
- Conducted first-ever Rahway River stream assessment with Board of Education, in which hundreds of high school students participated
- Initiated the development of community energy energy plans via a Sustainable Jersey grant in partnership with the Library
- Launched first Green Team newsletter and monthly Leader column
- Launched community solar program with 160 residents participating
- Continued toy recycling program resulting in thousands of toys donated to children in need
Public Safety- Attained professional accreditation for Westfield Police Department Dispatch center for the first time in Town history
- Conducted numerous speed studies throughout Town to assess conditions for traffic intervention
- Installed permanent traffic calming median at Boulevard and Grove Street
- Purchased and installed eight additional speed sign devices at key locations around Town to deter speeding and collect information to perform targeted enforcement measures
- Fulfilled multiple requests for stop sign installations and refreshed/newly installed striping patterns to enhance public safety
- Addressed long-standing traffic and pedestrian issues at Prospect and East Broad with new left hand turn prohibitions, loading zone relocations and time change to enhance line of sight, and a widened entrance to the municipal parking lot to decrease queuing in the street
- Approved cell tower installation in the Conservation Center to improve poor cell service, enhance emergency response communications, and fund Houlihan/Sid Fay park improvements
Quality of Life - Continued work of the Westfield Infrastructure Resiliency Committee (WIRC) to address holistic and long-term stormwater challenges post-Ida
- Complete rebuild of the Tamaques Way sanitary sewer pump station
- Supported several public art initiatives, including the Through the Lens photography exhibit, and the new Artist Alley murals on the Rialto building
4) Increase resident engagement by improving transparency and communication to better reflect the open, inclusive, innovative and collaborative spirit of our community- Distributed weekly Mayor’s email newsletter summarizing significant town updates, with a 76% increase in subscribers
- Held fifth annual AddamsFest, financially self-funded through a series of events, including partnership with Netflix to premiere Wednesday series at the Rialto
- Supported second annual expanded March to Yorktown in partnership with the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary route
- Held 12+ events for seniors including two Senior Scam events, Real ID Mobile Event in partnership with WPD and NJ MVC, and third annual Senior Services Fair
- Continued sending out quarterly senior newsletter and weekly emails from Lifelong Westfield
- Held inaugural C.A.K.E. walk with Mental Health Council in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month
- Hosted multiple events with the Human Relations Advisory Commission (HRAC) to promote inclusion and denounce racism/anti-Semitism – including Chalk the Walk, Hindu and Indigenous Peoples’ presentations in collaboration with the Library, and others
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