“KEEPING UNION COUNTY STRONG”

Reverend Clergy, members of the Freeholder Board, elected officials, friends, family, and citizens of Union County--- thank you for joining us as we celebrate the arrival of 2009.

(Moment of silence for our troops abroad and those who lost their lives in service to our County)

Thank you Judge Barisonek for the use of your Courtroom and for hosting us today. I would also like to thank you for selecting me as a Grand Juror several years ago – It was a valuable experience. Let me also use this opportunity to congratulate you for your years of distinguished service on the bench on the occasion of your retirement. We all wish you well.

I begin by thanking those in my family for their love and support:
First and foremost – my wife Phyllis
Children Alex and Micayla
Mother and Father
Mother in law

Special thanks to Father Hummel and Pastor Porter – I asked them to be a part of this day because I view them as not only spiritual and community leaders, but my friends.

Senator Lesniak for swearing me in and for his ongoing support

Charlotte Defillippo for her friendship and guidance

Senator and Congressman Elect Lance for taking time out of his schedule to be with us today.

Many of us have other jobs as well as our County responsibilities. I’m fortunate to work for a company, Chubb and Son, that values and supports my public service. I’ve had the great fortune to work for a terrific leader in Rick Simon. He made it easy to help me balance all my priorities: family, work and being an elected official – I want to thank him and wish him only the best in his retirement.

I am honored my Freeholder colleagues have selected me to serve as Chairman for 2009. I look forward to serving the people of Union County for my third time in this distinguished position.

As a Mets fan, this next quote may be hard - It was Babe Ruth who once said “The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime.”

Our Freeholder team and County family as a whole embodies the spirit and unity that the Babe spoke about. This has been our greatest strength, and three Freeholders from this winning team were re-elected this year: Angel Estrada, Rick Proctor and Nancy Ward. We congratulate you on your victory.

I also thank our outgoing Chairman, Angel Estrada, for being a pillar of strength and leadership through a challenging but rewarding year. Chairman Estrada focused his initiatives on helping people, the expansion of Shared Services which saved hundreds of thousands of dollars, and on improving our environment through a series of Go-Green initiatives.

Thank you Freeholder Estrada for your outstanding service to the residents of Union County.

I’m very pleased that Dan Sullivan will serve as Vice Chairman this year. His in not only the “Dean” of the Freeholder Board but a tremendous leader who serves our County well.

Even as we gather to celebrate renewal in this New Year, there is an urgent sense of uncertainty and worry among many Union County residents.

The reality is we are facing the greatest economic challenge in a generation.

While the United States remains the global economic powerhouse, we see a nation weakened by a financial collapse that shook the foundations of our free market society.

Our banks, once the lenders to the world, have become borrowers.

Our home values have tumbled, putting many Americans underwater in their mortgages.

Subsequently, foreclosures have risen to their highest levels in decades.

Wall Street, a chief creator of American wealth and good fortune, has become synonymous with greed, and corruption.

Iconic American businesses have failed, putting hundreds of thousands out of work.

County Government is not immune from the fiscal impact. Like other governmental entities, Union County will be forced to take a look at workforce reductions---in both traditional and non-traditional ways. We will re-visit this budgetary issue later this month with focus on additional sources of revenue.

We will have difficult decisions to make and much to sacrifice.

In times like these, government also becomes the first resort for assistance, rather than a last resort. As elected leaders, we are called upon to take swift and bold action in helping our residents set a course for positive change. Active smart government should start to play a role now.

It all begins by putting our faith first, ahead of any fear. The great Democratic President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who led this country out of the depression, reinforced this sentiment, when he famously said “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

We as Americans must believe our best days are still ahead if we are to continue moving forward.

And we will do so with a new President in the White House. President-elect Barack Obama will set our Country on a path to renewal and is promising a “New Deal” of his own for all Americans.

In that spirit, we boldly embark on a set of four initiatives for 2009 aimed to “Keep Union County Strong.”

We will work to position the County for continued economic growth through “Union County Works”---a comprehensive jobs and economic growth plan; by “Going Green phase II” and becoming a leader in environmental practices; by assisting residents to remain in their homes; and by reaching out through mobile meetings to the public.

We’ve already hit the ground running on some of these initiatives, as we are positioning ourselves for President-elect Obama’s release of stimulus monies.

About a year ago, we unveiled the Union County Economic and Workforce Competitiveness Project, developed in consultation with the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University.

My first initiative---“Union County Works”---is a six-point program that focuses our efforts on putting this plan in place by assisting the unemployed, sparking job development, and by keeping those already employed in their jobs.

First, we will provide more locations throughout the County for workers looking for information on unemployment benefits and job opportunities. We’ve already begun the process by freeing up more computers at our One Stop Centers in Plainfield and Elizabeth, and by directing residents to libraries.

We will also provide a mobile facility outfitted to provide access to computers and to counselors, which will visit our neighborhoods.

Second, we will expand our work in training and upgrading the skills of those who already have a job. We plan on applying for State funds for this purpose and provide training in this area through Union County College.

Third, we will work with Union County College, Kean University and the Vocational Technical Schools to expand adult education and basic skills for all of our residents so they are better prepared for new opportunities.

Fourth, we will concentrate our efforts in the strong sectors of our economy. We will work to identify new opportunities in the transportation and distribution, as well as healthcare fields.

This year brings an exploration of “green collar” or environmentally friendly jobs in areas such as recycling, construction, and energy retrofits.

Fifth—and very important—we will reinvest in our infrastructure to keep our economy growing. I am directing the Department of Parks and Community Renewal to work closely with our municipalities on revising our Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy. CEDS will develop the projects and priorities for roads, bridges, buildings and more, so that we can obtain funding under the new federal stimulus package. These projects will be ‘ready-to-go’ and we will apply for these funds on behalf of our cities and towns to put people back at work.

We will coordinate this work with the Workforce Investment Board, the Union County Improvement Authority, and our colleagues throughout the region as we develop major construction projects that benefit Union County employers and workers.

Tying this all together is my sixth and final point. In the next few weeks, I will be announcing a new Workforce and Economic Leadership Team to help refine and expand these plans through the Workforce Investment Board and economic development.

The team will include representatives from government and service organizations, Union County business leaders, and key officials from neighboring counties. We want to utilize all types of expertise in crafting a unified plan.

We expect our Union County Workforce Investment Board to host a series of business roundtables and focus groups to target our resources to help retain and create jobs.

Starting in February, representatives from the workforce investment board and economic development will be visiting local businesses to talk directly with them, and to learn how we can help retain jobs. We also want to coordinate efforts to grow their business here.

We will continue efforts to link Union County businesses and employers to opportunities in the global marketplace and expanded resources. We will work in that mission with enterprises such as North Jersey Partners, the TLD Talent Network, and the new Regional Employment Development Initiative.

I mentioned “Green Collar” jobs as part of a “green” approach to revitalizing our economy. This was a process that started last year under Freeholder Estrada’s “Go Green” initiative.

This year as my second initiative, I am announcing that we will “Go Green II” with a new set of programs which will make us an environmental State leader.

Go Green II will include training and educational efforts.

I am pleased to announce we will work with educational institutions such as Kean, Union County College and Union County Vocational Technical Schools to help promote and develop “Green Collar” job training.

Participants will train in areas such as environmental cleanup, urban forestry, recycling, green construction and transportation projects.

Next, we will develop green components for our annual College for Teens program at Union County College. During the summer, we will introduce these students to conservation programs, careers in green technology, energy audits and more. The Vo-Tech School and County College will also seek to begin a new teacher training program to prepare children and adults for careers in the emerging green industry.

Go Green II will also address our effort to green our county buildings, our vehicles, and reduce harmful emissions while exploring energy alternatives.

As part of our sustainable energy master plan, we will work on a number of measures aimed at efficiency and the development of alternative energy sources for our County buildings.

Where possible, we will install direct digital control systems that provide temperature resets, and we will install programmable thermostats.

We will work to install high efficiency air conditioning units where possible and high efficiency condensing boilers. Among other items to be explored will be the use of geothermal heat pumps, solar energy, and energy efficient lighting upgrades.

We will also begin a pilot program to use biofuels in heavy duty County vehicles to reduce harmful emissions. Any other vehicles for consideration by the County must be Hybrid, Flex-Fuel or Biodiesel compatible, meeting all CAFÉ fuel mandates.

We are continuing several Go Green programs from last year, and we are completing improvements to several historic and already green County Parks.

We will continue to apply LEED green standards to the County’s construction and renovation projects as we did last year. LEED means Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

We are building the Veneri building in Westfield in order to meet the LEED standard. We have made a commitment to build future facilities in line with these standards.

Later, this month, we will witness the distribution of grants to schools to promote unique ways of recycling.

And we will once again offer the Greening Union County grant program through the Open Space program, which has planted more than a thousand trees across the County.

We’ve taken great pride in maintaining our parks system and offering entertainment and recreation. In tough economic times, it becomes more crucial to provide these opportunities at little or no cost to residents who stay closer to home. In fact some of these programs are offset by private funding. We pledge to continue these activities and maintain our parks, which again witnessed important improvements this past year.

At Cedar Brook Park in Plainfield, we recently completed the restoration of the lake. We dredged it, installed an aeration system, and refilled it with fish. The lake edge was regarded, lined with boulders and replanted with native plants.

Warinanco Park witnessed similar work along its shoreline. A stream restoration project, funded through Merck, reached completion.

The restoration of Upper Echo Lake in Mountainside was also completed. The lake was dredged, the shore line was fortified and thousands of plants have been installed on beds in the lake and in adjoining lands.

The restrooms in the boathouse were renovated, the building repainted, and paths were repaved. New Docks will be installed this year. Also, we expect to finalize plans for improvements at the popular Dog Park.

In an effort to boost revenues, we will work to build a driving range at the Galloping Hill golf facility in Union by the end of Fall. We hope the facility will enhance the experience at Galloping Hill and bring new people to golf.

Even as we harness our powers to rebuild our parks facilities, combat unemployment and re-energize Union County through the emerging green sector, we face yet another challenge.

Few things can be as important to the stability of America and Union County than keeping our families in their homes.

My third initiative, the Union County Foreclosure Task force, addresses this issue. The task force will work to prevent foreclosures and help Union County residents achieve the best possible housing and credit outcomes.

The task force is formed of community leaders, counseling organizations and municipal administrators. It already held its first meeting, and will expand to include bank representatives.

As one of its main goals, the taskforce will position the County to apply for funding available through President-elect Obama’s $10 billion “Foreclosure prevention fund” stimulus program.

Looking ahead, it has become more important than ever to communicate our initiatives and services to our residents and especially those in need. With the reduction of staff at all media outlets covering the County and the region, it’s important to find other ways of reaching our residents.

This year, we will re-introduce mobile meetings into the community as my fourth and final initiative.

Some residents have difficulty coming to our meetings so we will come to them, at the local town hall or nearest public facility with a meeting room.

This time, we will hold meetings in several western and central portions of the County.

It takes a comprehensive approach in order to turn things around, and keep Union County strong.

We need to move fast and we need to move quickly on creating jobs, participating in the green economy, and assisting our struggling homeowners.

We have gotten a good jump on some projects, but we must continue to press forward as a team.

On that note I would like to thank our County Manager, George Devanney, our Deputy County Manager Liz Genievich, and all our Department directors for coordinating this effort. I would like to thank our Clerk Nicole Dirado for her invaluable assistance. I would like to finally thank our entire County family of employees. Their work will be imperative in making it all happen.

The mission of change cannot be undertaken alone. We are an army of many, but we are one team, striving toward a common goal to succeed.

Thank you for coming today, and I wish all a very Happy and Joyous New Year.

My God bless us and may God continue to bless Union County.