Dr. Ludmilla Mecaj: Statements, Answers and Rebuttals to Newton Town Council Candidates’ 2020 Debate

First of all, I would like to thank TAPinto for hosting successfully the Newton Town Council debate in spite of the pandemic. Because of the short notice, it was unfortunate that I could not be physically there during this debate, but the statements, along with my thoughts for the main topics concerning Newton, is shared with you on my behalf by TAPinto. Hope my answers, to the broad questions, although not straightforward, will resonate with you.

After watching the TAPinto TV with the answers and rebuttals of the other candidates I feel Newton needs to hear my rebuttals too.

(I have put in italics all my answers to the topics I’ve been given for the debate, and the re-rebuttal is in regular type, so that the readers will understand where my rebuttals came from).

MECAJ :       OPENING STATEMENT

Dear Newtonian!

I first settled in Newton in 1995. With a MD, and other postgraduate degrees, obtained in Europe, I now teach Anatomy and Physiology at a NJ university.

I am now deeply embedded in Newton, where I own several properties.  I am a proud parent, a devoted daughter of two Newton’s senior citizens, a responsible landlady of several Newton properties, a founder of Pelasgian International Students Consulting Group, and a community servant.

For 4 years I was Vice Chair of the Newton Recreation Committee and Chair of the Little Miss and Mr. Newton contest, where I was able to make all participants feel like winners.  I participated in college-level government as an Adjunct Faculty Representative in the College Senate and served on the College Planning and Utilization Committee.

Eight years ago I organized a petition regarding the improvement of food served in the Newton Schools that brought some changes especially to the cafeteria menu at Merriam Ave School.

I have mediated dozens and dozens of disputes successfully, which prepares me well to represent the town correctly in large transactions.

All of these experiences prompted me to run for the town council, as I feel confident to use all my intellectual properties to service to our community.

Why should I be on the Council?

As an entrepreneur characterized by taking positive risks, I know how to be economical and will contribute that economical approach to the community as well.  I will control expenses through a thorough analysis of the pros and cons of all proposals.

I am also characterized by Creativity.  It will be my passion to find practical strategies to invigorate Newton, bringing Spring Street to life through innovative tax and leasing arrangements.

I have demonstrated in your eyes a Pragmatic approach as I accomplish what I set out to do. Two years ago, with the support of hundreds of Newtonians, my successful drive to consolidate the municipal and general elections resulted in increasing voter participation (thus giving a more realistic voting result) and in saving taxpayers $20,000 every two years.

Considering the way in which I saved the taxpayers money without even being on the Council, I invite all to imagine what I will be capable of bringing to our community as a Newton Councilwoman.

Thank you,

1. How to lower taxes?

Mecaj answer: Promising to lower the taxes as soon as I will be a councilwoman is a deception to you as it takes time and steps to achieve it.

I will start to control further tax increases by restraining expenses through a thorough analysis of the pros and cons of all proposals.  I will have acute eyes on every penny used in the process of managing the town: by asking the right questions, exploring the impact of the unforeseen, doing my homework before giving a decision.

We are the county seat and yet with the highest municipal taxes around.

It is not fair that we send our police at every event held at the newton green even when the organizers are from other towns. Why not oblige the county as the owner of many tax-exempt buildings, to counteract the loads of our county taxes, by giving a subsidy to Newton.

Further, considering the town is responsible for 50.80% contribution to our schools, I will lobby to get state grants for our schools and town needs, but also seek philanthropic resources willing to donate to our humanitarian projects that benefit directly our future generation investments.

Re-Rebuttal to Le Frois statement that she lowered Newton taxes during her term as a Mayor:

The statistics from sussex.nj.us site that my running mate, Baldini, brought to the debate are stubborn facts opposing your claim that you brought 0% tax increase.

As per the McGuire building, which brought three times more money to Newton than the $28,000 payment agreement that the Town has made with SCCC. How hard was it for you and the other long-lasting council members to read the statistics of the drastic decrease of student enrollment in SCCC? If they did, they could have separated facts from fiction and avoid handing over another tax-exempt building to SC.  Besides, isn’t the money distributed by the SC freeholders the money of the taxpayers too?

2. Shared services?

Mecaj answer: I support the shared services, as they are cost efficient that benefit the participants who share it.

So far Newton construction department operates with Hardyston and that is a well handled with a satisfactory service. 

The shared services can be expanded to other things like information technology, or transportation among neighboring towns etc.

I have observed Sparta senior shuttle coming to our Wal-Mart, why not work with them and other near by towns writing a share-services agreement that will allow all parties to save money.  We can do some research and adopt the best-shared services models that have proven to be efficient and apply to our Newton, so to contribute keeping our taxes lower.

Re-Rebuttal to Le Frois: the fact that you agree for the benefits of the shared services, as all the participants in this debate do, and considering the fact that our town suffers for the most increasing taxes among the others in SC, why did you not explore the shared services for 911 calls?  There are some great NG911 models that are proven to be effective and beneficial to us, and the participants who agree to share it.

As per the transportation, is it something perplexing to achieve? As I said in my answer, the senior shuttle is the most desirable to start with, yet you have missed it since 2008 until now during your current time serving for Newton…

3. Payment in Lieu of Taxes?

Mecaj answer: Short-term pilot arrangements are necessary and useful as they make it possible for potential new businesses to overcome the burdens of start-up expenses or to expand and thus open up more jobs.

–As for long-term pilots I am skeptical.  Excusing a firm from the regular taxes for more than 30 years cannot be fair to Newton residents (who are paying their full taxes).  An example is Ordinance 212-2020 passed at the September 28 town meeting, which was described as a simple name change of the Brookside ownership.  The taxes are apparently “pilot”–that is, below the regular tax rate–until 2024, 50 years after the original pilot program.  This 50-year abatement (tax reduction) in itself puts an undue burden on the full-tax-paying Newton residents, but apparently the lower tax rate is being transferred to a new company.  Is this legitimate?

Re-Rebuttal to John-Poul Couse: we both agree that the problem with the Brookside complex apartment building is the length of the pilot, 30 years abatement is acceptable but 50 years is a problem.  You said it is not ratable so we should not focus on it… here we differ. The three owners of Brookside in 46 years not only have paid the development cost, but also have been profiting lucratively after so many years.

When I met with the residents of the high-rise they were unhappy as apparently the building is in a very poor condition, considering a large percentage of the units get rental subsidy under the State Rental Assistance Program for Elderly, disabled and lower income families; this means the owners always get the rent payments.  Everyone can imagine the comparable discordance of the same ratable house in 1974 with the same house in 2020. Bottom line, the Brookside should be ratable by now and the town should have not allowed the pilot to be transferred to the new owners.

Re – rebuttal to LeFrois: The tax agreement should not have been transferred to the new company.   If you are recording the town meetings then you would have to be transparent to the viewers about my questions, the town lawyer’s answer to my questions, as well as your rebuttal to my opinion.

4. What would you change about Newton?

Mecaj answer: Gloominess… I want to restore hope by showing my first results of my promises. Showing more actions versus talks. Keeping our community informed in every important decision. Being transparent by recording the meetings and making those available to the public. 

Re-buttal to Le Frois regarding the change to the image of Newton for a safer place…

Do you find it normal that one night at Halsted Street, a yellow boarding house, was reported to have four overdoses that required the emergency services to save the lives of those addicted people?  Is it acceptable that, this house, is three buildings away from the middle school? There were so many times that I have read about this house and the one on main street owned by the same absentee landlord, and the town has done nothing about it.  If elected, as a responsible landlady myself, I will make sure that the absentee landlords are held accountable for a clean, safe environment for their tenants, and community especially those subsidized by the state.

As per Community Safety –We have a model plan, that has worked in some civilized Western European places, to implement in our community to make the lives of our children, our parents, and ourselves safer.  I’ll work closely with all the enforcement people, County Sheriff /Newton Chief of Police, and other Law Authorities to find solutions adaptable within the budget.

Re-rebuttal to LeFrois: you did not agree to the “gloominess” as you believe that Newton is full of positivity. You brought in the views of other citizens that live around SC, but not Newtonians, and they have testified to you “how great Newton is”, oops you forgot to do your home work with the insiders feelings, the Newtonians themself…Well I challenge you by saying: during our campaign with Baldini we have met with so many seniors citizens that have decided to leave the town because they do not see hope for it anymore…so Mrs. LeFrois, you should take into consideration the feelings of Newton citizens.

5. Vacancies on Spring Street? 

Mecaj answer: Start with reversing the wrong decisions like making the spring street one ways back to two again, so to promote movement.  Be friendly and supportive to our merchants, by doing so we would be able to sustain already established business and build a good reputation.

Finding new strategies that will attract potential developers, new business, or artisan entrepreneurs with strong traditional visions may finally bring back the spark to what is now a sore spot of the town. 

If I will be elected, from my part, I would be able to bring within two years of my term at least two business.

Last but not least, music has power to change lives, why not bring permanent music on the spring street; it does not cost too much to have it.

Rebuttal to Le Frois and Couse:

It is true that based on the New Jersey Law, the Community colleges are not allowed to build residential halls as this form of education institution is designed to facilitate and to allow local students to afford getting a degree within two years with the possibility to transfer to a four year University.  As we know the local tax revenue supports our Community College.  Being said, neither SCCC nor the Newton town can afford to open a residential hall.  As a matter of the fact I was shocked to hear SCCC bought McGuire when the enrollment is 40% down.

I agree that we need to find a private developer, but in order to attract a good developer to build a resident hall SCCC needs to improve student enrollment by building a good reputation. I have seen students from SC enroll in CCM because of the poor reputation that SCCC have.

6. Recreation and other programs you would add?

Mecaj answer: I would add a tourist office and make newton a destination.  I will work with NY city and other big cities inside and outside America, promote and market our full of character Newton as the seat of the gorgeous Sussex County that has a great potential to be a Tourist destination nationally and internationally.

I will support Sussex County Historical Society to restore 77 and 79 Main street buildings – 77 Main street was in 19^th century Boys Academy which later was used as a residential building. I am glad these two building were donated to Newton Historical Society. I will target philanthropic organizations/ willing to donate and restore these two historical buildings.

I will do extensive homework to find how to bring back what Newton has lost last century. For those who do not have the information, the last passenger train from Newton departed on July 13, 1966- imagine what it means for Newton if we will bring it back?

Re-rebuttal to Le Frois regarding caring for recreation programs: to refresh your memory, –during this August’s town council meeting, I asked the town manager, when was the last time the town has maintained the drainages of the wet Babe Ruth field (which used to be an athletic field). My question was not answered until the next meeting by a town council member, who said it has been 20 years…

How is it possible to leave the drainages without servicing for so long, which now is going to cost us $550,000 in repairs? This is just one among many deficiencies that proves that the incumbents are not observing the work of a town manager who is compensated $165,000 for managing a fairly small town.

MECAJ :  CLOSING STATEMENT

I am pleased to see so many candidates, all with the goal of helping our community live up to its true potential.  Our differences are in the approach.  We are sorely in need of a pragmatic approach to Newton’s problems.  One could not succeed as a doctor, researcher, teacher or mediator–as I have–without the ability to isolate and analyze a problem, as an essential precursor to determining a solution.  It is such careful analysis that I propose for issues like tax incentives for new businesses. It’s sad that none of the long-serving council members has ever done any financial analysis of the benefits or costs to our town of tax-exempt properties!

Newton is a beautiful town, filled with characteristic antiques and historic houses. Newton has all the features a well built town should have: a town green, a clock, a spring street, a main street, a county seat, a museum, a library, a court house, a community college, and hospital, not to mention THORlabs as one of the top 10 best photonic companies in the nation.

Newton has great potential if managed properly. But unfortunately Newton has a weakness: Newton’s leadership, which has been stagnant for dozens of years and has not really served the people.  They do not hear the people’s voices as they demonstrated in 2018 by resisting combining the May special election with the November general election which would bring a more realistic voting result and the chance to overcome special interests, as well as saving $20,000 every two years to the taxpayers.

Council members do not engage appropriately as leaders for they are not overseeing the actions of the town manager, for example:

My running mate, Baldini, during the debate listed the disasters caused by town’s mismanagement, spending $402,000 on the pool’s repair instead of $25,000, spending $2.5 millions for the fire house #2 instead of spending $1.5 millions initially, and the latest disaster of spending a half a million to repair the Babe Ruth wet field.

All of these are undeniable facts that Newtonians need to know and vote the incumbents out.

I am running together with Margaret Baldini to be the voice of the taxpayers.  We see the vulnerable senior population struggling with the burden of increased property taxes, unmaintained roads & school buildings, the empty Spring Street, the increase in bank-owned properties, etc.

As you, we too are tired of politicians: who ask themselves easy questions to appear smart and informed; accepting campaign donations & endorsements then claiming that doesn’t affect their decisions; saying they care about businesses on the Spring Street, but then eliminating parking and directing traffic one way out of town, Taking credit for solving problems they created like neglecting the Newton pool and restoring it with tax dollars, and many more flaws…

The best way to select a good councilperson should be based on what they have already done for the town without even being on the council such as in my case:

–For 4 years I was Vice Chair of the Newton Recreation Committee and Chair of the Little Miss and Mr. Newton contest, where I was able to make all participants feel like winners.

–Eight years ago I organized a petition regarding the improvement of food served in the Newton Schools that brought some changes especially to the cafeteria menu at Merriam Ave School.

–Two years ago, with the support of hundreds of Newtonians, my successful drive to consolidate the municipal and general elections resulted in increasing voter participation (thus giving a more realistic voting result) and in saving taxpayers $20,000 every two years.

Mecaj & Baldini is your choice for the town council to bring positive change; we will appreciate your vote and place our Newton first!