Spring 2005 Edition

Council Candidate: Howard Hyde   It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. We’ve all heard that before, right? It’s that guy who recommended you for the interview or it’s how you skipped the waiting line for Giants season tickets. We’ve all known someone who did something for us and felt like we got over on the system. How many times have you heard someone brag about what they got because of who they knew? Most often it’s a harmless little thing that brightens their day and you seem impressed with them. Sometimes I think people make up stories to show that they “know someone”.  Unfortunately, in Fair Lawn there is a great deal of people who “know” the current mayor and council. I was the recipient of an “I know the mayor and…” at the Dutch House one evening by a contractor who had a little too much to drink and obviously didn’t know who I was.  Public officials have a fiduciary duty to their constituents. In short you are charged with performing at your peak for the benefit of those who elected you. Your allegiance is not to some political party nor is it to a campaign contributor or one of those people who “know” you.  Career politicians have a compulsive disorder. They are addicted to greed and power. It’s a vicious cycle where every waking moment is consumed with how to prepare for the next election.  The truth of the matter is that you cannot be consumed with the maintenance of power through politics without neglecting the job you were elected to do. On more that one occasion members of this council have said to me that this is “how the game is played”. I recollect the Mayor actually making a similar quote for The Record a few years ago when Captain Cook arrested some out of state people for stealing election signs.  I want to provide the parents, grandparents and children of Fair Lawn with great recreation, great municipal services and a thriving business community. I want to do it all as efficiently as possible, so whether you are a young couple looking to start out in life or a retired couple who want to stay near their children in the home they grew up in, you can afford to do so. I have never looked at that opportunity as a “game”.  That is why I am running for the council. In order to achieve results. Real results, not those that can be put on a spin or faked through a series of photos. Constant distractions with say “people who know you” will yield in poor results.  Two years ago the current council manipulated our budget for political purposes in an election year. They achieved their goal of maintaining their power base, but at our expense. In 2004 they saddled all of us with the biggest tax increase in Fair Lawn’s history and watch out for another hit this year. The politics must end.  There are many of us who have lived in Fair Lawn long enough know how much higher our taxes are now than they were in the past. Many get angry, most feel helpless. A lot of people try to make themselves feel better by saying it’s not just our town. Misery loves company.  It does not have to be that way.  When a contractor does a municipal job for $12,000 instead of $10,000 because he needs to make a $2,000 “donation” to the local party in power, your taxes just went up by $2,000! If elected, I will institute a plan where any contractor or professional who donates to a local campaign, directly or indirectly will be barred from doing municipal work on a no bid basis unless they give equally to each side. There will be no politicking at the taxpayers’ expense on my watch.  When politicians run into people who “know” them, it results in things like multi unit residential developments. These developments keep the donors happy and further the ponzi scheme by providing a short term boon to the tax base. That is until the development is completed and the crowds move in. That’s when we all get to pay more tax dollars for police protection, garbage pickup, snow plowing and suddenly we are living in the inner city. If elected, I will not support any multi unit residential housing projects in Fair Lawn. It is a loss of our open space, a loss of our quality of life and a losing financial proposition.  When politicians neglect the business community, the value of those businesses fall dramatically. When Fair Lawn is reassessed for property values next year you will find that the neglect of our business community has resulted in residential home values rising faster than commercial values. That means, you guessed it, more taxes for you to pay. If elected I will concentrate on shared incentives with the community and its businesses. I will institute programs that will draw new businesses to Fair Lawn. The type of businesses that our residents need. I will have the borough invest in the business districts, all of them, so that when future councils face a revaluation, they will see commercial taxes rise in line with or higher than residential, thus lowering your share.  As a CPA, my career is based on working hard to achieve my clients’ goals. I provide them with valuable plans to reduce their taxes, increase their efficiency, grow their businesses and plan their retirements, among other things. I can bring that same service to the council and stop the skyrocketing taxes that are bankrupting our residents.  This can be done without reducing the services that we already have. The dollars that are currently wasted with nonsense and politics will be used to improve our ballfieds, enhance our public programs and support our business community.  This will be a long campaign and my running mate Jeanne Baratta and I will have strong stances on all of the issues. Please visit our growing website www.ElectHydeandBaratta.com.