Get To Know Butler Borough Council Candidate Doug Travers

Editor's Note: Patch sent out questionnaires to every candidate who filed a petition of candidacy by the deadline. We sent them to the email addresses registered as the official campaign emails at the County Clerk's Office. We will run the responses in the order they were received with no edits. Those candidates who did not receive a questionnaire should double check their spam folders, email filed with the clerk and contact russ.crespolini@patch.com for a form.

Name

Doug Travers

Age (as of Election Day)

56

Position Sought

Borough Council

Party Affiliation

Republican

Family

Wife, Maria Travers

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

MBA, William Paterson University; BS-Finance, Virginia Tech

Occupation

Business Operations Consultant - Verizon; over 30 years of experience in telecommunications in a variety of positions including Project Management, IT, and Operations Specialist, with Verizon and Frontier Communications.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

previously - Butler Borough Chair, Morris County Republican Committee; currently - Borough Council, Butler, NJ.

Campaign website

www.butlerrepublicans4council....

Why are you seeking elective office?

To continue the work of best serving the borough community through responsible government, holding the line on taxes, and taking all residents' concerns to heart.

The single most pressing issue facing our community is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Health and Safety; I will continue to act in support of our Health Department's and State government's recommendations to keep people informed on public health and safety issues. I will work with our county and state governments to chart the best possible course out of the current COVID-19 crisis, so that we can re-awaken when the time is right; when public safety is not at risk.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I support the community as a whole; community issues, particularly health and safety, are apolitical. Protecting our wonderful borough's residents through our police, fire, and health departments, providing them reliable water and electrical service - these things are far more important than whether they voted for me, or agree with me on some political issues. I will listen to everyone, without drawing a line.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

- Being a proper steward of people's money; maintaining the necessary borough services without massive tax increases, use of grants wherever possible to minimize the tax burden on the community. - Respect for individual civil liberties, but encouraging people to focus less on themselves and more toward what they can do for others.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

- Successful Project Management and team management accomplishments while at Verizon; I led a number of projects that resolved far more than they were expected to do, finished on time or ahead of time. I led a team of 30 associates in Verizon's wholesale division that performed consistently above average in their work - this worked because I empowered them to think independently. You cannot be empowered, or indeed enjoy freedom, by being completely dependent.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

The worst limitations you can have, are self-imposed.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I will listen to you with an open mind; I will always tell you what I think, and why.

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