DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE MIDDLESEX COUNTY REORGANIZATION MEETING JANUARY 7, 2010 “Middlesex County in a New Decade:   Embracing Challenges and Pursuing Opportunities Together”

My distinguished Freeholder colleagues, members of the Clergy, Judiciary, State, County and Local officials and friends,
 
It is my great honor to welcome you to these reorganization ceremonies for the very first time as Freeholder Director.

I extend my sincere thanks to my Freeholder colleagues for the confidence they have placed in me to lead our County Government into a new year. I offer special thanks to my friend and longtime colleague Freeholder Stephen J. “Pete” Dalina, for guiding this Board through the difficult year of 2009. I want to personally thank you for the guidance you have given me throughout my years on the Board. Pete, you are truly a great friend and public servant and deserve a hearty round of applause. 

I take on the responsibilities of Director with a strong sense of purpose and a steadfast commitment to serving the people of Middlesex County who have entrusted this Board to safeguard their best interests.

It’s a trust that once again was given this past November, as my colleagues Carol Barrett, H. James Polos and Ron Rios regained their seats on the Board. On behalf of my fellow Freeholders, I wish to thank the voters of Middlesex County for their continued support.

We gathered here last year with heavy hearts over the loss of our longtime friend and mentor, Freeholder Director David B. Crabiel. Yet we left, determined more than ever, to work tirelessly to serve the people of Middlesex County – because that’s what Dave would have wanted.

January 20, 2009 brought a new sense of hope and a renewed determination as the nation welcomed its first African-American President, Barack Obama.

Freeholders Millie Scott, Ron Rios and I stood outside the Capitol shoulder-to-shoulder with Americans of every color, of every creed and of every background to witness President Obama’s inauguration on that bitter cold day as he challenged us to action. He said: “Today we begin in earnest the work of making sure that the world we leave our children is just a little bit better than the one we inhabit today.”

2009 may very well be remembered as one of the most challenging years in U.S. history. Overseas, our nation was actively engaged in two conflicts, placing thousands of our military men and women in harm’s way to protect our freedom.

On the home front, unemployment numbers surged. The Dow sank to new lows. The American Dream was tested, but not lost. Proof once again of the spirit of this nation and the resolve of the American people.

Here in Middlesex County, we maintained a lower unemployment rate than the nation or state. However, we were not left unscathed by the turbulence of the economy. We met the new challenge head-on.

We called upon our employees to help us identify areas of savings and revenue sources. I wish to thank our union membership who agreed to freeze salaries in 2009. Because of everyone’s hard work, Middlesex County passed a budget in 2009 that was $5 million dollars less than the year before. Although austere, it nonetheless put our residents first by maintaining quality programs and services.

I wish to publically thank each and every one of our employees for understanding the challenging economic times we faced and continue to face. They understand it’s a team effort.
 
Our work did not involve just cutting expenses or identifying new revenue sources. We worked to increase the efficiency of the programs and services we already offer and continued to benefit from Shared Services initiatives.

At the direction of Freeholder Scott, we entered into a Shared Services agreement to oversee the administration and operation of the Monmouth County Medical Examiner’s Office. We also purchased state-of-the-art electronic fingerprint scanning equipment for local police departments.

Under the guidance of Freeholder Rios, Piscataway Township became the 21st municipality to use the County’s Public Health services.

Under the leadership of Freeholder Polos, a public safety dispatch partnership was created between Dunellen and Rutgers University. A similar initiative is under way involving Monroe, South Brunswick, Jamesburg and Plainsboro.

Despite the economic situation, we recognized that we had a responsibility to keep our residents working. We built and dedicated a number of projects in 2009. We also continued with our commitment to preserve our quality of life and care for those who need us the most.

In December, I helped to unveil the expanded Family Courthouse, which now includes two additional courtrooms, a new hearing room, office and conference space.

Under the leadership of Freeholder Director Dalina, we rededicated Donaldson Park in Highland Park after a complete reconstruction of this gem along the Raritan River. New and improved playing fields, walkways and bikeways, a new boating dock and other amenities greet visitors.

Freeholder Rios helped break ground on David B. Crabiel Hall, a new teaching facility at Middlesex County College that will be an environmentally friendly facility. Crabiel Hall will be a welcome addition to the County College, which in 2009, celebrated its 45th anniversary and had a record enrollment of 14,000 students in credit classes and an additional 10,000 in non-credit classes. 

Freeholder Barrett worked to add the 188-acre Pulda Farm in South Brunswick to our very successful Open Space Preservation Program, which now stands at more than 7,000 preserved acres. 

Freeholder Blanquita B. Valenti was instrumental in helping to establish Coming Home Middlesex County, Inc., a non-profit organization that will serve as the engine to move the County’s 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness forward. The County also established a Homelessness trust fund and authorized the use of County funds and allocated federal housing funds to help renovate an empty church in Highland Park into apartments for homeless Middlesex County veterans. The County’s contribution to this project was equally matched by the United Way of Central Jersey and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

We aggressively pursued Federal Stimulus money using it to provide free training for over 700 residents and employing over 280 young people.   $14.2 million dollars will be used to resurface county roads and install and improve guiderails.  Through our Department on Aging, which starting in 2010 will be known as the Department on Senior Services, additional Federal Stimulus money helped to serve 822 new clients. We are awaiting a decision on using an additional $14.5 million dollars to improve our telecommunication services to support County and municipal operations, public safety agencies and schools. 

I congratulate and commend each of my fellow Freeholders and the entire county workforce for the accomplishments that have been made this past year.

It is not the time to rest. I expect the economic challenges we will face this year will demand an even greater need for innovation.
 
Robert F. Kennedy once said:
 “All of us might wish at times that we lived in a more tranquil world, but we don't. And if our times are difficult and perplexing, so are they challenging and filled with opportunity.”

I believe that Middlesex County has the right mix of people and ideas to face the uncertain future. I believe we can make opportunity where others only see obstacles. I believe we can bring growth where others cannot.

At my encouragement, the County will form the Middlesex County Council on Economic Development to maintain and attract business, fill vacant warehouses and office space, increase tax ratables and create jobs. The County will work closely with all 25 municipalities, our County College, our Vocational-Technical schools and other partners to boost our regional economy.
 
In conjunction with this Council, Middlesex County will unveil a new marketing strategy aimed at positioning us as the best place to start or grow a business, buy a home and raise a family.

In the area of technology, we will improve telecommunications services to support County and municipal operations, public safety agencies and schools. We plan to construct five communications towers and a wireless network over the next 18 months to reduce telecommunications costs and bring in additional revenue in 2010 and beyond.

One of the biggest undertakings of 2010 will be the migration to an automated meeting preparation process. It is anticipated that over the next 12 months we will fully integrate an automated system into the county workflow, reducing our workforce through attrition, reducing paperwork and improving public access. We also will roll out a redesigned and more robust County Web site to better serve our residents.

In 2010, the County will develop a 5-year strategic plan that will define the role of county government in serving the residents of Middlesex County in an effective and efficient manner. One area of this plan will focus on regionalization of services to help our communities ease the tax burden on our residents. In the upcoming months, the Board will meet with the mayors of our 25 municipalities to discuss the possibility of regionalizing certain municipal functions at the County level. Possibilities include Freeholder Polos’ idea to offer information technology services to our towns. We will study my idea of regionalizing property tax assessment and collection. Finally, we will explore former Freeholder and current Old Bridge Mayor Jim Phillips’ suggestion to evaluate the benefits of forming a regional Health Insurance Fund that would include the County, our 25 municipalities and agencies and boards to determine whether significant savings could be achieved.

I will ask the Board of Freeholders to initiate a study to investigate these and any other areas that may be discovered during our meetings with the mayors. I believe it is an example of the bold steps we will need to make in order to face the new economy head on.

In 2010, Freeholder Barrett will continue to head up our efforts to meet our goal of 10,000 acres of preserved open space by 2012. The County will take advantage of the downturn in residential development to secure land for our Open Space inventory at lower prices.

In 2010, Freeholder Dalina will lead us in celebrating the opening of the County’s 20th park at the border of North Brunswick and Milltown. It will feature walking and biking paths as well as playing fields to better serve our residents.

Freeholder Polos will continue his work in promoting the efforts of the County and of our municipal partners to undertake “green” initiatives. The County will continue to look at ways to reduce our energy costs, ways to introduce alternative energy sources, and help our municipal and school partners in their green efforts.

With the encouragement of Freeholder Rios, we are excited to announce that in 2010, we will begin work on an initiative called “Working Together for a Strong Healthy and Supportive Middlesex County.” This initiative will help Middlesex County senior citizens stay healthy and active using a cost-effective, coordinated continuum of care. Doctors’ offices, various treatment centers, adult day care and out-patient rehabilitation will join the quality long-term care offered at the Roosevelt Care Center campus. This initiative will be enhanced further by the opening of the new 180-bed, long-term care facility in Old Bridge now under construction.

Freeholder Scott will lead the discussions with Monmouth County on entering into an agreement to house juvenile offenders here in our Youth Detention Center. This will make more efficient use of our facility, help our neighbors in Monmouth County and bring new revenue into Middlesex County. She also will remain steadfast in her commitment to the safety and security of our citizens by continuing the careful and thoughtful use of federal Homeland Security dollars.

Freeholder Valenti will continue to oversee the County’s 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness. 2010 will see the first implementation of that plan, with the start of construction on the units in Highland Park for homeless veterans. We also will begin to fund the Homelessness Trust Fund, making us one of only three counties in the state that has a dedicated funding source for this incredibly important initiative. Freeholder Valenti also will lead our Department on Senior Services as it refocuses its mission to offer direct services to Middlesex County’s nearly 120,000 seniors and their caregivers. 

As you can see, the Middlesex County Freeholder Board is ready and willing to tackle the challenges of this new national economy. On behalf of my Freeholder colleagues, I pledge to you today that we will constantly strive to not only answer the needs of our residents but anticipate them. We will be proactive not reactive. We will challenge the status quo and move the County forward. We will do this to ensure that, in the words of Freeholder Director David B. Crabiel, Middlesex County remains “The Greatest County in the Land!”