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BLOOMINGDALE - Council candidate profiles
(by Deborah Walsh - Staff Writer - October 26, 2008)
BLOOMINGDALE - With the multitude of campaign signs ranging from traditional to jumbo size, one would have to be in the midst of a Rip Van Winkle-like snooze not to know a local council election will take place on Nov. 4.
Although the Democratic and Republican Borough Council incumbents have both teamed up with newcomers to the council, the candidates have years of civic volunteering under their belts. The Nov. 4 contest pits incumbent Democratic Councilman Bernard Vroom and his running mate Mike Mascitello against incumbent Republican Councilwoman Linda Huntley and her running mate Jo-Ann Pituch.
Incumbents
Vroom began on the council in 2001. He currently serves as Council President Pro-Tem, an appointment traditionally awarded to the council member with the most years experience. He is chairman of the council’s ordinance review committee and is a member of the council’s governmental operations committee and public health and safety committee. He has served on the Bloomingdale Environmental Commission and Bloomingdale Drug Alliance.
Vroom is a member of the borough’s Office of Emergency Management and a founder of the Bloomingdale CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) and Bloomingdale Search and Rescue teams. He is an honorary member of the Passaic County Sheriff’s Department and a member of the board of trustees of the Passaic County 2020 Board. Vroom is a diesel mechanic. He and his wife, Maryann, have lived in the borough for 28 years and have a son, Bernie, 22.
Huntley is finishing up her first term on the council. A former chair of the council’s budget committee, Huntley currently serves as chair of the council’s grant-writing committee and is a member of the council’s ratables and revenues committee. Huntley also serves as the council liaison to the school board and the Bloomingdale Youth Organization (BYO). Huntley said she is a big fan of Tri-Boro Little League and BYO football.
Huntley also formerly served as liaison to the board of health and library board and is a prior member of the Flood Mitigation Committee. She is a member of the Pequannock River Coalition and is a parishioner of St. Francis of Assisi R.C. Church in Wanaque where she chairs the Home & School Association’s food certificate program. A resident of the borough for 10 years, Huntley is a certified public accountant in New Jersey and New York with both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from Pace University in New York.
Vroom said he is seeking re-election because there are still projects that he wants to see to completion.
"Basically, there are some things that still need to be done," said Vroom.
Vroom said he vowed to work toward attracting new ratables (tax-producing property) to the borough and one of his chief accomplishments has been to help create ordinances that will rezone portions of downtown, including the Union Avenue corridor for professional use.
"With the rezoning work that we have done, it should pay the borough dividends now and in the future. We had to do something to stabilize taxes and get new ratables into the borough. I want to continue to move forward with this program," said Vroom.
Vroom said he also promised Jonathan Dunleavy, Recreation Commission president, he would push for completion of the field development project at the Walter T. Bergen School. The borough has already secured Passaic County Open Space grant money and a state Green Acres low-interest loan to do the work, which is being held up by the state Department of Environmental Protection, he said.
Citing another of his contributions, Vroom said he recommended in 2006 that all equipment be dated, which will allow the borough to better plan for equipment replacement. By knowing the age of equipment, the borough can save annually for its replacement, rather than be stuck with a worthless piece of equipment and a hefty replacement bill. Vroom also said he wants to see funding put aside for infrastructure improvements.
Huntley said she wants to see spending curtailed. Huntley said she thinks the council is adding too many employees. She has gone on record as being opposed to recent Department of Public Works hires.
"I feel a lot of things need to be done and are not being taken care of by the present administration. If I don’t get re-elected, things won’t change," said Huntley. "Spending has to be monitored more closely to put taxes more in line with what people can afford. We have to watch what we are spending."
Huntley said her biggest accomplishment was in her role as chair of the grant writing committee. She was able to secure a $30,000 donation from the Salvation Army, which will offset the cost of a new fire truck. The Salvation Army has operated a youth camp at its 400-acre Star Lake facility in the borough since 1923. As a charitable organization, it does not pay taxes to the borough.
Huntley also cited the work she has done in conjunction with the Flood Mitigation Committee. Huntley said she contacted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which has conducted a review of the Van Dam and Bailey brooks to determine a way to mitigate flooding.
Newcomers
Mascitello is the mayoral liaison to the recreation commission. He served on the Zoning Board from 2004 to 2007. He is a member of St. Anthony’s R.C. Church in Butler where he is a CCD teacher. He is a founder and organizer of the "Halloween on Bailey Avenue" event. He has been an electrical mechanic for eight years and has been the owner of an entertainment company. He has also been an instrument repair technician. He and his wife, Meredith, have lived in the borough for 10 years and have an 18-month-old daughter, Margaret.
Mascitello said he grew up in a nice town and wants his daughter to also grow up in a nice town.
"I grew up in a nice community that was a safe community and that’s what Bloomingdale is. It needs to be more affordable. I want give her a good shot at the future," he said.
Mascitello said his top priority is an obvious one: to keep taxes in check and bring more ratables into town to make it a more affordable place to live.
Pituch currently is a member of the council’s grant writing committee She was a board member for the Bloomingdale Youth Organization from 1988 to 1991. She is a past PTA member and a past vice president of the borough’s Board of Health. She was a member of the Board of Directors for the Morris County Association for the Young American Bowling Alliance, which locally ran a youth bowling program at Butler Bowl from 1988 to 1996.
Pituch is a past delegate to represent the Passaic County Board of Agriculture at both the NJ Farm Bureau Convention and NJ Department of Agriculture Convention. Pituch attended Passaic County Community College. She has been a certified Master Gardener for the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Passaic County since 2000. She serves as co-first vice president of the Master Gardener’s Association. Since 1995, she has been employed as a secretary assistant to the Agricultural Department of Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Passaic County. She and her husband, John, who has been a member of the school board for roughly 12 years, currently serving as president, have lived in the borough for 25 years. They have two adult children and two grandchildren.
Pituch said she is on the same page as Huntley, her running mate.
"I lived in town for 25 years and I would like to try and stabilize taxes so I can live here another 25 years," said Pituch. "I believe in what Linda is doing and would like to work with her to stabilize taxes."
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