May18 is Bike to Work Day in Montclair, NJ

With spring in the air, Bike&Walk Montclair and the League of American Bicyclists, the national organization of bicyclists, announce that May is National Bike Month, May 14-18 is Bike to Work Week and Friday, May 18 is Bike to Work Day.

Bike&Walk Montclair is urges everyone to bike to work or try cycling for fun, fitness or transportation. Throughout Montclair, there are a number of bike commuters who use their bike to get to work and we encourage everyone, at least this week, to give it a try.  Bike&Walk Montclair will be setting up Energizer Stations at the six New Jersey Transit Train Stations in Montclair to thank those who choose to use a bike as part of their commute.

An Energizer Station is a small booth set up near a major bicycle commuting route that has food, goodies and good cheer to encourage cyclists on Bike to Work Day. The stations will be set up on Friday morning, May 18, from 6:30am to 8:30am and will have bagels donated by a local Panera bakery for the first 50 cyclists to show up at the station.  Look for us at Bay Street, Walnut Street, Watchung Avenue, Upper Montclair, Mountain Ave., and Montclair Heights!

Challenge yourself! Give it a try! You’re gonna like the way you feel!  You’re not gonna want to stop, so go ahead – keep it going – Register Online Today for the 10th Annual Tour de Montclair on Sunday, May 20!  Online registrants will receive a commemorative 10th Anniversary T-Shirt and be entered to win a $100 Amex card!

And for those who find it particularly impractical for whatever reason, please be an exceptionally Courteous Driver this week and share the road.

Interested in seeing others who bike to work?

Follow Bike&Walk Montclair member James Curran on Twitter as he will be tweeting the photos on his daily ride to work, with one tweet a day, leading up to Bike to Work Day. To see them, you can either follow him on twitter (@zamescurran) or search for #bike2work or #may18.

Rika Alper, Founder of Bike&Walk Montclair. An awesome mom.

Springtime 2012

Some great stuff coming this spring – Tomorrow kicks off National Bike to Work Week!  It’s May in Montclair and National Bike Month.  Mark your calendars for the following dates:

May 18 –National Bike to Work Day
May 19 – The Golden Age of Bicycle Racing in New Jersey – Book Signing at Watchung Booksellers
May 20 –10th Annual Tour de Montclair

Looking for a last minute Mother’s Day Gift Idea?

How about a family registration for the  TOUR de MONTCLAIR?  It’s Bike&Walk Montclair’s signature family-friendly bike ride, community walk, and festival held each spring to raise awareness for safe streets for all. Our partners, Essex County Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, the Township of Montclair, the Montclair YMCA, and Partners for Health Foundation agree it is important to our collective health, and the quality of our community, and its fun!  2012 marks our 10th Anniversary and our goal raise money for some cool things like a public safety campaign, a bike camp, and maybe even a pilot “open streets” day.  Sunday, May 20 – register today!

Why Bike&Walk Montclair?

Bike&WalkMontclair is more than an annual bicycling and walking event – we’re a non-profit organization administered by a dedicated group of volunteers who play an increasingly larger role in safety education and advocacy.  Our mission is about creating feasible, convenient and appealing opportunities for people to walk or bike for daily trips year round.  Whether your thing is traffic safety, clean air, health, economic vitality, or community building, we have your interest front and center to our mission.

Through bicycle safety education, encouragement, and advocacy, Bike&Walk Montclair is working toward enhancing the quality of life for Montclair residents, businesses and visitors of all ages and abilities.  Especially moms.  Happy Mother's Day!

Get Involved!  Bikes and Feet on Every Street!

Here are this week’s Safe Routes to School events and ideas.  Feel free to share this information.

UPDATE:

National Bike to School Day was Wednesday, but due to yesterday’s rain, MONTCLAIR TOWNSHP PUBLIC SCHOOLS will celebrate on FRIDAY, MAY 11.  Please take photos if you can, get permission, identify the kids, send them to me, and I will send them to the Montclair Times.

At 3PM tomorrow Helmets4Life will be putting on a helmet safety/skateboarding show at Watchung School . If you are interested in this group of young performers coming to your school, please let me know.

At 7PM tomorrow, Hillside School will be hosting a bike safety event for parents and children in their auditiorium, put on by BikeWalkMontclair. This is an event for the ENTIRE District.

The 10th Annual Tour de Montclair will be on Sunday, May 20th 8:30 AM… an event for the whole family, including a ride around Montclair, as well as a walking trail, vendors, and more! Go to www.bikewalkmontclair.org to learn more, register, or become a sponsor!

May 21 – 25 is [New Jersey's] Walk and Bike to School week – mark your calendars!

Safe Routes to School grant Police Enforcement – The Montclair Police Department is now initiating its portion of the SRTS grant – putting extra police on site around the schools in the morning and afternoon. This program will cover May/June and next Fall.
Buser information: students have assigned seats on the buses. If your child is having a problem with their seatmate, tell your Principal. The bus aides are not authorized to switch seats unless they hear from the Principal.
Safe Routes to School PTA Chair – as you line up your PTA jobs for next year, please designate one (or more) people as the Safe Routes to School Chair.

Great idea from Bradford School! – The Bradford Bike: once a month staff members take turns riding this donated bike to school. Students meet at Kings and bike or walk in a group to school. The bike can be donated, or funds can be solicited, and a local bike shop may give you a deal. Decorate the bike!

School Principals- I have begun meeting with all the Elementary and Middle School Principals to schedule each schools’ Safe Routes to School workshop for next school year. So far we have:

• Bradford – September 19, 8:15 AM
• Renaissance – March 14, AM

In the coming weeks I will be attending PTA meetings to explain the Safe Routes to School program to parents. My schedule is:

• Mt. Hebron – May 8, 8PM
• Hillside – May 10 , 9:30 AM

For more information contact:
Alex Kent
Safe Routes to School Coordinator
Montclair Township
917-841-1516
akent@montclairnjusa.org

Contact: Paul Kiczek, FreeWalkers Project Leader
Cell Phone: 973‐214‐1811 May 3, 2012
Email: pkiczek@freewalkers.org

FreeWalkers Invite Public to Walk “The Big Walk” along the East Coast Greenway

Join the 3rd Annual “Big Walk” from Metropark to New York City on Saturday, May 19th

Paul Kiczek, founder of FreeWalkers.org, and resident of Morristown, NJ, plans to continue the annual tradition of walking 50 miles in one day through the suburban and urban wilds of New Jersey and into New York City.

With the support of the East Coast Greenway Alliance (ECG), he will be leading 50 or more long distance walkers, on this year’s event (http://NJ2NY50.org).  Walking is a great form of exercise for everyone. The FreeWalkers encourage everyone to challenge themselves and just get out and walk to the best of their ability. Mass events bring attention to walking and promote an awareness of issues such as designing safe streets and planning communities that encourage walking. This is the third event in a series of walks called the Cross‐Jersey Challenge (http://crossjerseywalk.org) in which the public is challenged to walk a total of 100 miles across the entire state along the East Coast Greenway in 2012.

The ECG (http://greenway.org) is a non‐profit organization that is mapping out a continuous 3,000 mile trail from Maine to Key West, through populated areas along the U.S. East Coast, such as New Jersey and New York. The organization promotes a multi‐use marked trail for walking, running, and biking and is open to the public. It provides a rare ground‐level view of today’s communities and their challenges for pedestrians. This year the walk will go thru the newly renovated Lenape Park trail in the Cranford/Kenilworth area, hailed as one of the best in the Union County Park System.

This will actually be Kiczek’s fifth attempt at 50 miles. His interest started in 1963 when he and three of his high school friends, encouraged by a fitness fad promoted by President Kennedy, made an unsuccessful attempt at 50 miles in the summer of 1963. Much time has passed but only in the last few years has he revisited the challenge and found others interested too. Soon, the FreeWalkers group was born, dedicated to the challenges and rewards of long distance walking.

According to Kiczek, “Long‐distance walking is a unique sport and challenge. Our walk is not a race but a challenge to learn, persevere, socialize and achieve a substantial personal goal.” The trail runs close to mass transportation allowing participants to join in or drop off at various places if they prefer to walk less than 50 miles. The event is FREE, there’s a chance to win a drawing prize and even a personalized dog tag for all that participate, regardless of the number of miles they walk.

For more details visit (http://NJ2NY50.org). Kiczek says, “We hope that the event brings public awareness of the benefits of walking and the importance of constructing pedestrian highways like the East Coast Greenway.”

The Big Walk NJ2NY50 is a FreeWalkers (http://freewalkers.org) walking event supported by the East Coast Greenway Alliance (http://greenway.org) and other generous sponsors. For more info on the ECGA, contact Andy Hamilton, ECGA Mid‐Atlantic Trails Coordinator, 267‐236‐3407 andy@g

In just 2 weeks, Montclair will see bikes and feet on every street as Bike&Walk Montclair celebrates with the 10th Annual Tour de Montclair on Sunday, May 20.

REGISTER TODAY and be entered to win a $100 Amex Gift Card!  If you register on-line, you will not only get a special 10th Anniversary commemorative T-shirt, you’ll receive a free Courteous Driving Pledge magnet.  On-line registrants will be able to pick up packets the day before and avoid the check-in lines altogether! And save money by registering on-line – price goes up on Tour day!

BE A TOUR VOLUNTEER!   It takes a village to run the Tour and there are lots of great volunteer opportunities available to you!  We need people to greet, register, check-in, ride marshals, corner captains, and walk monitors.  Need to complete your community service hours for school?  Grab your pals and volunteer for this fun day in the park.  Volunteers get FREE Tour admission and a FREE T-shirt.  There are multiple opportunities available now!

SPONSOR AND PARTNER OPPORTUNITIES  Yes, you CAN market your business while promoting healthy and active lifestyles!  As a sponsor of the Tour, your business will have access to our 1000+ participants and demonstrate support of active living in New Jersey and beyond.  Opportunities are available for every budget. 

For more information email tour@trustaffairs.com or call 973.897.1261

2012 Tour de Montclair Sponsors

When you become a partner of the Tour, you join these fellow businesses in supporting active and healthy living.  Please support them!

GRAND PRIX PARTNERS ($5000-$7499)

• Partners for Health Foundation

Tour de Montclair Artwork donated by Christopher Drukker

CHAMPIONS ($1500-$4999)

• Barista Kids
• Montclair Bikery

FRIENDS ($125-$549)

• Au Pair in America
• Boiling Springs Savings Bank
• Budget Print
• Carousel Cakes
• Express Lane, LLC.
• Family Chiropractors
• Fleet Feet
• Investors Savings Bank
• Jennifer Laurita
• K. Aimee Web Designs
• MFEE
• Moline Kronberg Cleaners
• Montclair Society of Engineers
• Montclair Physical Therapy
• Montclair Vision Services
• Nauna’s Bella Casa
• StudioKids Art
• Terra Tea Salon
• Watchung Booksellers
• Yoga Montclair

Each spring, I’m often asked, “When is Bike Montclair this year?”

It occurred to me that perhaps folks don’t realize that Bike&WalkMontclair is more than an annual bicycling and walking event – we’re a non-profit organization administered by a dedicated group of volunteers who play an increasingly larger role in safety education and advocacy.  Our mission is about creating feasible, convenient and appealing opportunities for people to walk or bike for daily trips year round.  Whether your thing is traffic safety, clean air, health, economic vitality, or community building, we have your interest front and center to our mission.

Our Tenth Anniversary

Among Bike&Walk Montclair’s 10 years of accomplishments, here are some of the highlights.

• We developed a very well-received Smart Cycling Program designed for novice to intermediate cyclists.  All classes follow the League of American Bicyclists guidelines and are taught by one or more certified League Cycling Instructors.
• We initiated the Montclair Safe Routes to School program and helped the Township win over $700,000 in grants to improve conditions and encourage more biking and walking to schools.  Through collaboration with Health & Wellness Partnership parent liaisons, our elementary and middle schools have been participating in Walk and Bike to School Days since 2006!
• We worked closely with the Township on the development of a Complete Streets policy which resulted in Montclair being the first municipality to pass one in 2009.  Since then, NJDOT, 3 counties and 26 municipalities in NJ have adopted Complete Streets policies.
• Lastly, Bike&Walk Montclair is a key partner in the Partners for Health Foundation’s Eat.Play.Live...Better initiative.  The program is based both in nutrition and active living and the goal is to help make healthy choices (like to bike or walk for regular trips) easy.

Springtime 2012

Some great stuff coming this spring - starting next week!  It’s May in Montclair and National Bike Month.  Mark your calendars for the following dates:

May 9 –National Bike to School Day
May 9 –Street Savvy  &  Safe Cycling School Assembly
May 18 –National Bike to Work Day
May 20 –10th Annual Tour de Montclair

 Tour de What?

Not to be confused with that little bike ride in France, the TOUR de MONTCLAIR is Bike&Walk Montclair’s signature family-friendly bike ride, community walk, and festival held each spring to raise awareness for safe streets for all. Our partners, Essex County Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, the Township of Montclair, the Montclair YMCA, and Partners for Health Foundation agree it is important to our collective health, and the quality of our community, and its fun!  2012 marks our 10th Anniversary and our goal raise money for some cool things like a public safety campaign, a bike camp, and maybe even a pilot “open streets” day.  Sunday, May 20 - register today!

Be Visible, Predictable and Courteous

Concurrent with the “Tour”, Bike&Walk Montclair is kicking off a Courteous  Driving Pledge campaign. We believe that it really is a cooperative team effort to create a safe transportation environment and walking, bicycling and driving each affect the other. By stressing the need to everyone to do their part, the campaign takes a “village” approach to being more considerate of each other. We stress the importance of all roadway users being visible, predictable, and courteous. When you display the Bike&Walk Montclair oval magnet on your car and pledge to be a respectful and courteous driver, you play a significant role in creating safer streets for residents and visitors alike.  Magnets will be given to participants of the Tour de Montclair and to Members.

I’m delighted to see that issues related to bicycling and walking are becoming more and more a common part of public dialog.  The safety of people (whether they’re in their cars, using transit, walking, or cycling) is what’s important and we hope that together we can really begin to lead by example and make a big difference in Montclair.

Through bicycle safety education, encouragement, and advocacy, Bike&Walk Montclair is working toward enhancing the quality of life for Montclair residents, businesses and visitors of all ages and abilities.

When is Bike Montclair?

Now!

Get Involved!  Bikes and Feet on Every Street!

Official registration is OPEN. REGISTER NOW!

Registration is $15 per person or $40 per family (up to 5 members). Pre-registration is strongly
suggested. Participants who register online will receive a FREE commemorative t-shirt and be entered to WIN a $100 American Express gift card. The event will be held rain or shine.

Tell us you’re going and tell all of your friends!!

Visit our   Facebook Tour de Montclair 2012 Event page and  Tweet @bikewalkmontc and Like our MontclairTV34 commercial on YouTube.

ESSEX COUNTY FREEHOLDER BRENDAN W. GILL

Freeholder Brendan Gill Announces
New County ‘Complete Streets’ Policy

Contact — Office of Freeholder Brendan Gill: 973-621-4479
April 30, 2012

Newark– Last week, the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders voted unanimously to approve a “Complete Streets” resolution sponsored by Fifth District Freeholder Brendan Gill. With this legislation, Essex joins Morris [Monmouth] as the first two counties in New Jersey to adopt Complete Streets as part of its broader transportation and road safety policy.  [Mercer County adopted a similar policy on Thursday last week bringing the total  to 3 NJ Counties with Complete Streets Policies.]

After the vote, Freeholder Gill stated, “Complete Streets is an important community policy initiative, and I’m glad it passed without delay.  Complete Streets is designed to improve safety for all roadway users: motor vehicles, mass transit, pedestrians – especially seniors and young children – and we’ve already seen successes where it’s been implemented.”

Essex County’s Complete Streets policy is already drawing applause from county and statewide voices.  According to Laura Torchio, President of Bike & Walk Montclair, “Bike and Walk Montclair wholeheartedly supports Essex’s County’s leadership which will help make our roadways safe for people using all modes of transportation.”  Echoing this sentiment was Dean Markosian, Founding member of Bike & Walk Montclair: “I ride a bike to the train every day and I walk regularly to get around town. I applaud the Essex County Freeholders for taking the lead on this.”

Already, three Essex County towns have adopted Complete Streets policies.  Complete Streets is intended to provide a framework for making all of New Jersey’s roadways safer and more accessible for pedestrians, transit users, senior citizens, and bicyclists while assuring a safe and efficient flow of cars and other motorized vehicles.

Sharon Gill of the Montclair Center Business Improvement District, and founding member of the Major Taylor Cycling Club of NJ, said “Complete Streets adds to the already strong appeal of Montclair and surrounding towns by strengthening the sense of community, stimulating economic growth, and contributing to the health and well-being of our residents.”

Janine Bauer, AARP New Jersey volunteer leader, had this to say: “This is a major step forward for older residents of Essex County, who in recent years have suffered a pedestrian fatality rate twice that of younger residents.  Older New Jerseyeans in overwhelming numbers say it is important for them to be able to live independently in their homes and communities for as long as possible.  And because so many people hang up their car keys for good as they get older, safe and accessible sidewalks and streets are vitally important.”

To conclude, Freeholder Gill continued, “Clearly, this legislation is important to constituencies across Essex County and I’m proud to say that Complete Streets is now part of Essex County’s new transportation ‘master plan’.

###

There are three slates of candidates and four independent candidates currently running in the Montclair municipal election which will be held on May 8, with polls opening at 6 a.m. and closing at 8 p.m.

Thanks to the Montclair NAACP, candidates running on each of the three slates were asked to submit answers to a questionnaire covering Crime/Safety, Education, Quality of Life Issues, Affordable Housing, Budget/Management Issues, Capital Finance Issues, Environmental Questions, and Health & Wellness.

The questionnaire was a collaborative effort by partners from the Montclair NAACP, Bike&Walk Montclair, Mountainside Hospital Community Health Department, Friends of the Ice and Iron Trail, Safe Yards Montclair, and the Partners for Health Foundation.

The Montclair NAACP compiled the answers to the questions and present them in this document, Montclair NAACP Candidate Questionnaire Responses, April 29, 2012.  The responses in this document are categorized by “slate”.

Because Montclair Township has a non-partisan Council/Manager form of government in which each member of the governing body has an equal vote, Bike&Walk Montclair believes it is important that each candidate answer for him/herself (not as part of  a “slate”).  We invite all candidates for Montclair Township Council to publicly address questions on issues related to walkability, livability and the vitality of Montclair here by commenting on this page.  (All candidates were invited via email on 4/29 to reply.  All responces received will be posted here.)

Montclair 2012 Municipal Election List of Candidates

Montclair 2012:
Robert David Jackson (candidate for Mayor)
Rich McMahon (candidate for At-Large Councilor)
Robert (Bob) Russo (candidate for At-Large Councilor)
Richard Murnick (candidate for 1st Ward Councilor)
Robin Schlager (candidate for 2nd Ward Councilor)
Sean Spiller (candidate for 3rd Ward Councilor)

For Montclair:
Harvey Susswein (candidate for Mayor)
Timothy Barr (candidate for At-Large Councilor)
William Hurlock (candidate for 1st Ward Councilor)
Walter Springer (candidate for 2nd Ward Councilor)
Jeffrey Jacobson (candidate for 3rd Ward Councilor)

Real Progress Montclair:
Karen Turner (candidate for Mayor)
LeeAnn Carlson (candidate for At-Large Councilor)
Peter Zorich (candidate for At-Large Councilor)
Chris Swenson (candidate for 3rd Ward Councilor)

Independent:
Selma Avdicevic (candidate for 2^nd Ward Councilor)
Renee Baskerville (candidate for 4^th Ward Councilor)
Kathryn Weller Demming (candidate for At-Large Councilor)
Patricia Hurt (candidate for At-Large Councilor

Health and Wellness EXCERPT from Montclair NAACP Candidate Questionnaire Responses, April 29, 2012. 

1. Montclair plays a leadership role in NJ’s Complete Streets policy development due to partnerships between local government, advocacy groups and citizens. As an elected official, what actions would you support that would enhance and implement Montclair’s Complete Streets policy?

Montclair 2012: Support a policy that each application for development, street design, public transportation project, etc, in town include a complete streets checklist to ensure that it has been thoroughly considered.

For Montclair: We support the goals of the Complete Streets initiative. Montclair’s downtown should be pedestrian-friendly and our roads should be accessible to and shared by bicycles and cars. We will aggressively pursue state and federal monies that may be available to allow us to accelerate repair of Montclair’s roadways; Montclair’s having a Complete Streets policy can help us compete successfully for those funds. Because we have so many roads needing repair, however, we cannot promise that every road project we undertake will be fully consistent with the current Complete Streets policy. Because so many streets in Montclair are in need of repairs, we believe it is more important to substantially improve the largest number of road-miles than to make a smaller number of miles Complete Streets.

Real Progress Montclair: Complete Streets have been a big focus of the current administration while the finances have gone unchecked. We would not undo any of the great work they have done, but we would choose to focus on the finances of the town, paying down the debt and identifying innovative and more efficient ways to deliver our core services. We would also continue focusing on continuously improving our schools.

2. With the support of community advocates, our Township has received over $1.5M in grants for pedestrian, bicycle and “smart growth” projects and studies through federal funding sources such as Safe Routes to School, Main Street NJ, and Sustainable Jersey. How would you work to assure that Montclair continues to be a leader in these areas?

Montclair 2012: Promote downtown/train-centered development. Encourage town administration to seek grants aggressively. Leverage strong relationships with county, state, and federal officials.

For Montclair: As the question states, Montclair has many community advocates who have helped the Township apply for and win these grants. We thank these neighbors for their involvement in the community and we will eagerly continue to work with them to help Montclair maintain and increase its receipt of outside monies to do good works in the town.

Real Progress Montclair: RPM would encourage and empower volunteer citizen groups to focus on these areas.

3. Livable, walkable and bicycle-friendly communities have been proven to be more socially equitable, have more vital economies, and have higher property values. What do you believe are the major challenges and opportunities to Montclair achieving these goals?

Montclair 2012: Cultural inertia. Much of our existing infrastructure is based on an automobile society. The good news is that society is moving back to downtowns and train-centered areas in a major way. We have 5 downtowns and 6 train stations. Let’s use them!

For Montclair: The two major challenges in this respect are, first, that our major roads in town are controlled by Essex County, not Montclair, and, second (of course), our budget constraints. We want our downtown to be even more pedestrian-friendly than it already is and will pursue policies to that end, including with respect to the DCH and Hahne’s lot redevelopment plans.

Real Progress Montclair: The speed of vehicles passing through our town and the small width of many streets are challenges that allow for full and safe bike lanes. In addition to increasing street presence, the police department must continue to enforce the speed limit particularly on morning evening commuters who cut through town to get to the Parkway or Route 280.

4. What would you personally do to improve the safety of pedestrians and cyclists on our public streets through improved law enforcement and engineering initiatives?

Montclair 2012: Communicate to administration and citizens that this is a priority for the Council and our community. Fully support Robin Schlager’s (our 2nd Ward candidate) “Cross With Care” initiative.

For Montclair: When we repaint crosswalks, we should make maximum use of “Continental crosswalks” – multiple diagonal lines rather than two parallel lines — which traffic engineers have found are more visible and effective. Through the Township Manager, we will encourage the police to step up enforcement of crosswalk regulations, particularly during the hours when children are walking to and from school. We also plan to investigate installation of red light cameras at some Montclair intersections.

Real Progress Montclair: We will welcome the advocacy, research and recommendations of pedestrian groups and other stakeholders with respect to law enforcement and engineering initiatives. In the short term, however, our focus as elected officials will be on the big financial picture. We must prioritize short and long-term fiscal planning or every kind of amenity, non-mandated spending, and valued program will end up being eliminated.

5. What actions would you take to support other policies, programs or initiatives to encourage more bicycling, walking and transit use in Montclair’s vibrant centers?

Montclair 2012: Ensure that our public facilities are “complete streets” friendly and encourage private facilities to get on board as well. Make sure that all of our reviewing panels, e.g. Planning Board, Zoning Board and HPC, incorporate it into their deliberations.

For Montclair: Our answers above have explained the actions we would take to maintain Montclair as a pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly town. We look forward to working with community leaders to pursue other initiatives, mindful of our budgetary constraints.

Real Progress Montclair: We will welcome the advocacy, research and recommendations of pedestrian groups and other stakeholders to support the development of such initiatives and would encourage the development of a comprehensive pilot program in one of the business centers, perhaps in partnership with the local business association. From there, strategies effective strategies will be replicated in the other districts as time, circumstances, and resources permit. Components could include improving the town’s marketing through a more interactive website developing maps of shops, restaurants, cultural events, and better signage for parking and walking routes.

6. What would you personally do to improve the health and well-being of residents of Montclair?

Montclair 2012: Learn more and advocate/communicate more vigorously. A town-wide initiative, e.g. Give me 10 (lbs) or Walk with Me, may be worth a look.

For Montclair: Public safety is the Township Council’s first duty. We will promote the well-being of our residents by increasing police patrol resources and ensuring adequate fire coverage. We will improve the health of our children by working with the Board of Education to restore funding for school nurses. Members of our slate have long been active in the cleanup and maintenance of Montclair’s beautiful parks. We will, of course, continue that work during our terms in office — and, more importantly, use our positions as Councilors to improve our parks.

Real Progress Montclair: RPM would appoint an advisory committee to take the lead in collaborating with Mountainside Health Foundation, to determine the best, most productive way to support their efforts in reaching and educating the Montclair community.

7. Studies show links between synthetic lawn pesticides and health issues (neurological disruption, cancer, brain impairment). Currently Montclair schools and public parks do not use harmful synthetic lawn pesticides. What will you do to ensure that these toxic chemicals are never used in the future in public places like schools, parks, etc?

Montclair 2012: Maintain and enforce current policy.

For Montclair: As the questions states, Montclair does not presently use synthetic lawn pesticides. We would be pleased to consider an ordinance banning their use on Montclair-owned property, if such an ordinance is needed.

Real Progress Montclair: We would establish a formal policy precluding the use of such materials binding both on municipal employees and vendors contracted to maintain our park.