Empower locals, Middlesex County mayors say

Piscataway Mayor Brian Wahler has a message for his fellow politicians: "Let the mayors start running the show in this state."

That's what Wahler told his audience at the Rutgers Visitor Center on Tuesday as part of a Meet the Mayors panel discussion hosted by the Middlesex County Regional Chamber of Commerce. It was the second of four such events planned for this year. Wahler was joined by Metuchen Mayor Thomas Vahalla and Middlesex Mayor Ronald Dobies.

Wahler, current president of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, said local officials on the front lines of their communities are the real drivers of economic development in New Jersey, especially compared to dysfunctional governments in Trenton and Washington.

"We have to react a lot quicker," Wahler said.

In Piscataway, that has meant reimagining what the community has to offer businesses after the collapse of the telecom industry in the early 2000s. Piscataway has since become a capital for data-storage centers thanks to its many office parks that had been vacated and the community's expansive fiber-optic wiring.

Metuchen, a far smaller community, is dominated by a vibrant downtown, and Vahalla said great emphasis has been placed on making the borough — which has its own train station — more accessible to bicyclists and pedestrians. He also wants the "Brainy Borough" to be more affordable.

"Metuchen shouldn't just be elite. It should be for everybody," Vahalla said.

Dobies, the longtime Middlesex mayor who is retiring at the end of the year, said creating and maintaining a business-friendly climate is critical to the borough's future.

"We really rely on the business community to keep Middlesex afloat," Dobies said.

But all of the mayors expressed a degree of skepticism about the value of tax credits for businesses, an issue that has gained significant statewide attention because of Gov. Chris Christie's extensive use of corporate tax breaks and the uncertain benefits of that approach.

Middlesex County officials are making a big push this year to recruit more volunteers to local fire departments and rescue squads. Vahalla said Metuchen is struggling to keep its volunteer units fully staffed and that he's in favor of increasing stipends for the volunteers. Dobies echoed those concerns, bemoaning the fact that many past volunteers in his borough have left for other states in search of cheaper living.

Wahler said an increasing number of state regulations is making it more difficult for volunteers to become eligible to serve, and the potential financial consequences are dramatic; it would cost millions annually for any community forced to switch to paid coverage.

The chamber is encouraging partnerships among towns and organizations that could help develop important projects. Wahler complained that many approved plans can sit largely dormant for a decade or more because of bureaucracy and the lack of coordinated advocacy.

Partnerships in times of need are also vital, Vahalla said during a discussion on neighborly cooperation among towns.

"Crisis helps to expedite," he said.

The next Meet the Mayors session is scheduled for October.

Staff Writer Keith Ryzewicz: 908-243-6653; kryzewicz@mycentraljersey.com