Seniors Get to Ask Candidates Questions

Those at the Madison Senior Center on Monday were able to ask questions of the three individuals vying to fill two seats on the Borough Council in the Nov. 2 election.

The forum was chaired by the Friends of the Madison Senior Center and featured all three council candidates: current Council President Jeannie Tsukamoto (R), Robert McDowell (D) and Robert Catalanello (R). The three are running to fill two expiring terms in the Nov. 2 election. Current Councilwoman Astri Baillie (D) has chosen not to run for a fourth term.

The three candidates were able to open up by introducing themselves in five minutes and tell those in attendance why they believe they should get their vote. After that, the attendees were free to ask questions of the candidates, either to a particular one or to all three. Each candidate was given three minutes to answer a question.

Almost every question was asked of all three candidates during the annual forum, which lasted about an hour and a half.

Questions ranged from how would each candidate help the borough take advantage of alternative energy, to how they would approach capital improvements. A large portion of the questions were regarding business, both how the candidates hope to encourage businesses to come to Madison and what they could do to allow seniors to voice their opinion on which businesses they'd like to see come to the borough.

Catalanello said he would like to see the commercial zone on Loantaka Way utilized, and that a major firm's backup facility would be something he would hope to see in that area. He said it would bring in fewer employees than a normal business park, causing less traffic. He also said it would use more electricity, which the borough would be able to generate revenue from because it has its own electric utility.

McDowell said he'd like to sit down with different groups to get their input, adding he has time to do so because he is retired. He said he would bring the ideas brought up from those discussions to council.

Tsukamoto said the borough has just brought in 20 new businesses and that currently there are only four open retail spaces.

The three candidates will take part in a forum again on Tuesday, Oct. 26, hosted by the League of Women Voters Chatham Madison Area. It will be held at the Madison Area YMCA at 8 p.m.

A video from the Senior Center Candidate Forum accompanies this article.