January 3, 2005

RACHLIN ELECTED COUNCIL PRESIDENT

RAHWAY- First Ward Councilman Robert Rachlin was elected by his fellow council members tonight as the City Council’s newest Council President.

 

Rachlin, who will be serving his second stint as Council President is employed by Runnells Specialized Hospital of Union County.  He has lived in Rahway since 1987 with his wife, Melinda, and daughter, Skyler, who is currently a student in Rahway Public Schools.  Rachlin’s political career began in 1993 when he waged an unsuccessful battle to keep NJ Transit’s North Rahway train station open.

 

“There is so much going on in Rahway that 2005 will be a very busy year for the Council,” said Rachlin.  “But I am confident that I will be able to work with Mayor Kennedy and my colleagues to move our shared agenda forward.  Rahway is only now realizing its potential that was laid out by the Mayor over a decade ago.”

 

Fifth Ward Councilmember Jennifer Wenson-Maier and Sixth Ward Councilman Samson Steinman were also sworn in as the City Council’s newest members.  Wenson, who owns a Rahway-based architectural firm and Steinman, the administrator of the Rahway DMV office, handily beat their GOP opponents in the November, 2004 general election.

 

Mayor James Kennedy delivered his annual State of the City Address, thanking the newest council members and outlining his administrations goals for 2005.  He described how property taxes were kept relatively stable during the 1990s due to streamlining of government, but increasing revenue through the sustainable redevelopment of existing properties will be the city’s best method of continuing property tax stabilization for the future.

 

“Rahway has been fully-developed for well over 30 years,” he said. “There are no large sections of undeveloped land in our city, so how are we to grow our tax base and keep property taxes stable?  During the 1990s, we were able to control property taxes through aggressive cost-cutting and streamlining of government.  We will continue to do this in spite of ever-escalating insurance and personnel costs that put a strain on our budget every year.

“If we do not grow our ratable base for the long term, these costs will never be kept under control.   We are fully-immersed in the second phase of tax stabilization, which is redevelopment. Redevelopment means to make better use of our existing properties as we increase revenues and improve neighborhoods.  The ten redevelopment projects in our central business district alone generated approximately $300,000 in property taxes at the beginning of the decade. When they are finally and fully built-out over the next few years, we expect the revenue generated by these properties to bring in some $2.5 million annually.  This does not even include the ambitions plans for the old Wheatena site and the improvement of the Routes 1 & 9 corridor and along New Brunswick Avenue.  As I stand here today, Rahway is in the midst of a construction boom not seen in town for over 50 years.”

Kennedy also asked Rahway’s public school administrators to maintain tight fiscal controls that would help keep school taxes – which make up over half of a property taxpayer’s total tax bill – stable.