Fourth Ward Council Candidates Explain Westfield’s Biggest Issues

Running for the fourth ward council seat is incumbent councilman, Keith Loughlin (R) and former councilman, Jack Walsh (D). The two men sounded off on Thursday evening about their ideas for Westfield, if elected.

Moderator, Lauren Barr, of The Westfield Leader, began the debate by asking Walsh what he sees as Westfield’s biggest problem.

Walsh explained that having a budget without a surplus is the largest problem for the town currently.

“I think we’re down to our bare bones in the budgeting,” he said. “The question is if some extraordinary circumstance comes up at some point in the future, how are we going to handle it?”

As recently as 2011 the town was running a surplus of 1.8 million, which has all been spent now, Walsh said.

He added that he is all in favor of saving taxes and keeping the tax rate low, but he is also in favor of responsible budgeting and taxing. Walsh ended his answer by saying the most important thing they can do is keep a buffer in the budget.

Loughlin rebutted by saying Westfield is a great town, but there is always work to be done to make it even better. He noted some of those improvements include direct train service into Manhattan, obtaining sustainable jersey certification, as well as continuing to save money, such as the financial hiring freeze when he was first elected, which reduced municipal payroll by 20 percent.

The candidates also addressed parking downtown, which Loughlin said that parking is an always an issue, but the town is taking cost-effective steps to improve it, such as the current work to Municipal Lot No. 4 that will increase spaces and improve safety. Additionally, he supports free parking throughout downtown.

He also said that his opponent, Walsh, is in favor of a parking deck that will cost the taxpayers money and was already voted no by 77% of Westfield on a previous ballot.

Walsh rebutted by saying the parking deck that was proposed was a behemoth, mistake and not what he had envisioned for Westfield. However, he said it doesn’t mean a parking deck should not be in the mix.

The candidates addressed next if Westfield was safe considering the amount of police and fire personnel to which Walsh said they are definitely adequately staffed for police, but firemen are needed. He explained that a representative from the firemen’s union came before Westfield after the last election to say that more firemen are needed.

“Safety has got to me the most important thing that this council is concerned about,” he said.

Loughlin replied that nothing is more important to him than keeping the town safe. As a member of the public safety committee, he explained he regularly meets with the police and fire department has an informed them to immediately reach out to me if they are facing a staffing issue, but they have yet to do. He added that a single firefighter would cost the town $100,000 per year.

When it came to bicyclist safety, Walsh said he does not believe the town is safe for bicyclists and he has spoken to those who will not bicycle through downtown because they are afraid of the traffic issues. Although Westfield is an old town and bicycle lanes may be difficult to add, he feels the council needs to discuss the option to make it a safer place for bicyclists.

Barr asked Walsh how he believes the town can get more back from the county, since the county takes a majority of the tax revenue.

Walsh said the county has one of the best community colleges in the country, so we are getting some decent value from the county. At the same time, he said, the county also funded the underpass at the train station.

However, he added that we should get some more grants and help with paving and other issues from the county.

“We just need to work with them a little more closely,” Walsh said.

Loughlin said the county grossly mismanages their tax dollars. He added that they need to work with the county further to get something back for their tax dollars, rather than go to war with them.

Lastly, Walsh addressed that the volunteers named to boards and committees in town are overwhelmingly republican, which he believes aligns with the position of the council. He said that we should have equal representation across all the political parties.

In his closing statement, Loughlin said that he would work hard for the residents of Westfield by keeping municipal spending low, improve conditions of streets, maintain safety and keep Westfield a great place to call home.

Walsh closed by saying, “he may disagree, but will not be disagreeable.” He added that yesterday’s policies may not solve tomorrow’s problems and there are many ways to move Westfield forward and improve the overall well-being.

View our coverage from the mayoral debate, here.