CHAIRMAN’S SPEECH

Clergy, members of the Freeholder Board, elected officials, friends, family, and citizens of Union County:

Thank you for joining us today as we welcome and celebrate the new year of 2008.

Our reorganization marks a time for reflection and renewal. It is also a time to thank those who are closest to us. At this time, I would like to begin by thanking my wife, family members and friends who have supported me throughout my career: (NAMES)

The secret to this Democratic Freeholder Board’s success is really no secret at all. It’s about three elements—teamwork, synergy, and results.

It all starts with Charlotte DeFilippo, the architect of the Democratic Freeholder team. Charlotte has always preached teamwork first. Charlotte, we thank you for your efforts in putting—and keeping together our County Democratic team.

In order for the team to succeed, it has to have synergy, which is a harmony and a positive attitude while achieving a goal. A new individual who embraces these ideals has joined our team. I would like to congratulate Rayland Van Blake on his election to the board. We look forward to working with you.

We also congratulate Sheriff Ralph Froehlich, Freeholder Dan Sullivan, my fellow Elizabeth colleague, and Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski on their re-elections.

This past year, I was honored to serve as Vice Chairman while Freeholder Kowalski served as our chairwoman in the 150th anniversary of Union County.

Through her tireless work ethic, Freeholder Kowalski led us through the celebration of this important anniversary, and a number of other initiatives. She worked hard to help children and families, promote shared services, the arts and economic development.

On behalf of the freeholder board, we thank you for effort in leading us through 2007. Rest assured, I too share your work ethic and will continue our team effort.

I am also grateful to have my colleague, Freeholder Al Mirabella, serve as Vice Chairman this year. Freeholder Mirabella brings great experience to this position and prior leadership.

As we look back, the past year marked the beginning of great changes in the way our state, local governments and school boards do business.

Governor Corzine set the tone by asking government at all levels to seek ways to consolidate services. And the County of Union responded by becoming the state leader on shared services.

The County met throughout the year with municipal and school board partners on shared services. We came up with ideas that saved more than $200,000 in taxpayer dollars. We shared services in information technologies, including GIS, email hosting, technical training and support, with a number of municipal partners.

We continued to share services through our print shop, and expanded mutual services through our Public Works, Human Services, Parks and Economic Development Departments.

In the year ahead, we will continue to explore increased savings, and to think “outside the box” on sharing services.

I am proud to be part of a County Government that uses innovative thinking and develops partnerships to deliver safety and new services for all its families.

For example, this summer, we launched the County Police Vessel, christened in honor of our Gulf War veterans.

The vessel provides County residents with Homeland Security Protection along the chemical coastline of what is known as the “two most dangerous miles in America.” The vessel was paid for through Homeland Security Funds, and the County will coordinate its patrols of our chemical facilities with the Coast Guard.

Another innovative service we launched this past year includes the Route 22 Shuttle. This free shuttle service has helped improve pedestrian safety along this busy roadway.

The shuttle, funded by the state, is operated by Union County and transports shoppers and workers across the busy highway. The shuttle service is a partnership between the County and the State Department of Transportation and New Jersey Transit.

The County also enjoyed another year of outstanding service and achievement in its parks system, including the preservation of precious green space.

In September, we launched the largest and most successful concert the County has ever seen---MusicFest ’07---in Cranford. More than 50,000 people enjoyed the family style shows and musical entertainment.

The event was preceded by a walkathon which raised over $75,000 for stem cell research and cancer advocacy.

The preservation of open space also reached new highs. This year we announced the preservation of more than 170 acres of green space in Clark and Union. This brings the total to more than 300 acres preserved in just six years—well ahead of schedule.

As an experienced provider of environmental programs such as open space and the Rutgers Cooperative Extension program, Union County is well- positioned to be a leader and center for information on Green initiatives.

The scientific consensus on global warming is driving a powerful new wave of environmental programs and emerging “green technology.”

It took a man who should have been President, Al Gore, to bring this issue to our attention. And it took the current President’s failure to address global warming to push the world into action.

This year as Chairman, I am pleased to announce that Union County will join the growing effort to keep America green—we will GO GREEN as my first initiative.

This is a sweeping set of programs designed to reduce harmful emissions, and focus on achieving environmental goals in improving our way of life.

GO GREEN addresses everything from following standards for the design and construction of high performance green buildings, offering environmental grants, removing harmful chemicals, and using green products.

I will briefly summarize each endeavor:

First, the County is working to make its new construction and renovations as LEED-certified. This means that it will conform to the highest green standards in five key areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

The list of buildings that will witness green improvements include the County Administration roof/window replacement, the Union County Tower addition, the Oriscello Correctional Facility renovation, the new vehicle storage building in Westfield, and the new Animal Shelter.

Among the benefits, the new buildings and the renovations will optimize energy performance, use recycled elements, and reduce harmful emissions.

Second, the School chemical reduction program---will remove potentially harmful chemicals from our schools.

Union County is home to 84,000 students in more than 140 schools. Many of these schools contain old, outdated and rarely used chemicals for cleaning. Some date back several decades. As chemicals are left behind, they are improperly stored, posing a serious and often unknown threat to students, faculty, staff and workers.

The County’s Hazmat Bureau will visit each school, properly remove and transport any chemicals away. The program will protect our young, school workers and visitors, and give all a greater peace of mind.

Third, we will offer environmental awareness grants for schools. This will encourage the submission of proposals to include ideas such as composting, recycling, and planting a rain garden.

Fourth, through a variety of sources—our web page, publications, a newspaper, and our public events, we will reach out to our residents about our green initiatives and recycling events. We will print as much as we can of these on recycled paper.

Fifth, the County will offer recycling bins to all our schools. These containers would be distributed on a town-wide basis.

Sixth and last, the County will “go green” by purchasing more recycled paper for everyday use. The print shop will also have recycled paper as an option. We will also explore recycled options for any clothing or fabrics we purchase.

The stewardship of County government involves proper planning and management. While we seek a balanced approach to the environment, we’ve applied a similar methodology to economic development—smart and measured.

Prior to 1998, Union County lagged far behind in economic growth. Since then, under Democratic leadership, we have made a major recovery and transformed Union County into a regional hub for economic growth and transportation.

My second initiative addresses the need to keep our progress going and avoid a return to the dark days of the early 90s.

In 2007, the County launched Freeholder Kowalski’s initiative---the Workforce Competitiveness project study. The first two phases of the project have been completed, including a report from the Heldrich Center at Rutgers.

As my second initiative for 2008, the County will put the Heldrich study into action. For this, I am calling on the Union County Alliance and the Union County Workforce Investment Board to join us in creating focus groups with our business community. These groups will identify what industries are growing, and where we need to put our money and resources to realize the biggest economic benefit in creating jobs and commerce.

The County will also tailor our workforce development programs to these results and assure residents gain the right skills to thrive in our economy.

Next, we will witness the opening of the new Juvenile Detention Center in Linden. The construction of this project has been a priority of this Board, and we are looking forward to its opening next month.

As we’ve made important progress on the Juvenile Detention Center, we will also address the issue of the Union County Jail. I speak for my colleagues on this Board when I say that we were both shocked and saddened by the events of the December 15th escape at the jail.

Rest assured that we are committed to take ongoing action once the Prosecutor’s recommendations at the facility are complete. The County also recently conducted a nationwide search for a new jail director, and we anticipate hiring one within the next three months.

Meanwhile, we’ve appointed Paige LLC, run by Gary Hilton, one of the state’s most respected individuals in the Corrections field, to begin immediate management of this facility. He is evaluating the jail’s practices, procedures and policies. Paige LLC will also assist us in hiring a permanent jail director.

Moving ahead, as we learned from our experiences, emergency situations require an immediate response and proper notifications. The County is already fortunate enough to have a top-notch public safety facility in Westfield, the personnel and the latest high-tech equipment to aid in any response.

My third initiative, the Union County First Alert service, would address the need to contact our citizens by phone about any emergency situation in the County.

We will contract with a company to alert residents with listed phone numbers about any emergencies. We will also set up a web page to allow residents and businesses with unlisted phone numbers and cell phones to opt into this service.

The system can also be linked up with our schools to warn residents of any emergencies in our schools, and even for snow days.

The system could also work by email, text messaging and Blackberry. It will enable our municipalities to have their own section for notification. Citizens could sign up to be notified about various County-sponsored events and road closings, by way of text messaging or email. It will also enable those people who work in Union County to sign up to be notified in the event of an emergency or road closings.

We’re making Union County safer for our families, and we’re also working to protect and educate our children.

As someone with more than three decades of advocacy on educational and youth issues, my final announcements are designed to provide educational and employment opportunities for our young. In line with this, I must also commend my colleague and running mate, Nancy Ward, who has made youth services a priority. Over the past several years, she has also led the County’s gang prevention and education efforts with our Human Services Department.

My fourth initiative involves a variation on another existing County service, the One-Stop Center. We will create a “Youth One-Stop” which will be a multi-disciplinary center located in Plainfield, and later Elizabeth.

The “Youth One Stop” will take a holistic approach to the needs of our county youth and will include job training, education, health, and social services. Funding for this initiative will come from various existing youth grants the County already receives.

My fifth initiative is called the “Union County schoolyards Initiative.” This will be an Open Space grant program for the design and/or construction of outdoor spaces that complement our schools.

The outdoor classrooms will foster our children’s curiosity and provide tools and skills needed to become lifelong learners. At the same time, these outdoor classrooms will provide learning environments that are hands on. There will be integrated lesson planning in environmental education, math, reading, writing, and more.

Finally, I am announcing a new round of grants through the Kids Recreation Trust Fund, back by popular demand. We will focus on field improvements and the enhancement of recreational facilities such as field turf. Other components will include athletic scholarships and matching grants for recreation equipment.

In closing, I look forward to joining once again with the many fine employees in our County family in implementing our new initiatives. We set our goals high, and it is time now to start the effort needed to achieve them. I would like to thank our County Manager, George Devanney, our Deputy County Manager Liz Genievich, and all our Department directors for their efforts in making our team work. I would also like to thank our Clerk Nicole Dirado for her assistance.

I am reminded of something the famous basketball star, Michael Jordan, once said: “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” Our Freeholder team and County family is looking forward to yet another great year.

In 2008, I wish you - and all our families—health, happiness and success.