Page 4 Thursday, October 3, 2019 The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains – Fanwood TIMES A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION ABCDICTIONOPQRSTDECEPTIONUVWXYZ The Westfield Leader The Scotch Plains – Fanwood Letters to the Editor — Established 1890 — TIMES Since 1959 DD Union County Freeholders Urge Action TM Legal Newspaper for the County of Union, DD and for Westfield, Mountainside, Scotch Plains, Fanwood, Cranford and Garwood On Rahway River Flood Control Diction Deception Members of: Below are four arcane words, each New Jersey Press Association • National Newspaper Association • Greater Westfield Area Chamber of Commerce Union County, NJ – The Union County and other stakeholders in with four definitions – only one is cor- Scotch Plains Business & Professional Association • Fanwood Business & Professional Association County Board of Chosen Freeholders Rahway River flood control were able rect. The others are made up. Are you has responded to a recommendation to keep funding available. In 2015 the sharp enough to discern this deception of Periodicals – Postage Paid at Rahway, New Jersey by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Army Corps of Engineers even agreed diction? P.O. Box 250 • 251 North Avenue, West which effectively halts a decades- to place the study on a priority track,” If you can guess one correctly – good Westfield, N.J. 07091 long planning process for flood con- said Freeholder Chair Kowalski. “It guess. If you get two – well-read indi- Tele: (908) 232-4407 • E-mail: [email protected] • Web: www.goleader.com • Fax: (908) 232-0473 vidual. If you get three – word expert. If trol in the Rahway River Basin. Last is unacceptable for USACE to re- you get all four – You must have a lot of POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the offices of the newspapers at July, the Army Corps of Engineers verse course, without warning, and free time! P. O. Box 250, Westfield, New Jersey 07091 abruptly notified the New Jersey De- literally invent a reason for doing so.” All words and correct definitions partment of Environmental Protec- In its recommendation, USACE come from the board game Diction Published every Thursday by Watchung Communications, Inc. tion that work on the flood control stated that “locally imposed con- Deception. Paul Peyton Horace R. Corbin Jeff Gruman plan is no longer merited. straints and lack of acceptance of the Answers to last week’s arcane words. ASSIGNMENT EDITOR PUBLISHER SALES MANAGER “After 20 years of genuine progress, alternatives proposed has severely 1. Gyneconitis – A place or apartment Suzette F. Stalker David B. Corbin Michael L. Bartiromo USACE halted the study for no dis- limited the scope of our solutions.” reserve for women COMMUNITY ASSISTANT PUBLISHER & SPORTS MARKETING PRODUCTION cernible reason. We strongly urge the “In fact, the opposite is true,” said 2. Saurophagous – Subsisting on liz- Christina M. Hinke Ben Corbin Robert P. Connelly Army Corps of Engineers to resume Freeholder Chair Kowalski. “Union ards EDUCATION & ARTS SERVICES BUSINESS OPERATIONS work on this critical matter of public County has worked cooperatively all 3. Isopiestic – Indicating equal pres- sure safety and economic security for com- along with Essex County and the 4. Kopje – A hill with a steep side and SUBSCRIPTION PRICE www.goleader.com/subscribe munities throughout our region,” said Mayors whose communities lie within a flat top One-year – $44 • Two-year – $84 • Three-year – $122 Union County Freeholder Chair Bette the Rahway River Basin, and we Jane Kowalski. achieved consensus on a plan devel- ZADDICK The planning process has been un- oped by USACE.” 1. In Judaism, a righteous and just man der way since 1999, after Congress Freeholder Chair Kowalski out- 2. An arrow or arrowhead Army Corps Needs to Rethink approved funds for a feasibility study lined Union County’s concerns in a 3. A type of sweet onion for flood control in the Rahway River letter to New Jersey DEP Commis- 4. A water wheel with buckets CHEONGSAM Basin. The Rahway River Basin cov- sioner Catherine R. McCabe, dated 1. A Chinese warlord of the seventh ers more than 81 square miles within September 24, urging DEP to reject through tenth century Flooding Feasibility Study the metropolitan region, the recommendation to halt the feasi- 2. Chinese high-necked, closefitting After years in the making, officials learned last Essex Counties for years have worked coopera- including parts of Union and Essex bility study. dress with the skirt part way up the sides counties. “We strongly believe that taking no 3. A Chinese playwright month that the Army Corps of Engi- tively on a plan developed by USACE New York The action by Congress followed a action, as proposed by USACE, is an 4. A Chinese saber of the Han Dynasty neers (USACE) moved, without warning, to kill the District.” She noted that plan, known as Alternative series of destructive floods dating unacceptable outcome of the feasi- ABDAL Rahway River Flood Risk Management Feasibility 4a, supported by the above groups, was rejected in back to 1938, impacting Cranford, bility study process,” she wrote. 1. A carpet maker Study. The local region, especially Cranford, has July of 2018 “totally without warning” by USACE. Rahway and other communities. More “Union County residents and tens of 2. An Arabic street vender 3. A Mohammedan fanatic sustained significant flood damage over the years According to the Mayors Council, Cranford sus- recently, severe flooding occurred thousands of people throughout the 4. An Islamic cleric from Hurricane Floyd in 1999 to in tained “over $4-million in damage” from Hurricane during Tropical Storm Floyd in 1999, region are counting on us, and we POMOLOGY 2011. The financial loss from Irene alone exceeded Irene including damage to Brookside Avenue School a springtime nor’easter in 2007, and must fulfill our obligation to protect 1. The study of the various types of soil $75 million, according to the Mayors Council and Cranford High School; the first floor of the Hurricane Irene in 2011. life and property, among the most 2. The art or science of raising fruit Rahway River Watershed Flood Control. Cranford Municipal Building which was damaged “By working with the vigorous sup- basic responsibilities of our govern- 3. The study of widespread epidemics The Rahway River Watershed encompasses 41 and deemed unusable. In addition, 1,600 homes port of U.S. Senators Robert ment to the people we serve.” of catastrophic proportions Menendez and over the 4. The art of fermenting flowers or square miles of urban and suburban area in 24 were impacted, with 300 first floors damaged with Bette Jane Kowalski grasses to produce wine or liqueur years, and more recently U.S. Repre- Chair, Union County Board of municipalities in Essex, Union and Middlesex coun- an estimated $16.5 million in homeowner losses. sentative Tom Malinowski, Union Chosen Freeholders ties in central New Jersey including Cranford, Spring- The Cranford Canoe Club was also severely dam- Policy on Political field, and Millburn as well as the City of Rahway. aged. Eighty homes in Springfield sustained severe Reader Advises That All Residents Endorsements Alternatives considered included channel improve- flood damage adding up to $8 million in damages The newspaper will publish politi- ments in Cranford and modification to the Orange from Irene with businesses sustaining another $2.3 Should Scrutinize Their Tax Bill cal endorsements in its online media, Reservoir dam spillway in West Orange as well as a million in flood damages. A word of advice, we recommend you ment. So our borough operating costs run available with download of the news- nonstructural plan in the 10-year floodplain for the “They (USACE) state the study has been going on should always scrutinize the property tax much higher, but is offset downward. paper at www.goleader.com. Submit- Robinson’s Branch in Rahway. for 17 years. But that was the initial assessment bill when it comes in. There is a total “One shots” are a dangerous slope once tals should be emailed to USACE notified the New Jersey Department of which was a short review at a $50,000 cost. It has dollar amount noted right near the center they disappear. [email protected]. of the tax bill. But that is not the same The school district end: UP 4.2 per- Environmental Protection (NJDEP) on September only been since 2013 with the Mayors and federal amount when you add up the four cou- cent. But the BOE said it was only 1.9 Those who would like their politi- 18 that further plans to protect the area along the support from Senators and Congressman that the pons, which you will be paying forward. percent? Why? It depends how our con- cal endorsements also published in Rahway River from future flooding was not war- study has reviewed alternatives, “ said Dan Surprise. The coupons actually add up struction debt is spun. Last year, we had the printed newspaper can do so by ranted because “locally imposed constraints and Aschenbach, a former Cranford mayor and member to more. This is due to the school’s fiscal a “one-shot deal” out of our capital that using the paid service at https:// lack of acceptance of the alternatives proposed has of the Mayors Council. year does not match the municipal and offset our debt service lowering the total www.goleader.com/form/ county’s fiscal year. Plus going into the impact to .5 percent. But just the district bulletin.htm. severely limited the scope of our solutions,” accord- The flooded sustained from powerful hurricanes first half of the next year (2020) there is operations tax impact went up 2 percent. We publish letters to the editor in ing to a letter from Union County Freeholder Chair and tropical storms is likely to only continue in the some estimation done by the local fi- This year, that one-shot deal was no more the printed newspaper on issues of Bette Jane Kowalski, a Cranford resident, to New years ahead. We encourage the DEP as well as nance officer. and thus the large tax increase. It appears importance to our readers at the dis- Jersey DEP Commissioner Catherine R. McCabe. federal, state, county and municipal elected officials Our property tax bill of course is made the BOE likes only giving the public the up of the muni, school district and county smaller of the numbers. And this year’s cretion of the editors. Freeholder Kowalski in her letter called the USACE’s to put pressure the USACE back to the table to come costs, and the state mandates to have budget includes more “one shots.” decision “unacceptable, especially considering that up with a viable plan that all parties can accept. The listed separately the library and open The county end: This actually went Letters to the Editor Union County, the Mayors Council Rahway River residents and businesses of Union and Essex Coun- space trust fund costs. But be aware the DOWN .3 percent, thank you. But that The Deadline is Monday 9 AM Flood Control, and residents in both Union and ties living along the river deserve nothing more. library is really part of the muni and the was only because our ratables had dropped for publication on the coming open space is part of the county costs. from the major factory properties that Thursday. The size limit is 200- Commenting on Garwood’s impacts were appealed since they were demol- 500 words. when comparing the tax points listed in ished. BTW-The cost has to be made up Mental Health First Aid the upper right hand corner from last by some other county town paying more. year’s bill to this year’s (avg. total in- However, looking at the overall county crease is $205): budget, all they did was increase their The muni end: UP 1 percent. The coun- surplus for no reason except that they can Offers Tools to Save a Life cil noted it was a slightly different per- frivolously tax all 21 towns with impu- centage, but you have to add in the li- nity and without repercussion. They are Local government officials, school districts and cri- immune to the sometimes tragic outcome of a young brary. In fact, last year the council said now sitting on over 15 percent free cash, sis intervention specialists have over the past several person’s psychological struggle. they had a 0 percent increase, but adding $78 million! And one other amazing num- years been bringing what is known as Mental Health Citing statistics compiled by the Centers for Disease in the library the muni actually increased ber is their debt service is now $71 mil- First Aid to the attention of the public through a series Control and Prevention, Westfield resident Scott Jeffery, .4 percent. These low muni tax impacts lion, more than half of the 21 county of initiatives. Like the immediate care provided to who has served on Caring Contact’s board of directors, are actually caused by what I call “one- towns total budgets. someone whose physical health is in jeopardy, Mental noted in a recent article in this newspaper that suicide shot deals” such as the one-time large Bruce Paterson Health First Aid is employed in response to an indi- is the second-leading cause of death among young construction permitting and fees costs Garwood vidual who may be suicidal or otherwise at risk due to people ages 10 to 34. along with a one-time large tax repay- a mental health condition. The Westfield Mental Health Council, established Caring Contact, a Westfield-based, volunteer-staffed last year, includes among its committees a Youth Garwood Incumbents on Council caring and crisis hotline and listening community, has Advisory Committee, comprised of teens with adult offered training in Mental Health First Aid at various staff members, that assists in identifying “worthwhile Discuss Budget and Tax Bill local venues. Mental Health First Aid also is a compo- programs for youth mental health support in the One of the biggest responsibilities of a While keeping taxes down, we have in- nent of the training Caring Contact volunteer listeners Westfield schools and community.” local elected official is the municipal vested in our departments to properly Thank you Sherry receive in preparation for their service on the hotline. Additionally, a group of Westfield High School budget. As the current finance chair and equip them, including a street sweeper to According to Caring Contact, those trained in Men- students participated in June in Caring Contact’s ASIST having served on this committee twice, I replace the one from 1990 that was no I would like to “second” the heart- tal Health First Aid “learn the risk factors, warning (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) pro- feel compelled to make this the topic of longer operable and a rescue ladder truck felt letter written by Todd Evans that signs and symptoms for a range of mental health gram. Participants learn the warning signs that an my letter today. While it only makes up to ensure our fire department can reach appeared in the September 19, 2019, problems and what to do when they encounter a person individual may be suicidal and how to effectively 33 percent of the tax bill (with the rest the over 40 buildings, including the edition of The Leader thanking Sherry coming from the board of education and school, that they currently cannot. All Cronin for her “dedication and hard in mental health crisis.” respond. the county), the municipal budget pro- this feedback from the panel and from The agency has described the training as “ideal for During its meeting on September 23, the Cranford work in making Westfield the best it vides all the services from public safety to department heads allowed us to come up can be.” first responders, educators, clergy, leaders of commu- Board of Education heard a presentation regarding the garbage pickup, sewer system, recreation, with a five-year capital improvement plan nity groups and business professionals as well as for introduction of Youth Mental Health First Aid training senior programs, and much more. I know to spend on projects that were urgently All the best with your new ventures families with loved ones suffering from mental illness for district staff members. it takes hard work all year long to find needed. In addition, we went through and next chapter. or mental health issues.” We endorse all of these programs, and others within new ways to save money, and it is impor- every budget line to cut out waste and Michele Fischer Training programs have been held at community, our local communities, that seek to reach those in crisis tant for us to involve the public through- even help increase revenue by selling Westfield out the process. unneeded sewer flow rights to Spring- religious and health-and-wellness facilities, with some and provide them with the help they need. By giving When Jen Blumenstock and I first ran field and hiring a financial expert to help Useful Information is at sessions addressing Youth Mental Health First Aid. adults and youth alike the knowledge and tools they for office three years ago, we made fiscal us negotiate a better deal with our rede- www.goleader.com/help Mental health concerns among young people have require to recognize a family member, peer, colleague responsibility and public outreach our velopment builders. gained increased attention nationwide, as well as in our or stranger in need of Mental Health First Aid, we are top priorities. For this very reason, we We find it alarming that our opponents (Your subscription Renewal Date immediate readership area, which itself has not been enabling them to potentially save a life. started the “Breaking Down the Budget” will stop road projects and new equip- and Customer ID are printed on informational meetings where residents ment purchases. They say they won’t your mailing label.) could hear more about the municipal bud- spend, but a town can’t run properly or get and services and ask their questions. safely without proper upkeep. We be- Westfield Council These sessions were held each year since lieve it is important to keep road projects we were elected and the PowerPoint pre- going, so our roads don’t fall into even Candidates Forum sentations were posted on the borough poorer condition. We believe it is impor- The Westfield Leader will be spon- website for residents to look at, even if tant to replace old DPW, Police, and Fire soring a candidates debate among they were unable to attend the meeting. equipment. Let’s not forget the times in candidates for Westfield Town Coun- When Sara Todisco took the office of 2016 when we needed another town to cil from 7:30 to 9 p.m. on Monday, Mayor, she created a first-ever Citizens’ bail us out to make sure residential gar- October 21. We invite town residents Advisory Panel of nine residents with a bage was still picked up because the range of backgrounds, which I partici- Republicans on council voted no on a to send questions for the candidates pated in as finance chair. This initiative new garbage truck. to [email protected]. has increased our ability to directly in- I hope you will support me along with Union County Freeholders volve residents in the decision-making my running mates, Jen Blumenstock and Elizabeth, New Jersey process of capital purchases, like equip- Russ Graham, to continue to bring real (908) 527-4200 ment and roads. results for you. Ed Oatman, Mgr., [email protected] We are proud of the real results we Reelection Candidates Bette Kowalski, chair have brought for Garwood. For one, the Marc Lazarow [email protected] municipal taxes were a flat, zero dollar Jen Blumenstock Sebastian D’Elia, Public Info. increase last year for the first time in 17 Rus Graham (908) 527-4419 years. This year, we had a $35 tax in- Garwood [email protected] crease, the second lowest in 18 years.

State LD-21 State LD-22 7th Congressional District Sen. Thomas Kean, Jr. (R) Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D) Representative Tom Malinowski (D) 425 North Ave. E. 1514 E. Saint Georges Ave. 58 East Main St, Somerville, N.J. 08876 Westfield, N.J. 07090 Linden, N.J. 07036 (908) 547-3307 (908) 232-3673 (908) 587-0404 [Westfield, Mountainside, Garwood, Summit and Cranford Asm. Jon Bramnick (R) Asm. Jim Kennedy (D) are in the 7th Congressional District] 251 North Ave. West 34 E. Cherry St. Westfield, N.J. 07090 Rahway, N.J. 07065 12th Congressional District (908) 232-2073 (732) 943-2660 Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D) Asm. Nancy Munoz (R) Asw. Linda Carter (D) 850 Bear Tavern Road, Suite 201, Ewing, N.J. 08628 57 Union Place, Suite 310 200 West 2nd St., Suite 102 (609) 883-0026 Summit, N.J. 07901 Plainfield, N.J. 07060 [Fanwood, Plainfield and most of Scotch Plains (908) 918-0414 (908) 561-5757 are in the 12th Congressional District] LD-21 includes Westfield, LD-22 includes Scotch Plains, [email protected], [email protected] Mountainside, Garwood, Fanwood, Plainfield, Clark, [email protected], [email protected] Summit and Cranford. Rahway and Linden. [email protected], [email protected]