Haas Formally Announces Run for Mayor of Westfield

My name is Dave Haas and I am running for mayor of Westfield.

I am running to help make Westfield an even better place to live than it is. We are all proud that Westfield has excellent schools, a vibrant downtown, beautiful parks, and caring, intelligent and skilled neighbors. But like other very successful communities, Westfield needs a town government dedicated to promoting openness, transparency and the active involvement of every member of our community, regardless of political party or affiliation, in meeting the new and sometimes unexpected challenges we will face in the years ahead. With 8 years of experience as a Westfield town councilman, I believe I have the experience, the integrity and the vision needed to lead our town, to build on its strengths, foster an even stronger sense of community and keep Westfield one of New Jersey’s very best places to live. 

For eight years I have served on the Town Council diligently representing the residents of the Third Ward with integrity, good humor, and independence. I know firsthand how important it is to have a mayor dedicated to representing all of the neighborhoods and residents of our community. We need to be fiscally responsible and spend your tax dollars in the best way possible for preserving and enhancing every resident’s quality of life.

I “bring to the table” a deep personal understanding about the need to have a society that not only respects our differences but strives to be inclusive.  My grandparents were killed in Auschwitz. My father fought for democracy and against Nazism in WWII. My mother was the first woman to graduate MIT with a Ph.D. in Mathematics. Raised in a small town in Indiana by such parents, I grew up appreciating the value of hard work, helping others in need, and assuming personal responsibility. 

I earned a degree in Engineering Physics from the University of Illinois and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. During 20 years of doing industrial research and development, I was a researcher, product development engineer, manager of development teams, and a technical director for major corporations. I have been involved in building and writing business plans, sales forecasts, and capital expense justifications. I now teach electrical engineering at NJIT. 

Twenty one years ago my wonderful beautiful wife, Dana Stevens, and I bought our home on Shackamaxon Drive in Westfield. We had one toddler and another child on the way. We’ve seen both children through the joys and excitement of elementary school, the agonies and achievements of middle school, the seriousness of high school and the stress of applying for college.

I taught Sunday school at the Unitarian Church in Summit, helped coach my daughter’s softball team, became president of the High School Ice Hockey Association and helped raise our children and make our house a loving home.

Now that our son is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and serving on a destroyer in the Pacific and our daughter is a junior at NYU, I have the time and energy to devote myself to giving back to our wonderful community.

If you and your neighbors give me the opportunity, I promise I will be a full-time Mayor and make every decision with the best interests of our entire community in mind. I ask for your vote in this election regardless of whether you are registered as a Democrat, a Republican or an Independent. We all need to work together, with respect for our differences and appreciation of what we share in common.

For more information, to volunteer or to make a donation to my campaign, please visit www.davehaas4mayor.com.