When I am asked why I want to run for Madison Borough Council, I always respond: “My answer is simple, I love representing the residents of this wonderful town, and I want to continue to make it an even better place to live.”

The next few years are going to be very exciting times for Madison, and I feel that my knowledge and experience in government will help the Council develop the new ideas we will be pursuing. I am also very pleased to be a part of one of the best, most effective Councils that I have ever been privileged to serve on. We get things done!

Municipal budgets are now well under control; borough services have improved; and we continue to invest in our roads, sewers, and utility infrastructures. We have been able to maintain borough services, expand shared services, and maintain Madison’s AAA credit rating. Again this year, the increase in the effective municipal tax rate was less than 2%. In May, we began returning $1.5 million from our electric utility surplus to our ratepayers in the form of a monthly credit on their electric bills.

Having John Hoover as a running mate this year is exciting. John has a wealth of experience in borough affairs, having served on numerous borough boards, commissions, and committees. He has continually demonstrated his total commitment to the community through his many, many volunteer activities. His presence on the Borough Council will help us to continue to do an excellect job serving Madison residents.

I understand municipal government and how to make it work effectively to meet the needs of its residents. Before my first term, I attended Rutgers Government School and learned a great deal about the rules and regulations that govern municipalities. During my time on the Council and as a member of numerous boards and committees, I have continuously built on that knowledge.

This year I will be completing my fourth term on Council. I will also be my second year serving as Borough Council President. I am chairperson for the Council Public Works and Engineering Standing Committee and a member of the Finance and Borough Clerk Standing Committee. I am also Council liaison to the Environmental Commission, the Historic Preservation Commission, the Parks Advisory Committee, and have been the proud liaison to the Patriotic Celebrations Committee for six years. I also serve as liaison to the Shade Tree Management Board and the Sustainable Madison Advisory Board.

Previously, I served as Chairperson of the borough’s Senior Citizens Advisory Committee and served two terms as President of the Madison Board of Health. I am Madison’s representative on the Morris County Community Development Revenue Sharing Committee and have served as membership chairperson for the Whippany River Watershed Action Committee. I am a long-time member of Madison’s Thursday Morning Club.

I am a life-long resident of Madison and a local businesswoman. My husband Sal and I are proud to have raised our family here. We know Madison well – its history and its residents. We love this town.

I believe that my experience in municipal government, my volunteer activities and my local business ties demonstrate my total commitment to the community. If re-elected, I will continue to work tirelessly for each and every Madison resident. Please vote for Carmela Vitale and John Hoover for Borough Council on November 7.

Contact: carmelavitale33@gmail.com

I am pleased and honored to be nominated to run for the Madison Borough Council in 2017. I believe that my many years of volunteer community service and professional experience will enable me to serve the residents of Madison as an active and effective Council member.

This year I am privileged to be running with Borough Council President Carmela Vitale. Carmela is a borough institution. No one knows the community, its residents and the mechanics of borough government better than she does. Carmela and her colleagues on Council have given us five years of fiscally responsible government. I look forward to working with them and the Downtown Development Commission (DDC) to help revitalize the downtown‘s economy. I also fully support the Council’s February 6 resolution reaffirming Madison’s role as a “welcoming community” that will provide “equal, respectful and dignified treatment of all people, regardless of their immigration status.”

I currently serve as a DDC Commissioner and am its secretary as well as chair of the DDC Sign and Façade Committee. And there is seldom a Thursday in summer when I cannot be found at the DDC-sponsored Madison Farmers’ Market, where I serve as its volunteer Logistics and Onsite Market Manager.

I am Chair of Madison’s Senior Citizens Advisory Committee, a member of the Borough’s recently formed Economic Revitalization Committee, the Board of Education’s Budget Advisory Committee, and I am a member of the Board of the Madison Alliance Addressing Substance Abuse (MAASA). I serve as Vice President of the Board of Trustees of the TriTown 55+ Coalition, and I am a member of the Rotary Club of Madison and am the Chair of the Madison Elks Drug Awareness Committee. I have previously served as President of the Madison Board of Health and on the Borough’s Strategic Planning Operations Committee, which was responsible for development of the new Rosenet.org website.

I am a results-oriented, enterprising and highly accomplished professional. My experience in public and private sector delivery of financial services strategies, operations and compliance spans the globe, including positions as Senior Vice President at the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and as Southeast Asia and Greater China Regional Project Manager for the American International Group.

I established Citibank’s ten state West Coast regional sales and service office providing global and domestic custody and master trust services. As a Senior Director with the LoBue Group, an international management consulting firm, I designed, reengineered and managed numerous banking operations platforms across an extensive international service base, including Brazil, India, and the Middle East.

With a lifelong commitment to putting service above self, I developed and initiated the Madison Rotary Club’s Friends of Rotary program, served on the Club’s Board of Directors, Strategic Planning, Membership Development and Service Projects Committees, to name a few, and chaired its By-Laws Committee in addition to leading numerous efforts including the Club’s 2015 fundraising projects for Maggie Doyne’s blinknow.org and for Officer Dave Cuozzo. I have also been a dedicated volunteer at the Market Street Mission.

I look forward to using my skills, experience, community spirit and activism to provide a vital link to strengthening our town’s foundations and a commitment to Madison’s citizens to work together to define common goals. I will also promote communication, issue awareness and education, as well as open and thoughtful discussion of issues and concerns to address the needs of Madison. Please vote for Carmela Vitale and John Hoover for Borough Council on November 7.

Contact: johnfhoover@msn.com