Running for the three open seats on the South Orange Board of Trustees are, from left, incumbent Walter Clarke, challenger Karen Hilton and incumbent Stephen Schnall.
SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The 2017 South Orange municipal election is under way and trustees Stephen Schnall and Walter Clarke, both elected to their first terms in 2013, will be seeking re-election to the Board of Trustees; they are joined by newcomer Karen Hilton under the banner “South Orange 2017.” The campaign will hold a kickoff event on Sunday, Feb. 12, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the home of Matthew and Adena Traub, 280 N. Wyoming Ave. in South Orange.
The third open seat currently belongs to Trustee Jeff DuBowy, who was appointed to fill the rest of Sheena Collum’s term when she became village president.
As chairman of the Recreation and Cultural Affairs Committee, Schnall spearheaded an interlocal agreement with Maplewood and the SOMA Board of Education to establish dedicated funds to maintain and enhance recreation fields and facilities, began long overdue capital improvements to the Baird Community Center, and introduced a series of townwide activities including South Orange Summer Nights, the South Orange Health and Fitness Challenge and the SouthNext Festival of Arts, Ideas and Music, according to a press release from the campaign. Additionally, with Schnall as chairman of the Public Information and Marketing Committee, the village’s website finally got a makeover with new integrated software tools for communication, feedback, emergency alerts and customer service platforms to increase accountability and response time to residents.
“This has been an amazing experience for me working alongside my colleagues on the board, our village staff and community volunteers,” Schnall said in the release. “Walter and I have been working from the campaign platform that we introduced in 2013 along with Sheena using it as a checklist of what we said we would do and what we have done. I’m truly proud and humbled to have been given this opportunity and I hope our neighbors have been pleased with the progress we have made, recognizing that there’s so much more to do.”
Sometimes called the “infrastructure and environment trustee,” according to the release, Clarke led the village’s water supply transition from East Orange Water Commission to New Jersey American Water — a transition that occurred over two years and officially changed over on Jan. 1. With Clarke as chairman of the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee, the village has seen its road reconstruction and paving program triple in the number of roads completed per year, the creation of a Forestry Management Plan, and has received more than $2.5 million in grants for road projects and the River Greenway, according to the release. Clarke has also helped to introduce new sustainability initiatives, such as solar-powered mobile device charging benches, and has maintained South Orange’s Bronze Certification with Sustainable Jersey. The village, along with Maplewood and Millburn, were jointly awarded the Sustainable Jersey Collaboration Award for advancing sustainability through partnerships in 2016.
“It’s amazing how four years go by so fast,” Clarke said in the release. “While I’m very proud of our accomplishments, there are so many items on my list still to be done such as the townwide bicycle plan and addition of a sustainability element to our new Master Plan, which will be going out for RFP this month. Also, while the transition to NJAW was a success, we’re still meeting regularly as a Water Committee as we implement much needed infrastructure upgrades to our water system.”
A 20-year resident of South Orange, Hilton is a former PTA president, and served for 10 years on the South Orange Public Library board and, as president, oversaw and participated in the creation of a library master plan paving the way into the 21st century. Hilton, who has a master’s degree in public administration and a background in strategic planning and fundraising, was the founding executive director of Emerge New Jersey, whose mission is to identify, encourage and train women to run for office, according to the release. She most recently set up Emerge programs in both Pennsylvania and Michigan.
“Volunteering and dedication to bringing about positive changes is a part of who I am,” Hilton said in the release. “I’ve considered running before but the timing wasn’t right. I know this job entails a significant time commitment, evening meetings, weekends and being responsive to constituent concerns. After the divisive presidential campaign, I was extremely energized by the Women’s March and I knew it was time to step up. If I am so fortunate to be elected, I’d be thrilled to work on the potential to integrate municipal offices into a newly renovated library and Connett building, providing more cost-effective and streamlined services to our residents. I am also very passionate about being a liaison to the schools and taking a leadership role within the two towns’ ‘age-friendly’ initiative for which South Orange and Maplewood have received $135,000 to better retain, attract and provide quality services to our seniors citizens.”
The South Orange municipal election will be Tuesday, May 9.
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