Maplewood Township Committee Candidate Marlon K. Brownlee

Working on the Maplewood township committee for the past two and a half years has been an extremely rewarding responsibility and I hope to have the opportunity to serve all the residents of Maplewood once again. I am happy to have received the endorsement of the Maplewood Democratic Committee, and aspire to serve all of the people of Maplewood as we strive together to meet the challenges that we face as a community.

Balancing the varying desires of residents can be quite challenging, but we must all work together to realize the quality of life that we want. I believe that my ability to listen and truly hear different points of view and combine what I hear with my own ideas enables me to put together solutions that incorporate the best of those diverse viewpoints. Sometimes that has led me to take positions that differ from the rest of the township committee, but in the end, we still respect each other's opinions.

I enjoy having a working relationship with my colleagues which allows each of us to independently analyze each situation and decide what is best for Maplewood. Being a part of public debates on different issues has also given me a greater appreciation for the fact that all issues are important issues - and while some topics garner more headlines, EVERYTHING is important to SOMEBODY. It has been gratifying to have residents speak to me and tell me that they appreciate the positions that I have taken and my willingness to consider different points of view. 

One of my primary goals if re-elected will be to ensure that we are making appropriate investments and decisions to maintain the level of services that Maplewood residents have come to expect while continuing to restrain property tax increases. Another goal will be to push forward on a number of community-building initiatives in order to enhance the communication that needs to take place between township officials and residents. While this is an ongoing need, I believe that the need for this was highlighted even more in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and other weather-related “events” over the past few years.

Good communication is one of the cornerstones of a successful community, and the Maplewood Community Action Program (MCAP) (http://goo.gl/UF9j5) that I have created is an excellent example of this. It is my hope that these meetings will spur an ongoing dialogue between residents and township officials, and that participants will take the information that they receive back to their neighbors. I was delighted that the kickoff meeting was so well-received, and am eagerly looking forward to continue the growth of this program in the coming months. We're also going to be launching a number of new communication tools shortly to enable residents to link more closely to Township departments and send and receive information via their smartphones as well.

It was an honor to elected to the Maplewood township committee in 2010, and yet it would be even more of an honor to be re-elected for another term. I look forward to speaking with residents from all over Maplewood about the future of our town.

Marlon K. Brownlee

Maplewood Township Committee