Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act was passed by Congress as s $2 Trillion economic relief package. I am thankful for the quick action of Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill and the bipartisan response in fighting for $7MM in funding for Morris County. It’s promising to see how much can get accomplished when you take politics out of the equation and fight for the needs of the people! So much can be accomplished when party affiliation is set aside for the betterment of the county. The funding includes $3,819,380 in reimbursement dollars for expenses incurred by Morris County and $2,915,033 to support the testing of vulnerable and priority populations.

Now it is time to hear from the Freeholders: (1) what were the lessons learned from the past few months, (2) how can we stream line costs for testing (3) how can we ensure we are proactively prepared? Morris County spent over $3.8 MM as of June as an unexpected cost. Let’s hear how we are proactively going to address any further pandemics and work with local municipal health officials in preparing for the future. We know in addition to testing and PPE we have a growing number of issues. There has been an alarming increase in suicide rates, as a county we need to make mental health a priority.

The Freeholders are scheduled to meet this Wednesday with a 4:30 pm work session and a 7:00 pm public session. I encourage everyone to get involved. Listen in on the work sessions and take your public comments to the public session. Let’s hear how these funds will be used to service the community. Additionally, what are the Freeholders’ plan to assist small businesses, how are we assisting individuals who cannot pay rent or their mortgage? What programs and funds are we allocating to support mental health? And finally, how are we helping our municipalities recover?

Please make sure to tune in on Wednesday, August 26th. Go to www.morriscountynj.gov for login information. These webinars are a great way to stay informed, I recommend they continue as a permanent practice. If you feel the same please make your voices heard at the Wednesday Freeholder meeting.

Cary Amaro
Candidate for Morris County Freeholder
www.caryamaroforfreeholder.com