Read this article on the Madison Eagle.

MADISON – In a prepared announcement, Mayor Bob Conley of Brittin Street and Democratic candidates for Madison Borough Council, Councilwoman Maureen Byrne of Albright Circle and Madison Planning Board member Rachel Ehrlich of Kings Road, urged all Madison voters to vote on November 5. 

The candidates stated: “We encourage all voters – Democrats, Republicans, and Independents – to make their voices heard this Election Day by exercising their right and obligation to vote.  If we have learned anything from the events of the past three years, it is that our democracy is a fragile thing.  If we are going to protect it, all our citizens need to become familiar with the candidates and their positions and then they need to vote – either with a mail-in ballot or at their assigned polling location.  Remember: if you received a mail-in ballot you must complete it to avoid having to submit a provisional ballot at the polls.

It might be easy to say ‘this election doesn’t matter, it is just local.’  But in fact, these elections have a significant impact on our daily lives: the services we receive from local, county, and state governments – police and fire protection; our schools and colleges; the streets, highways, and train service that take us where we want to go; our electric, water, and health services; public housing; leaf, trash, and recyclable collections; snow removal; our library, parks and fields – are all overseen by offices up for election on Nov. 5th.  Because 2019 is an ‘off year’ election, voter turnout will unfortunately be light.  Consequently, each voter’s vote has a greater impact on the results.  In some years, Madison elections have been decided by fewer than ten votes.  Your vote matters!

This year, our representatives in the State Assembly, three County Freeholder seats, the County Sheriff and Surrogate, the Mayor of Madison, two Borough Council seats and two Board of Education seats are up for election on November 5th.” 

Borough Council Candidates Byrne and Ehrlich remind Madison voters that “since Bob Conley first assumed the Mayor’s office in 2012, a lot of good has been accomplished in our town. Under his leadership municipal budgets have been brought under control; our already enviable borough services have been improved; our downtown business district is vibrant; our AAA credit rating was preserved, and millions of dollars have been invested in our roads, sewers and utility infrastructures. This year there was no increase in the municipal tax rate and the Borough is returning $2.0 million from the electric utility surplus to our ratepayers.   It is no surprise that as we canvas door-to-door, voters overwhelmingly tell us how happy they are with our lovely town.”

Mayor Conley continued, “Our team has many ideas that will build on our fine record. Together, Maureen, Rachel and I share a vision that focuses on what we know matters to Madison residents, both now and for the future: calming and improving our streets so that they are safe for all; addressing the traffic impacts of development on our borders; guiding development within the borough that will maintain the scale and fabric of our neighborhoods; meeting our obligation to plan for housing that is affordable to all Madison residents; enhancing our recreation facilities; and making our town a leader in environmental stewardship with a particular focus on high impact ways to reduce our carbon footprint.”

Prior to his election as Mayor, Bob Conley served two three-year terms on the Madison Borough Council. He has served as chairman of the Chatham Joint Meeting Finance Committee and was founding chair of the Shared Services Committee with the Board of Education and the Traffic Calming Committee.  Conley is a past chairman of the Madison Recreation Committee and was a member of the Open Space and Recreation & Historic Preservation Advisory Committees. 

Councilwoman Byrne has been a Madison resident for more than 27 years, holding numerous volunteer positions in the community including membership on the Downtown Development Committee and two terms as Chair of the Friends of the Madison Public Library.  She has also been a Co-chair of the “Taste of Madison” event and is a long-time member of Madison’s Thursday Morning Club.  Ms. Byrne is currently is the Council liaison for the Public Works, Engineering and Finance Departments and the Borough Clerk’s office.

Rachel Ehrlich is a member of the Madison Planning Board and serves on the board’s Master Plan Subcommittee.  She has a Master of Architecture degree from NJIT and currently practices as a Senior Associate and Studio Director for housing design at Dattner Architects in New York City. She is a member of the American Institute of Architects and the Policy Innovation Network of the Citizens Housing Planning Council.  She is also a member of the board of NJ11th for Change, an unaffiliated organization dedicated to advocating for all people of New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District.

Candidates Conley, Byrne, and Ehrlich concluded, “If elected, we will continue to give Madison residents the kind of good government that they have come to expect – government that is sensitive to the needs of the community, listens to its constituents and delivers dependable public services in a fiscally responsible manner. 

We also ask that Madison voters consider voting for Assemblyman John McKeon and Assemblywoman Mila Jasey, who have both been strong representatives of Madison in the State Legislature.  Please also consider voting  for Cara Parmigiani, David Timpanaro, and Cary Amaro for County Freeholder, Michael Thompson for County Surrogate and William Schievella for Sheriff.  These candidates have all spent countless hours meeting with and listening to the needs of Madison voters throughout the past year.”