Goals & Challenges
Clifton's Challenges
Here is an overview of the challenges our City is currently facing
A Pivotal Election
The Clifton City Council election on Nov. 3rd is pivotal for Clifton. People tell me everyday "we're sick of the fighting on Council and nothing getting done" — our community has seen enough of personality conflicts that prevent good decisions.
Clifton needs a working council, committed to professionalism, that can find compromise to move forward. Four years of fighting, personal agendas and now more than 5 lawsuits piling up has done nothing but waste taxpayer dollars on legal and insurance fees.
We need Council members that will learn the complexities of city budgeting, are open minded to new ideas, willing to compromise with colleagues without arguments and understand how Council decisions impact the taxes we pay.
Clifton's Challenges
Here are some of the decisions the Council majority has made and the negative impact they will have on Clifton for years. I've consistently voted against more expensive vendors, draining savings that reduces interest revenue, reduces our credit score and increases liability costs, and fluctuating spending on capital projects that causes regular maintenance costs to increase when they're delayed.
Council Drained Emergency Savings for Four Years
Draining emergency savings to cover deficit spending reduced funds earning interest, causing a $1.3 Million decline in interest revenue funded by your property taxes. It also eliminated our ability to fund the revaluation at 0% interest — costing taxpayers an extra $300,000 in interest costs — and caused a downgrade in the city's credit rating, making capital projects more expensive long-term.
Council Switched Health Benefit Consultants and Increased the Cost by $3.5 Million
The Council majority switched health benefit consultants and hired a new firm that ignored the results of submitted RFPs and the recommendation of our licensed Qualified Purchasing Agent. The new firm doesn't specialize in self-insured health plans and we saw an immediate $3.5 MILLION increase in the budget for health benefits.
Council Rejected $9.5 Million in Alternate Revenue
Cannabis Manufacturing: $1.5M projected revenue — the Council majority voted against this for 4 years. Parking: $2.0M — Clifton has 3 city-owned sites for parking garages but the council wants to wait for grant money. PILOT Agreement: $1M — a hotel on the Roche redevelopment on Rt. 3 would have generated $500K/year in hotel tax revenue, but the council majority changed the ordinance to kill the deal, producing another lawsuit from the developer.
Council "Reduces" Fire Overtime by Spending $1.4 Million More
The Council majority accepted a $2.1M SAFER Grant to address fire department overtime. Based on the grant terms, the taxpayer match will be about $2.5 Million in the first three years and then $6.1 Million for the following three years. This approach will cost $1.4 MILLION MORE than if we just continued to pay overtime.
Infrastructure Improvements Budget Cut in Half
The Council majority has budgeted only $20M for the past 4 years for infrastructure improvements when previous councils budgeted twice that amount. There have been no infrastructure improvements in 2023, 2025, and 2026. After 4 years, the council also rejected investing any money in the Third River flooding issue and punted it to the Army Corps of Engineers — meaning Clifton might see results in 8–10 years.
$150,000 Forensic Audit That Found No Fraud or Savings
The council majority hired a forensic auditor with a Council member publicly stating the expectation to find "millions in waste." In reality: No recommendations for savings, confirmed city finances were run properly, confirmed Clifton's budgets are frugal, and found the city ignored multiple policies to ensure financial stability. Even the new city manager stated publicly that our city budget is lean and there are no additional cuts available without affecting services.
Council More Than Quadrupled Labor Attorney Costs
The Council majority switched labor attorneys, increasing an annual expense from $45,000 to $190,000. The more expensive firm delivered labor contracts that will cost $22.5 MILLION MORE than the less expensive labor attorney previously negotiated.
Liability Insurance Increased $1.6 Million Due to 5 Lawsuits
The deductible has also increased — meaning we are paying more for less coverage. The city applied to joint insurance funds to address rising costs but Clifton's applications were rejected, citing avoidable lawsuits. There are currently 5 lawsuits against the city and some sitting council members, estimated to cost taxpayers between $2.0 MILLION and $3.0 MILLION.
Council Hired a New Grant Writer at Double the Cost
The council switched from a $50,000 grant writer who wrote unlimited applications, to an hourly rate grant writer capped at $100,000. The previous $50,000 grant writer brought in $4.7 MILLION; the new hourly grant writer cost $99,900 and brought in $3.0 MILLION. Clearly, this is not an improvement.
This financial mismanagement is dangerous for the financial health of our city.
Many residents have asked why so many vendors and contracts have changed when they cost MORE? Who is benefitting from these deals?
Whether it is reckless spending, financial illiteracy, or other motivation — the result is compounding expenses and financial liabilities that Clifton taxpayers cannot afford for another 4 years.
Clifton needs educated, responsible and levelheaded leadership that will work together to approve NEW revenue and NEW labor solutions to stabilize taxes without further reducing our services.
Clifton taxpayers cannot afford another 4 years.
My Goals for Clifton
New Revenue to Offset Property Taxes
A focus on new revenue to offset taxes following successful models in other NJ cities. During my last term I proposed $9.5 million in new annual revenue that was rejected by the Council majority. Here is exactly what I proposed:
Clifton is well-positioned to permit cannabis manufacturing facilities, which generate significant municipal tax revenue. The Council majority voted this down for four consecutive years despite successful adoption in comparable NJ municipalities.
Clifton owns three city-controlled sites suitable for parking structures. Revenue from paid parking would generate an estimated $2 million annually. The Council majority chose to wait indefinitely for grant funding rather than act on a proven revenue source.
A hotel on the Roche redevelopment site on Rt. 3 would have generated approximately $500,000 per year in hotel tax revenue under a PILOT agreement. The Council majority changed the ordinance to kill the deal — triggering yet another lawsuit from the developer and eliminating the revenue stream entirely.
Additional proposals including shared services agreements, restoring interest revenue and other alternate revenue streams following models already working in cities like Wayne, Montclair, and Hackensack — all rejected without meaningful consideration.
Addressing quality of life issues by increasing enforcement.
Planned infrastructure upgrades to address flooding and aging infrastructure before emergencies happen
Restoring professional communications to keep residents proactively informed through modern channels including social media and text, as cities Clifton's size have.
A thorough review of vendor contracts for cost savings and accountability from vendors on rising costs.
An independent search for a City Manager vetted through a professional firm.
Return of diplomacy to Council meetings and an anti-nepotism and anti-cronyism culture in City Hall — keeping decisions focused on what's best for Clifton residents.