CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER AND FORMER ALDERMAN EDWARD CORREA ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY FOR MAYOR OF DOVER

Slate for Aldermembers brings experience, diversity, compassion, and strong leadership

March 30, 2023

“Strong leadership, Experience, and Compassion, these are the qualities that Dover needs in our next Mayor” stated Mayoral Candidate Edward Correa at his standing room only campaign kickoff event held at Elements Bar and Restaurant on West Blackwell Street.

Correa continued, “Dover needs leaders with character with a clear Vision for our community; a team that listens and recognizes our needs and has the commitment to create and implement a policy agenda that will benefit all of us–and that is exactly what this team can and will deliver to the people of Dover.”

As Correa stood before the packed room, the crowd erupted when he introduced his slate for Aldermembers:

Ward 1 – Alderwoman Jessica Cruz (for re-election)
✓ Currently serving her 4th year as 1st Ward Alderwoman
✓ Resident of Dover for 38 years & immigrant from Ecuador
✓ Homeowner for 24 years
✓ Graduate of Dover High School
✓ Employee at Costco Wholesale in Wharton for 30 years including 14 years as a Supervisor
✓ Experience serving on the following committees of the Dover Board of Aldermen
• Finance Committee
• Recreation Committee
• DPW Committee
• Health Committee
• Library Committee
• Liaison to Dover Public Library
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Ward 2 – Cindy Isaza
✓ Resident of Dover for 23 years & immigrant from Colombia
✓ Attended Dover High School 1999-2001
✓ Volunteered with the Dover Fire Department and Dover Ambulance (EMT) for 6 years
✓ Master’s degree in healthcare administration and global health from Farleigh Dickerson University
✓ Currently employed as an Advanced Clinical Research Coordinator in Florham Park, New Jersey
✓ Mother of 15-year-old currently at Dover High School

Ward 3 – Alderman Michael Scarneo (for re-election)
✓ Currently serving as 3rd Ward Alderman
✓ Resident of Dover and homeowner for 42 years
✓ Former Chair of the Planning Board and former Chair of the Board of Adjustment serving a combined total 30 years on the land use boards of our Town
✓ Former member of the Board of Education serving a total of 15 years
✓ Former Coach and member of the Board of the Dover Area Little League for 18 years
✓ Former Coach and member of the Board of the Youth Football for 8 years
✓ Father, Grandfather and Husband

Ward 4 – Former Alderman Carlos Valencia
✓ Former Alderman of the 4th Ward serving between 2019 and 2022
✓ Resident of Dover and homeowner for 25 years
✓ Business Administration degree from Farleigh Dickerson University
✓ Experience serving on the following committees on the Board of Aldermen
• Economic Development & Redevelopment Committee
• Finance Committee
• Police Committee
• Public Works Committee
✓ Father, Grandfather and Husband

For Mayor – Former Alderman and Civil Rights Leader Edward Correa
✓ Former Alderman of the 3rd Ward serving between 2020 and 2022
✓ Resident of Dover for 24 years and homeowner for 20 years and immigrant from Colombia
✓ Certified Paralegal & Certified Public Manager (CPM) from Rutgers University
✓ Managing Partner – The Bilingual Group, LLC
✓ Chairman Dover Democratic Committee since 2018
✓ Former President of North Dover Elementary School PTA and former Treasurer at Casa Puerto Rico
✓ Elected delegate to the Democratic National Convention by Bernie Sanders 2016 & 2020
✓ Experience serving on the following committees on the Board of Aldermen
• Chair of Finance and Economic Development & Redevelopment Committees
• Member of Police & Personnel Committees
✓ Father of two children attending Dover Schools

Correa wasted no time by introducing his team’s agenda for the benefit of all Dover residents.

PUBLIC & HEALTH SAFETY
“Safety, including policing, firefighting, code enforcement, and public health are top priorities. Insufficient and inadequate lighting and the lack of cameras in our downtown and residential areas is a major concern.”

As Chair of the Finance Committee, Correa spearheaded the purchase of several brand-new police vehicles and a new ambulance with state-of-the-art equipment to provide first responders with all the tools they need to serve and protect the people of Dover in the most practical and efficient ways possible. He also started saving the funds so the Town can purchase a new firetruck.

● CREATE a police department specialized traffic unit to control traffic in our neighborhoods financed with revenue from new redevelopments.

● REPLACE obsolete public lighting with modern, solar powered LEDs.

● INSTALL cameras in our parks, the Downtown, and main entrances to our Town.

● HIRE more Code Enforcement Officers to work during the nights and weekends to reduce and eliminate stacking and overcrowding.

● CONTROL speeding using mechanisms to improve neighborhood safety.

FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
“Ensuring that our taxes remain stable and that we do not return to an administration that views public funds as their personal disposable income is absolutely essential to restoring integrity to our system and faith in our local government.” Correa stated.

In three years as Alderman and Chair of the Finance Committee, Correa led the effort to reduce our Town’s bond debt by 48%. He achieved this by championing the sale of the Newberry’s building and forgoing the expense of turning that building into an unnecessary Town Hall as planned by the previous Mayor. He was also the energy behind recovering $6.8 million taxpayer-funded and interest free grant awarded by ex-mayor to the Meridia Redeveloper.

Correa also led the effort to slash by greater than 50% the salaries of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen, which had ballooned astronomically under the former Mayor saving our residents $139,000 every year in salaries of elected official since 2020.

Looking forward, Correa stated, “balancing efficient and effective government by maintaining, improving, and expanding municipal services while keeping our taxes low is a central tenet of our team’s platform.”

RECREATION, ARTS AND CULTURE
“Arts and culture are natural assets in abundance in our community and we must prioritize opportunities for our homegrown artists to showcase their talents while creating opportunities for developing young creative artists in our community and enhance economic development for our local businesses.” Correa stated.

A main priority is to invest in improvements for Hooey Park in the 3rd Ward and Overlook Park in the 2nd Ward, a splash pad at Water Works Park, lighting for the soccer fields and finalize the bathrooms at Crescent Field Park, and return the Richard’s Street Park in the 4th Ward to a children’s park with a brand-new jungle gym and safe ground covering.

● BUILD a Community, Arts and Senior Center to provide space and programs for everyone in our community.

● DEVELOP & IMPLEMENT the arts and cultural initiative including the Dover Cultural Festival, the Dover Salsa Festival, the Dover Food Festival, the Dover Film Festival at Crescent Field, a murals program, and support local artists and organizations.

● CONTINUE to improve our parks and open spaces; create an integrated community trail connecting our mountain trails and parks in one system; and CREATE a dog park, a skating park, and a splash park.

● PROVIDE more support to current programs and ESTABLISH new programs for everyone in our community including bringing back the Dover Boxing Club.

● ORGANIZE annual competitions such as cycling uphill time trial, a bike Criterium, and beach volleyball; and establish weekly programs such as skating roll outs, the Ciclovia (Bike Rodeo), Zumba Classes at Senior Centers, and aerobics at the parks.

SMART & RESPONSIBLE REDEVELOPMENT & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
“Smart and Responsible Redevelopment includes a balance of home ownership opportunities, affordable housing, market rate housing, older home renovations via state grants administered by the Town, diverse commercial and retail endeavors, a parking deck, a community center, and a public safety complex.”

Correa continued, “The plan further requires buildings within scale and sensitive to our existing historic architecture, no more street closures and no more sweetheart deals for private redevelopers at the taxpayer’s expense.”

● BUILD a parking deck Downtown to expand parking opportunities for our residents, visitors, and employees of our businesses funded by a combination of private and public funds and revenue generated from renting parking spaces short and long term.

● IMPLEMENT Dover Delivers Hope Homeownership Program (HOPE), which will provide homeownership opportunities for current renters from Dover seeking to buy a single-family home for the first time funded by redevelopment revenue and not the existing tax base.

● PROVIDE dedicated affordable housing for our seniors, one of our most vulnerable populations.

● ESTABLISH a Worker Center for Day Laborers and other workers at the new Community Center.

● CONTINUE a balanced approach to redevelopment that includes affordable housing, market rate rentals, homeownership opportunities, rehabilitation of old homes, and flood mitigation solutions.

QUALITY OF LIFE AND CIVIC CULTURE
● CREATE the Dover Welcoming Kit to educate new residents in their language about their rights and responsibilities in our Town.

● DEVELOP a comprehensive educational campaign regarding property maintenance, noise, and trash.

● ESTABLISH the Dover Volunteer Brigade to work closely with Town Administration to address park, sport fields, street, sidewalks cleanliness, graffiti, street potholes.

● ADDRESS homelessness and alcohol issues by working closely with state and local organizations to provide shelter and integrated support for our vulnerable populations.

● CONTINUE rehabilitation of roads through paving, sewage systems and sidewalk repairs.

EFFECTIVE AND RESPONSIVE GOVERNMENT
The Correa Slate’s proposed “Mayor’s Action Center” will be a hotline for residents to call when there is an issue that requires the Town’s attention. A dedicated employee will coordinate the response along with the appropriate town officials and the Aldermembers of that resident’s Ward. This will streamline the process for residents who need help, promote accountability, and ensure that internally within the Town, all of the necessary parties are actively involved in meeting the needs of our constituents.

● IMPLEMENT phone application system for all our residents to report to our Administration in real time on quality of life needs.

● ENSURE Town forms are bilingual ensuring language access to everyone.

● STAFF & ENHANCE the Construction Department to effectively service our residents and business owners.

● DESIGN a comprehensive communications plan to ensure your government is connected to you.

● BRING government to your neighborhood by holding community meetings in each Ward on quality-of-life matters.

“It is time for our community to move on from the past towards a future of economic and political stability. There is no place in Dover for the nastiness, nepotism, and corruption that ruled our town until 2019. I look forward to speaking directly with our residents as I continue to knock on doors to visit old friends and make new ones.”