Rose of Hope

Volunteer Hours Add Up for Madison's Mayor

Mayor Mary-Anna Holden gives borough 24/7 attention.

You don't have to live in Madison long to see Mayor Mary-Anna Holden. The life of mayor is a busy one. Whether it's at a Borough Council meeting, a business opening, a football game or a charity event, Holden spends thousands of hours a year working on behalf of the town. And, the paycheck?  Just like it is for the rest of the Borough Council, zero dollars and zero cents. So, the question is…why? What drives Holden to be on call for Madison 24/7? Here are some possible answers: North Tarrytown, N.Y. Childhood Driving through Madison for the first time in the late 1980s, Holden said she felt like she was caught in a time warp.  Madison looked much like her childhood home of North Tarrytown before "urban renewal" in the late 1960s. As part …

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Madison Mayor Honored by Governor's Nomination

Holden would serve on Historic Sites Council.

Madison Mayor Mary-Anna Holden has been nominated by Gov. Chris Christie for an appointment that is near to her heart, and expertise. If approved, Holden will sit on the Historic Sites Council in a non-paid position. "He knows how involved I am in historic preservation," Holden said about the governor's nomination. Holden served on the New Jersey Historic Trust from 1996 through March of 2007. She is also the president of Preservation New Jersey, a state-wide non-profit organization promoting historic preservation, on which Christie's wife Mary Pat has served with her in the past. Through her work in historic preservation and serving on the trust, Holden is familiar with the council's work. "I think the last time I appeared before them was…

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Roads, Public Safety Discussed by Mayor and Council

Council member Sam Cerciello argued that money could be saved on a reconstruction project if executed properly.

All of the ordinances for hearing at the July 12th Mayor and Council meeting were unanimously approved, except for an ordinance appropriating $465,000 from the general capital improvement fund for Woodland Road reconstruction. Councilman Sam Cerciello cast the only opposing vote, saying "We could save a lot of money doing some of it in-house." Cerciello claimed that he asked to be a liaison for the project and wished to create an item by item description of the expenditures. Members of the council countered, arguing that there have been hearings with regard to this project during which grievances should have been addressed, and pointing out that Monday night's vote was merely for the appropriation of the money, a necessary first step …

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Jets Encourage Residents to Attend Sendoff

Mayor Mary-Anna Holden will be one Madisonian wishing the team well Saturday morning.

They may be the "New York" Jets, but Madison is showing the professional football squad that its behind Gang Green's push to the Super Bowl. Residents by now have probably noticed the team's flags lining the streets of downtown. That was the first show of support. The second will be a sendoff which Mayor Mary-Anna Holden and other residents will be attending Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Jets' training facility in Florham Park. Fans are being encouraged to go to Atlantic Health Jets Training Center at 1 Jets Drive in Florham Park and create a special "runway" for the team as it leaves for Indianapolis to compete in the AFC Championship game against the Colts on Sunday. Fans who attend will also get "Win and We're In!" rally towels, …

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Talk of 49 Acres Sparks Debate

Mayor, council, committee all voice opinions at first regular meeting of 2010.

Members of the Madison Recreation Complex Advisory Committee and the Borough Council had discussions, heated at times, over the process going into the development of the 49 acres behind Ridgedale Avenue during the first regular council meeting of 2010 on Monday night. The conversation started after Mayor Mary-Anna Holden read a prepared statement during her update of the 49 acres. Much of the friction surrounded T & M Associates, an engineering design firm based in Middletown, which the borough had hired to map out the engineering constraints and possible functions of the property. Holden's statement said the committee "stymied" T & M from coming up with ideas. "But no one was to speak to T & M Associates," Holden said while reading her …

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Officials, Town Celebrate at Groundbreaking

The Hampshire Companies hold ceremony at 345 Main St. for professional center.

A bevy of elected officials and representatives from The Hampshire Companies were on hand at 345 Main St. on Wednesday for a groundbreaking ceremony for the Madison Professional Center. The center, which will replace the 13,100-square-foot warehouse that was demolished at the site, is currently scheduled for completion in June. Todd Anderson, a principal of the Hampshire Companies, started the festivities off by speaking about the building which the company feels would be ideal for medical office users. Others who spoke and were part of the groundbreaking were Madison Mayor Mary-Anna Holden, Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen, and Senator Tom Kean. Assemblywoman Nancy Munoz and Assemblyman Jon Bramnick were also present. Borough Council …

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