JoaN Hussey
For Bloomfield Mayor
Joan Hussey is running for Mayor with a plan to encourage everyone to take a seat at the table.
Together we can make the future of Bloomfield brighter.
PLATFORM
Public Safety
We will evaluate our current community safety programs and look to further what works well and develop any aspect that need improvement. Police play a critical role, but we often rely on them to deal with failures of our social safety net. As mayor, Joan Hussey will continue to keep our community safe by monitoring data, promoting officer wellness and ensuring accountability and transparency. She will work to continue to improve public safety with the BPD’S CARES Unit as well.
Housing
All too often, Bloomfield has been developed with the goal of letting the developer build what is expedient for the developer, so we have many new studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments which cater to commuters to New York City. Of course, Bloomfield should embrace our geography—our location attracts new citizens—and work to keep families here as their children grow, and our elderly should be honored for their time spent making this a great place to live by being able to continue to afford to live here. Bloomfield has “good bones.” We have the physical and social quality-of-life infrastructures necessary for all our needs. We have transportation networks, utilities, public facilities, and communication systems. We have community spaces, social services, and healthcare systems. Effective quality-of-life infrastructures contribute to a community's overall health, safety, and economic prosperity. Well-maintained infrastructure attracts businesses, creates jobs, and improves productivity. Community spaces and social services foster a sense of belonging and promote positive social interactions among the township people. All of this is already here but in need of repair and/or enhancement and effective management. Let’s work to improve our quality-of-life infrastructures and keep happy citizens here. As mayor, Joan Hussey will monitor and maintain as well as improve our quality-of-life and our urban development, and do this with the help of urban planners and other professionals.
Affordability
New Jersey in general has an affordability problem, and often our high real estate taxes and housing costs are the culprit. Bloomfield should consider a Chamber of Commerce and micro transit and look to attract more small business, create jobs and improve overall economic productivity here. The prospect of more local jobs benefits Bloomfield’s adults as well as youth and older workers. Adding quality rateables to our town’s economy will bring a boost to us all. In addition to, or instead of PILOTS (Payments in Lieu of Taxes), we need to look to ways to incentivize creative and talented developers to bring their projects to Bloomfield’s downtown. As mayor, Joan Hussey will work to find ways to cut costs where possible and enhance our tax rolls by encouraging smart development and urban planning.
Community Engagement
The well-being of the young and the old and everyone: who are we and where do we fit in this town? As Mayor, Joan Hussey will encourage community groups to organize and bring their voices to the town council. We need to look to ways to get our citizens empowered with the ability to work with one another for social & civic engagement. Working families can find ways to collaborate and support one another or improve their neighborhood. We can create community spaces for young and old. Social networks are quality-of-life infrastructures that promote a sense of well-being and purpose for those who have time in their day. By providing spaces for social interaction, recreation, and access to resources we may foster important social connections, reduce isolation, and create a sense of belonging and community to our citizens.
Moving Bloomfield Forward
We need transparency—in money and process—and Joan Hussey will attempt to educate voters on the need for urban planning and mixed use and affordable housing. Bloomfield is on the cusp of becoming a large, vibrant community of 50,000+ or it could remain stuck in a “kick-the-can down the road” mentality and continue to increase taxes while we decay in our downtown, and let children and their families down with no Universal Pre-K. My strategy is to organize, knock on doors, educate and motivate voters to become empowered with their rights as citizens and neighbors and help build a thriving community that encourages everyone to take a seat at the table. Let’s make the future of Bloomfield brighter.
A Vision for Bloomfield that includes Green Infrastructure including Storm Water Management, Micro Transit, and Bike Lanes.
Taxes, Traffic, Transit are 3 biggies that come up in discussion with Bloomfield residents.
As mayor, Joan Hussey will support green infrastructure initiatives, collaborate with nearby towns, explore and understand what the possibilities may be--in other words,
get out of the office and work to make this a vibrant, clean, and clean energy town, and
see that these healthy and happy benefits should help to lower taxes too.
Joan Hussey's platform is building coalitions, community organizing, and engaging voters in having a say in how their town operates and responds to their needs.
When civic engagement improves, so does Bloomfield.
In office she'll move for transparency and auditing. We need to axe the corruption tax and bring affordability to homeowners and renters alike.
ITTy BiTTy Budget. Grassroots. Unbought. Unbossed.
ITTy BiTTy Budget. Grassroots. Unbought. Unbossed.
