Howard Hyde

Steve Weinstein 

A. 

I have enjoyed meeting people as I go door to door and appreciate the hospitality most have extended to me.  I have learned:

- People care more about the need for good government than party labels.

- People tell me that they are frustrated over the huge municipal property tax increases over the past three years in Fair Lawn.

- They tell me they are tired of politicians who just come around at election time and forget about them when they are elected.

- People are eager for solutions, but feel that they can’t “fight city hall”.

- Most like it when I tell them, “Yes you can.”

B. What is your favorite ice cream?

Believe it or not, a CPA can sometimes be boring – Vanilla.

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1. Why do you want to be on the council?

I moved to Fair Lawn over six years ago because I could afford a home in a friendly community that had a low tax rate and a high level of competent services. After a couple of years, I began to notice that my taxes were increasing, yet when I needed the use of the services I was paying for, I didn't get them or I got them only after complaining continuously. It is my belief that if someone is not performing the tasks given to them then they should be relieved of duty.

I can and will change the direction of these trends by using my financial experience to reduce the budget and to freeze or reduce municipal taxes. I will be responsive to our community's needs by not deferring problems to the manager or to the board of education or any other deflection, but to be proactive in resolving issues surrounding our residents.

I have grown weary of watching a council with no diversity and no independent thought continue to rubber stamp each other's tired ideas and issue self-congratulatory non-accomplishments to themselves. This council needs a fresh new face and a change of direction.

2. Why do you think you would be a good council member?

As a CPA, my everyday job is to handle the financial lives of my clients. I have dealt with a great many clients with different personalities. These qualities allow me to provide Fair Lawn with an efficient government with low taxes and quality services, while at the same time having the people skills to listen and understand the concerns of residents before deciding on issues that affect their lives.

At 34, I am the face of a great deal of young Fair Lawn parents who are balancing working and raising a family. My two young children, like many in town, have the immediate needs of diapers and preschool. I look forward to future expenses like college, weddings and retirement. 

Unlike my opponents, I am not self-employed and do not come from wealthy means. I believe many Fair Lawn residents are in similar straits when the council gives us "reasonable" increases in taxes of 6 to 9 percent per year and forces us to eliminate an expenditure somewhere else. The elite current council has lost touch with the people who are increasingly unable to afford living in Fair Lawn. The borough needs at least one councilman who knows what it's like to have a boss and rely on a paycheck.

3. Should Fair Lawn be doing more to prepare for a possible terrorist attack in the region? 

Our current plan does not specifically address terrorist attacks. However, we have in place a general emergency plan that includes a state of the art "reverse 911" system that can alert our residents of a disaster with instructions on how to react in a short period of time.

With that said, one of the mistakes that many of us make is that we rely too heavily on government to solve problems that we can better solve ourselves with a little planning and organization. I personally, would like to see a greater amount of responsibility taken by the residents of Fair Lawn in this area. When elected, I would like to organize "teams" of residents within Fair Lawn, led by volunteer "captains". Those captains would be responsible for notifying and organizing neighbors within their small area of responsibility. They would be made aware of any special needs people within their areas and would be the conduit with the police and office of emergency management. Not only does this plan better prepare us for any disaster, but also it brings education, awareness and a better relationship with your neighbors, thereby strengthening our community.

4.  What is your opinion on two issues that are often in Fair Lawn News: Improving Broadway and Improving Traffic/Pedestrian Safety?

On Broadway:  In recent years, the Fair Lawn Borough Council created the Broadway Advisory Committee in the wake of the disastrous TREECO development that they attempted to impose on Broadway and Fair Lawn. It has been two years since this committee submitted its report to the council. The first step in improving Broadway is to address the recommendations in this report. This council was ready to act on behalf of profits for a politically connected developer, yet it has ignored the work of its fellow citizens.

On pedestrian safety:  First, stricter enforcement of vehicles yielding to pedestrians. Fair Lawn needs to force drivers to yield to pedestrians by making it cost prohibitive for drivers to act in any other way. There are towns in this county where it is well known that if you do not yield, you will be ticketed. Fair Lawn needs to build a similar reputation.

Secondly, I return to the current council's deferral of responsibility to the county for Fair Lawn Ave. and other county roads that run through town. As a councilman, I will be proactive and find a way to pressure and force county officials to act and improve the safety of our roads in a timely matter.

5. What are your 5 favorite websites?

www.savingsbonds.gov provides me with an easy, efficient way to invest in my family's future while supporting our country by buying U.S. Savings Bonds online.

www.state.nj.us  Our state's website provides an easy way to research state programs that our tax dollars pay for that we may or may not be aware of such as the NJ Saver Rebate (real estate tax relief), NJ PAAD (Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled) as well as giving the public the ability to view the special interest contributors to my opponents campaign (www.elec.state.nj.us "view a report").

www.fairlawnnews.com  gives us a comprehensive and interactive summary of events and news in our town that also provides links to areas of special interest that may affect us all.

www.ebay.com  allows me to find new and used necessities and the occasional luxury at what I feel is a fair price.

www.espn.com  I am an avid sports fan and I know that when I inevitably fall asleep while watching Monday Night Football, this site will update me on all of the action I missed.

6. What do you think are the 7 wonders of Fair Lawn?

Our caring, dedicated volunteers who coach, fight fires and respond to emergency calls as well as all of the neighbors who work to make our town a better place.

Historic Radburn.

Historic sites like Garretson Forge and Farm, The Cadmus House, Radburn Train Station and The Dutch House.

The Fair Lawn school system, which, despite recent declines in scores, remains one of New Jersey's better school districts of primary public education.

The maintenance of a "small town" feel, despite being part of a heavily congested Bergen County.

A harmonious blend of people of different religions and cultures, proud of their backgrounds, but who are even more proud to live together as Americans.

Local business owners that not only provide easy and affordable access to the goods and services that we use in our everyday lives, but also are active in supporting our local community organizations and events through sponsorships and donations.

A. What have you learned since you started campaigning?
How wonderful our Fair Lawn residents are!

B. What is your favorite ice cream? 

Cookies and cream { also known as Oreo ice cream}.

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1. Why do you want to be on the council?

To be a council member is the best way to give back to our community and to improve the quality of life for Fair Lawn's residents.

At a recent Radburn Elementary School "Career Day", one of the 5th Grade students asked "Should everyone get involved with their community?" I responded with a resounding "YES!"

If a community is to continue to be viable it must possess the basic infrastructure of good schools, decent housing, recreational facilities and a vibrant business community.  It is not coincidence that children grow up in Fair Lawn, pursue advanced education, get married and return to their roots.  The basic reason for this return is that Fair Lawn is a desirable place to live.  A council member can greatly contribute to this desirability.

As a current member of the council, I have cultivated community involvement by creating a Recreational Facility Committee and Business Leadership Committee. A council member is in a unique position to distill information given by residents and other interested parties, and then implement governmental programs that fulfill the goals requested.  A member of the council has a real opportunity to directly affect the quality of life of the people who live in the community.

2. Why do you think you would be a good council member?

Being a good council member is not limited to reviewing the vast amount of "paperwork" that is delivered on almost a daily basis.  A good council member must listen to the pulse of the community as well as making reasoned and independent determinations, as to areas of need.

In my experience as a CPA, I know how to "numbers-crunch".  With this kind of background, I have viewed with a very critical eye all the major expenditures that have come before the council.

In larger sense, however, a good council member must also be a good listener, and an individual who will keep an open mind, and who will review all points of view before making the legislative decision.

A council member should not solely represent a specific constituency. Everyone in Fair Lawn is entitled to the same level of service, and the same consideration when a specific problem arises that is unique to their neighborhood.  I have a reputation as an individual who has, and will, continue to fulfill this mandate.

I believe I am, and will continue to be a good council member, because I like people, I have a major stake in our community with 3 children in our school system.

3. Should Fair Lawn be doing more to prepare for a possible terrorist attack in the region?

Our residents should know that in a recent survey of 38  municipalities reviewed for their emergency preparedness, Fair Lawn was rated in the top three in Bergen County.

I have been overwhelmingly supportive of our police and volunteer emergency services, such as the Fire Department, Hazmat, our excellent ambulance corps, and other volunteers.   As Deputy Mayor of Community Affairs, I fully supported a high speed emergency telephone alert system for Fair Lawn, which was recently instituted.

Fair Lawn is prepared as possible with heightened awareness and protection of all borough facilities.  While I fully support maintaining vigilance in safeguarding Fair Lawn's people, we must also remember that in this vigilance we should not surrender precious freedoms, such as rights of privacy and personal dignity.

I am proud that we have not had one bias incident in Fair Lawn since 9/11.  I was in absolute awe the way our community came together after 9/11, with candlelight services and an overwhelming generous outpouring of money, clothing, food, and other articles needed in the recovery operation.

My message to the terrorists: "You will not win".  As Fair Lawn’s Deputy Mayor, I will do everything in my legal authority to make sure that that is a true statement.

4.  What is your opinion on two issues that are often in Fair Lawn News: Improving Broadway and Improving Traffic/Pedestrian Safety?

With respect to Broadway, I am pleased that the council has just approved a consulting contract to fully delineate all parking spaces on Broadway.  In my view, improvements must include the residents that live along Broadway, the businesses that exist there and the Fair Lawn government.

A viable business community is essential for the community.  However, business interests must never supercede, nor unreasonably encroach upon the rights of the residents.  I believe that the implementation of a special improvement district for Route 4, as has been implemented on River Road, is  a concept that should be fully explored.

Obviously, the ultimate goal is to upgrade the facades of store fronts, improve parking and promote an atmosphere where businesses will come to Fair Lawn and be successful.  As a former president of a Chamber of Commerce, I know how to work with competing interests to achieve these goals.

Traffic and pedestrian safety is always a vexing problem.  I applaud the work of the previous Pedestrian Safety Committee, and I am proud that I was able to vote for implementing many of its suggestions on a fast track basis.   Just recently the council has reviewed additional recommendations of this committee.  Traffic and safety are continuing problems and will always have my attention.

5.  What are your 5 favorite web sites?

Fair Lawn's borough web site.

Fair Lawn's news web site.

My softball teams web site.

MSNBC web site.

ESPN web site.

6.  What do you think are the 7 wonders of Fair Lawn?

My family.  Without my wife and children fully supporting me in my professional life, and as Deputy Mayor, I know I could not be as active in our community as I have been.

Volunteers. I think the time, effort and devotion by our volunteers, from emergency services to recreation, to our senior citizen centers, to our library, etc. are "wonders" unmatched by surrounding towns.

Educational System. Our educational system is one of excellence, due to its administrative staff, teachers and the terrific support given to the schools by our PTO's and PTA's.

Radburn. The uniqueness of Radburn in its concept and its continuing viability is also a wonder.

Memorial and Walsh Pools. These recreational areas are superb and supply from across the board recreational facilities to merely sitting and contemplating open space.

Community School:  This organization continues to enrich Fair Lawn through its adult education, involvement in the arts, and recreational programs for our children.

Finally, I would observe that  basically, Fair Lawn "works"; Fair Lawn is a progressive "user friendly" family oriented community where people are able  to pursue their own dreams and ambitions.