PURE PROGRESS LAUNCHES COHESIVE PLATFORM
TO REVITALIZE SOUTH ORANGE

 

South Orange, NJ (March 12, 2007) - With a show of strength and organization unprecedented in South Orange municipal elections, the Pure Progress opposition ticket filed petitions today for its unified slate of candidates. The Pure Progress slate, including Village President candidate Douglas Newman, incumbent Trustee Mark Rosner and Trustee challengers Trustees Deborah Davis Ford, Howard Levison, and Michael Goldberg, collectively submitted petitions three days ahead of the filing deadline and delivered 896 signatures-well above the minimum requirement of 110 signatures per candidate.

 

 

Pure Progress also announced a cohesive campaign platform for revitalizing South Orange. The platform agenda includes jump-starting the village's stalled downtown redevelopment efforts, implementing a disciplined approach to Village finances, and establishing a more open, transparent and cooperative Village government.

 

"Pure Progress is committed to developing a new, thoughtful, and exciting plan for our downtown," stated Newman. "We'll solicit input from all stakeholders and seek and act on advice from redevelopment experts as to how we can make South Orange a premier destination. Pure Progress will implement a redevelopment plan that can be executed without missed timetables, broken 'coming soon' promises, or significant revenue losses that result from valuable properties like the Beifus site being removed from the Village's tax rolls for years."

 

Pure Progress is also taking aim on Village financial and economic issues that will weigh heavily on voters' minds this May. "Now exceeding $50 million, our staggering Village debt is record-breaking," stated Newman. "In addition, residents are concerned about high property taxes, a concern that's naturally exacerbated by the long overdue tax revaluation, just now getting underway. Last year, Howard Levison, Michael Goldberg, and I all worked hard on a voter referendum to study ways to deliver municipal services while controlling municipal taxes through sharing services with neighboring towns. Trustee Rosner has served on the Village's Shared Services Committee since its inception and candidate Deborah Davis Ford runs a multi-million dollar business unit and offers deep experience in financial management and cost cutting. Pure Progress is committed to and focused on stabilizing municipal taxes, controlling our debt and looking for ways to reduce municipal costs through creative solutions and shared services."

 

Government transparency, ethics and integrity are also key themes in the Pure Progress platform. "We're committed to building the most open, inclusive, and cooperative government in Village history," stated Newman. "The Pure Progress philosophy is that we work for and represent all Village residents. In short, you are our clients. We're not about leveraging fear or intimidation against residents who present an opposing point of view, nor will we provide preferential treatment to any specific residents or special interest groups. Every resident offers a voice and an opinion that deserves equal recognition."

 

The South Orange municipal elections take place on Tuesday, May 8th. The deadline to register to vote in the election is Tuesday, April 17th.

 

 

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The Pure Progress team will be attending various coffees around town held by neighbors, possibly people you know. They are informal gatherings and a good place to ask questions and get to know the candidates and your neighbors. Please try to attend one. After registering for a particular location and date, you will receive an e-mail with more specific information and an address.

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