Why Dierdre Paul Is Running for Mayor
May 17, 2009 Filed in: Politics
Dear Englewood Voter:
My name is Dierdre Paul and I am running for Mayor of Englewood. Although I am incredibly proud to be African American and a woman, I am not running to represent either group to the exclusion of others. These are troubled times and I have personal and professional experience that has prepared me to help Englewood meet them.
While serving as President of an 800+ member union and the Executive Vice President of a bargaining agent with 8000+ members, I have effectively run the Englewood Democratic Municipal Committee since assuming the post of Chairperson. While I am proud of those executive accomplishments as Professor Dierdre Paul, I am most proud of being a Mom, raising two wonderful children. Here is where I truly learned to multitask while meeting personal challenges and financial responsibilities. As a single parent, I have been able to steer our family back from financial disaster and the difficulties associated with divorce. My children and I did not improve our situation by happenstance; we became financially solvent again by being willing to work hard, make prudent decisions and endure real belt tightening while working to maintain a loving support network.
If elected, I intend to bring these skills and experiences to the position of Mayor. I recognize that all of us—neighbors, friends, and family—are going through difficult times. As I have been wiling and able to make tough and responsible choices for my family, I am willing to help Englewood do the same on behalf of challenged taxpayers. People in all four Wards of Englewood see their budgets stretched and wonder if government is ready to display the same fiscal discipline that they are compelled to display on a daily basis. And with all the promises made about huge development making our taxes go down, we still have concerns about rising property taxes and falling levels of service. Englewood’s government needs new help in making prudent, disciplined decisions that serve the interests of our hardworking and over stressed citizens.
If you will vote for me, I will work tirelessly to address our shared concerns and bring new energy to our government. I believe that citizens in all four Wards of Englewood want what I want: a disciplined, pragmatic, and principled approach to public service that will not only provide good answers to questions, but prudent solutions to problems. I ask for your vote and your assistance in helping to restore our confidence and excitement in a bright future for our wonderful City.
Although I have new ideas, I have not just arrived on the public scene. Since my last run for office as Fourth Ward Councilperson, I have energetically engaged in learning more about Englewood, Bergen County, and the State of New Jersey. I have shared what I have learned and made my thoughts public in writing for The Englewood Report. I have been willing to engage in substantive give and take with informed colleagues whose opinions and intentions I trust, whose insights I value, and who aren’t reluctant to challenge authority and, often, each other. But it is time for me to do more than analyze and discuss issues. It is time to take responsibility and act on behalf of Englewood. Our City needs to move beyond the usual personal and political bickering to focus our attention on our shared need for urgent, powerful and sustainable change. To do that, we can’t just keep going to the same people and think we are going to get a different result. That is just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic!
I do not believe that Englewood is better now than it was three years ago. In fact, we all see evidence to the contrary. While I can identify a number of past government failings, the most egregious of them center on blatant private ambition coupled with a lack of public vision and practical creativity. For example, with all the decades of talking about an Englewood Community Center, nothing ever came of it. Have our current elected officials explored Bergen County Community Development Block grant funds for this purpose? What about federal earmarks? By the way, has Englewood applied for any federal stimulus funding?
You deserve a better. On my agenda are more opportunities for Englewood’s young people. So, I will make education and jobs for City residents top priorities. On my agenda is bringing more efficiency and fiscal responsibility to local government. This doesn’t come new to me. My life has been about getting the most out of a lot less money. The Council needs a Mayor who can help them fulfill their fiduciary responsibility to Englewood taxpayers. In practical terms, that means having a mayor who will monitor processes and deadlines so that the City taxpayers aren’t opened to lawsuits, hefty arbitration decisions, and weighty criticism from the press. Englewood needs a Mayor who will appoint boards that are expert, prudent and diverse. All four Wards should be consistently represented. The boards, particularly the Planning Board, should look like the City it represents and include architects, city planners, environmentalists, urban development experts, and labor. And on my agenda is Englewood’s debt service, one of the highest in Bergen County. Who ends up paying for political and governmental irresponsibility? It is all of us…and unfortunately (at this rate), our children will continue to pay.
Please join my movement to bring responsible change, new perspectives, and new energy to Englewood’s local government. Together, we can do it.
Sincerely,
Dierdre Paul
My name is Dierdre Paul and I am running for Mayor of Englewood. Although I am incredibly proud to be African American and a woman, I am not running to represent either group to the exclusion of others. These are troubled times and I have personal and professional experience that has prepared me to help Englewood meet them.
While serving as President of an 800+ member union and the Executive Vice President of a bargaining agent with 8000+ members, I have effectively run the Englewood Democratic Municipal Committee since assuming the post of Chairperson. While I am proud of those executive accomplishments as Professor Dierdre Paul, I am most proud of being a Mom, raising two wonderful children. Here is where I truly learned to multitask while meeting personal challenges and financial responsibilities. As a single parent, I have been able to steer our family back from financial disaster and the difficulties associated with divorce. My children and I did not improve our situation by happenstance; we became financially solvent again by being willing to work hard, make prudent decisions and endure real belt tightening while working to maintain a loving support network.
If elected, I intend to bring these skills and experiences to the position of Mayor. I recognize that all of us—neighbors, friends, and family—are going through difficult times. As I have been wiling and able to make tough and responsible choices for my family, I am willing to help Englewood do the same on behalf of challenged taxpayers. People in all four Wards of Englewood see their budgets stretched and wonder if government is ready to display the same fiscal discipline that they are compelled to display on a daily basis. And with all the promises made about huge development making our taxes go down, we still have concerns about rising property taxes and falling levels of service. Englewood’s government needs new help in making prudent, disciplined decisions that serve the interests of our hardworking and over stressed citizens.
If you will vote for me, I will work tirelessly to address our shared concerns and bring new energy to our government. I believe that citizens in all four Wards of Englewood want what I want: a disciplined, pragmatic, and principled approach to public service that will not only provide good answers to questions, but prudent solutions to problems. I ask for your vote and your assistance in helping to restore our confidence and excitement in a bright future for our wonderful City.
Although I have new ideas, I have not just arrived on the public scene. Since my last run for office as Fourth Ward Councilperson, I have energetically engaged in learning more about Englewood, Bergen County, and the State of New Jersey. I have shared what I have learned and made my thoughts public in writing for The Englewood Report. I have been willing to engage in substantive give and take with informed colleagues whose opinions and intentions I trust, whose insights I value, and who aren’t reluctant to challenge authority and, often, each other. But it is time for me to do more than analyze and discuss issues. It is time to take responsibility and act on behalf of Englewood. Our City needs to move beyond the usual personal and political bickering to focus our attention on our shared need for urgent, powerful and sustainable change. To do that, we can’t just keep going to the same people and think we are going to get a different result. That is just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic!
I do not believe that Englewood is better now than it was three years ago. In fact, we all see evidence to the contrary. While I can identify a number of past government failings, the most egregious of them center on blatant private ambition coupled with a lack of public vision and practical creativity. For example, with all the decades of talking about an Englewood Community Center, nothing ever came of it. Have our current elected officials explored Bergen County Community Development Block grant funds for this purpose? What about federal earmarks? By the way, has Englewood applied for any federal stimulus funding?
You deserve a better. On my agenda are more opportunities for Englewood’s young people. So, I will make education and jobs for City residents top priorities. On my agenda is bringing more efficiency and fiscal responsibility to local government. This doesn’t come new to me. My life has been about getting the most out of a lot less money. The Council needs a Mayor who can help them fulfill their fiduciary responsibility to Englewood taxpayers. In practical terms, that means having a mayor who will monitor processes and deadlines so that the City taxpayers aren’t opened to lawsuits, hefty arbitration decisions, and weighty criticism from the press. Englewood needs a Mayor who will appoint boards that are expert, prudent and diverse. All four Wards should be consistently represented. The boards, particularly the Planning Board, should look like the City it represents and include architects, city planners, environmentalists, urban development experts, and labor. And on my agenda is Englewood’s debt service, one of the highest in Bergen County. Who ends up paying for political and governmental irresponsibility? It is all of us…and unfortunately (at this rate), our children will continue to pay.
Please join my movement to bring responsible change, new perspectives, and new energy to Englewood’s local government. Together, we can do it.
Sincerely,
Dierdre Paul
