Madison Council President Eric Range and candidate for re-election recently looked back fondly on his relationship with the town.
Range stated: “I discovered Madison as a Fairleigh Dickinson University freshman in 1997 and fell in love with it. After graduation I worked and lived at FDU, but we always viewed ourselves as part of the Madison community. When I left FDU in 2010, I officially moved to Madison, and I continue to find the town such an amazing and welcoming place to live, whether you are a college student, family, professional or retiree.”
The council president’s running mate is Councilmember Melissa Honohan, who was elected in November 2023 to complete the unexpired term of Debra Coen. She is now running for a full three-year term on Council. Both candidates are running unopposed in the November 5 general election.
In describing his years as a Madison volunteer, Range stated that “his first love will always be the years he spent on the Downtown Development Commission (DDC). When I first joined the DDC, I was the University Representative for FDU, I loved seeing people from all walks of life and ages working together to make their community better for all.”
At 24, he was the youngest person ever appointed to the commission and would eventually become one of its longest serving members. “During those years,” he recalled, “we introduced strong programming to support Madison’s merchants that included the University Hometown Tours, The Love Madison; Shop Madison campaign and many other initiatives.”
Range believes that Madison’s walkable historic downtown is very special. He said “that while development in our downtown will continue, it is imperative that the Council and Planning Board provide safeguards on how that development takes place. We want to protect our downtown’s key assets and character.”
Candidate Range shared what he considers to be his “Madison Musts.” These include his go-to takeout: La Rosa chicken, 1/4 white, mashed potatoes and tomato salad; his perfect Saturday morning: Iced coffee and a bagel from Bagel Chateau. As for a can’t miss list for visitors, he suggests “visiting the Museum of Early Trades and Crafts followed by a stop off at Bottle Hill Tavern.”
Immediately prior to his election to Council, Range served on the Madison Board of Health and was its president for four years. There, he was part of the team that negotiated a shared services contract with Bloomfield Township. “This model expanded services and at the same time, saved Madison taxpayers money. While we now partner with Westfield, this shared services model continues to benefit Madison,” he noted.
As a member of Council, Range served as its Public Safety liaison in 2023. In that role he worked closely with Madison Police Chief Miscia to create additional pathways to hire new police officers. The result of this initiative was that the town ended the year with a fully staffed police department.
That same year, he also led a working team that looked for ways to expand EMS services that could be provided by our professional Fire Department. “As a key part of the program we developed,” Range related “Madison hired a 14th full-time firefighter/EMT and a number of per diem EMTs.
“I was also part of the negotiating team that worked to save the Drew Forest.” Range stated “This effort consumed literally hundreds of hours, but it has resulted in Madison’s July 2024 offer of $65 million to purchase the forest. Acceptance of this offer, would keep the Drew Forest intact and allow the university, an important part of the Madison community, to move forward toward financial stability.”
He added that “My favorite Madison hidden spot is a walk through the Drew Forest anytime during the year; it’s the perfect way to unwind.”
Eric Range has spent most of his professional career in Higher Education working at both FDU and Drew. He currently serves as VP of Product for an EdTech company serving nearly 200 colleges and universities around the nation, helping clients to leverage technology to improve business processes and better connect and engage students. “The combination of providing solutions to solve problems while positively impacting people’s lives is what drew me not only to my profession but also to volunteerism and politics,” he stated
“My running mate, Councilmember Melissa Honohan, and I look forward to sharing our vision for Madison with voters and hope everyone will bring their concerns and ideas to us so we can continue to represent the community’s priorities and make its voices heard. Madison is a community of people who care, and we appreciate everyone’s support.”