Salem First Accomplishments as your Township Supervisor

Accomplishments as Township Supervisor

Managing Growth

ü  Worked to revise Salem’s Growth Management Plan to best reflect our long-range values and needs’

o   The detail of the GMP is what gives it defensibility; the revision added 2/3 to the existing version

ü  Successfully defended multiple lawsuits brought by developers that went to court to test Salem’s Growth Management Plan and Ordinances. Our strong, precise ordinances allowed us to prevail, maintaining our vision how we want to maintain our township.

Keeping Salem a Great Place to Live

ü  Designed and implemented a community park in the Salem Hamlet, completely financed through private donations, no township money used.

ü  Explored many alternatives that will give Salem the best balance of cost and health and safety services (fire and police).

ü  Actively worked with police to resolve individual resident issues – trespassing, noise disturbances

ü  Crafted noise ordinance with input from law enforcement and courts, so that we have an ordinance that provides warnings, tracks repeat occurrences and provides escalating penalties for multiple offenses.

Finances and Budget

ü  Restored township’s income from landfill and gas recovery revenue through successful lawsuit, including recovery of all attorney fees.

ü  Always support seeking simpler, more economical alternatives.

o   Specifically, spent $30,000 to correct a problem when Drain Commission proposed a $1.4 million solution, which would have been assessed to residents. Further, solved a “$400,000” drainage problem for $10,000.

ü  We enjoy a bank balance of $7 million, compared with $2.3 million upon taking office. We’ve built this reserve by keeping expenses down, government small and defending our income.

o   A healthy bank balance is also a key to being able to ensure that development is done on our terms – those that would sue to overturn our development ordinances think twice when there is enough of a “war chest” available to defend our development standards, guaranteeing that we decide what happens within our borders. 

Government

ü  Township still employs just 3 full-time employees; keeping government small is a key to maintaining our open space. Expand government and sprawl is right behind.