Letter to the Editor (The Leader & South Bergenite): October 27, 2009
Re-Elect Keyes to the Rutherford Council
Thank you to the good residents of Rutherford for affording me the opportunity to serve our community as a council member during the past six years. As many of you already may know, I have served as liaison to most of the key committees of the Borough: Finance, Board of Education, Library, Kip Center, Williams Center, Historic Preservation, Health Department and most recently the Fire Department, where I have worked side by side with some of the most dedicated people of our community.
Since first elected as council member in 2003, my ambition has been to make sure that the municipality is run effectively and efficiently and that Rutherford continues to be the place where our children return, to raise their families in a safe and comfortable community.
I chose to run for re-election not because I have nothing better to do with my time, but because I want to continue to serve this community in this role as council member regardless of the time and demands. In particular, the past eighteen months have provided many challenges that I have faced head on - always with two goals in mind: Open and honest communication with the residents of our town and protecting the integrity of the Borough and its employees.
Reducing the police force when burglaries are on the rise, removing a fire safety coordinator, and eliminating the volunteer ambulance corps SHOULD NOT be an option, and I can tell you now, they never will be, for me. I have fought against cuts in essential services and will continue to do so. But I can’t do it alone.
Councilwoman Kim Birdsall, my Democratic colleague on the Council, is a strong and vocal advocate for the Borough, but we need more. We need to strike a balance with the partisan-led council and mayor. John Parnofiello, my running mate, will provide that balance.
I am thrilled to have John Parnofiello as my running mate this year. He is young and fresh - bringing new ideas and incredible willingness to do what it takes to get Rutherford back on track without cutting foolishly into the backbone of our essential services. John is a lifelong resident, a new homeowner, and is very much aware of what our residents expect because he grew up in this community. He has been a volunteer coach for the last five years and now wants to do more. Knowing Rutherford, he now wants to serve this community and give back.
Therefore, I humbly ask for your support on Election Day. Please vote for Keyes and Parnofiello on Tuesday, November 3, 2009.
BALANCE is GOOD FOR RUTHERFORD - It promotes healthy debate and discussion of the issues at hand, where their rubber-stamping would otherwise dominate.
Respectfully,
Margaret (“Maura”) Keyes
Rutherford Borough Council President
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