John is a product of Clinton Township. He grew up on the periphery of Annandale village, and attended Clinton Township Schools and North Hunterdon High School. He played sports in Community Athletics programs, served as an altar boy at Immaculate Conception Church, and defended the net as a goalie for North lacrosse.
website: www.lazarus4council.com
Professional Experience:
John works as s a research assistant to Rutgers Economists James Hughes and Joseph Seneca, studying economic and demographic trends in New Jersey. He has also worked as an aide in the legislature and as an adjunct Professor at Lehigh University.
Education:
John believes public officials must continuously educate themselves and develop their practical skills. He has earned the following degrees:
BA- 2000- History/Political Science- Rutgers University
MA- 2004- Political Science- Lehigh University
MPP- 2007- Public Policy- Rutgers Bloustein School of Planning & Public Policy
MPA- 2010- Public Administration- Rutgers-Newark School of Public Affairs & Administration
Volunteer Experience:
The Mayor appointed John to the Annandale Citizens Advisory Committee last year. Since then, he has researched many of the key issues facing the historic village.
John believes that Annandale is the beating heart of Clinton Township. It has the underlying characteristics of a walkable, pedestrian-friendly community, but it is under siege by a relentless flow of nearly 10,000 cars per weekday. The village needs traffic calming measures, and its sidewalks and intersections need improvement as well. John is committed to reinvigorating Annandale, and will vigorously lobby state and regional agencies for grant funding and attention. John successfully lobbied NJ Transit to improve the Township’s commuter services. Annandale station had been neglected for decades, despite being the most dilapidated and heavily-used station in the County. Last December, NJ Transit’s Executive Director finally committed in writing to making necessary improvements. John also got the attention of planners at the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, who scheduled a Walkable Community Workshop in Annandale this summer. Professionals will work with local residents and officials to document safety issues in order to inform future grant applications.
PLATFORM:
CONTROL TAXES- Our state aid has been slashed and other non-tax revenues are down as well. We must control property taxes by finding creative ways to improve our services and generate new revenues. I prefer concrete ideas over empty platitudes.
MEASURE GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE- We need to streamline our government by adopting private sector management techniques. We will increase the efficiency, effectiveness and quality of our services by developing performance measures for every department. This will produce better sources of information for fiscal and managerial decisions. We will also increase accountability and transparency by reporting our performance to the community.
DIVERSIFY OUR REVENUES- As the largest municipality in the region, we are well-positioned to sell many services- police, building inspection, court, etc.- to our neighboring communities. These towns have been reluctant to buy for fear of lost control, but they also face difficult fiscal pressures. If we can demonstrate that our services are high-performing, they are easier to sell. This can generate new revenues to offset reliance on taxes.
PROMOTE E-GOVERNMENT- We must develop our website so that it has richer content provided in a user-friendly manner. Many communities are moving services online, and we should do so as well. If you need to get information or conduct a transaction with our government, you should be able to do so quickly and easily online.
IMPROVE ANNANDALE- Annandale Village is the source of Clinton Township’s history and identity. In the modern era, the village retains its historic character, but quality of life is eroded by factors such as the relentless flow of traffic and dilapidated infrastructure. The Township must vigorously pursue grant funding to improve Annandale Village.
greek2mee3 is discussing.
greek2mee3 8:14 am on May 25, 2010 Permalink |
Is this really the same Mark Berry from the Board of Ed running for Township Committee on a platform of Transparency, Respect and Fiscal Responsibility? Too funny!
Mark Berry? Who as president of the Board of Ed. demanded tax increases and threatened taking away courtesy busing from children? (You can’t make this stuff up!)
Mark Berry?, who as president of the Board of Ed. stopped having the Board of Ed meetings taped for the public?
Who is well known for chastising members of the public when they dared to ask a pointed question?
Who soaked the taxpayers for several million dollars for a school bus repair shop project that he hid from the public?
Mark Berry?, who had the Board of Ed purchase land near his home that to this day sits vacant?
He who was Board Presided while our costs per student went from 11 thousand to 13 thousand in 4 years while test scores and rankings went down?
That Mark Berry? LOLOLOLOLOL!