Alike and not alike: Democrat and Republican prepare to join Morristown council

By Peggy Carroll

Robert (Bob) Iannaccone and Hiliari Davis Oyesanya, who will be sworn in to the Morristown Council on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, have a good idea of how to win political office.

You walk.

Iannaccone, the newly minted councilman for the First Ward, began walking, house-to-house, soon after he was nominated, by 15 write-in votes. From July to November, he walked the ward, visiting each house at least once and often two or three times.

Many of the ward residents already knew him. He has lived in neighborhood for 35 years – 12 years as a renter and 23 as home owner on Georgian Road. He also had worked with the community on local issues and volunteered in local groups, from Colonial Lacrosse coach to Boy Scout leader

He won handily over Christopher Russo by a vote of 480 to 201.

Davis Oyesanya, who now represents the Second Ward, also went knocking on doors. And she found that she had common links all over her district.

People remembered her days playing baseball, and as a star running the hurdles at Morristown High. They recalled her mother’s cheerleading back in the day. Many send their kids to school with Davis Oyesanya’s 8-year-old daughter, McKenzie. Or they see her at the Morristown Neighborhood House where she has served on the advisory board.

“I think I knew everyone in the ward,” she says with a laugh.

It’s no surprise. Davis is the fifth generation of her family to live in Morristown; her daughter, she notes, is now the sixth.. That goes back a long way – more than a century.

Her great grandfather was the first black athlete to be awarded a varsity letter at Morristown High School. “That,” she said, “was in 1918.”

She too won handily, defeating Sidney Williams Jr.,  pastor of the Bethel AME Church, by a vote of 317 to 197.

On the surface, Iannaccone and Davis could serve as examples of diversity.

Iannaccone is 58, an attorney and a senior vice president with Barnabas Health, married to Karen Buerle , also a lawyer, has two college student sons –Robert and William.

He is a Republican.

Davis is two decades younger, a single mom with one daughter, lives in the Manahan Village public housing complex and runs two companies – Fatubody Beauty, which produces organic body products, and lovefatu, which deals in clothing design,

She is a Democrat.

QUALITY OF LIFE

But there is much more beneath the surface; there are things and concerns that they share.

Both are newcomers to the political scene. This was their first campaign, their first taste of public life. Both entered the race when an incumbent stepped down – Rebecca Feldman in the First Ward and Raline Smith-Reid in the Second Ward.

And they believe Morristown is a special place.

Their major concerns, and those of the hundreds of people they talked to as they walked their wards,  are those they classify as “quality of life.”

For Iannaccone, that means the town should not focus on development or redevelopment but on enhancing the way its residents live.

One  example:  The increasing population density in Morristown also has increased the need for open space.

“When you own a home, you can walk into your own yard to relax, to get a breath of fresh air. But if you live in a condo or an apartment, where do you go?” he asked

Morristown, he noted, has little undeveloped land. But there are some ways to create more green space. Implementing the town’s recent Master Plan is a step in the right direction, he believes.

“We need to be certain that the intent and details of the Master Plan are translated into an ordinance that will ensure harmonious development with our neighborhoods, “ he said. The plan, he notes, outlines “life elements” such as recreation facilities, safe streets, waking neighborhoods, services for seniors and protection of the environment.

It even identifies vacant lots that might translate into pockets of greenery.

For Davis, quality of life in her own ward starts with bringing it in sync with the ambiance of  rest of the town.

“Walking down Martin Luther King Avenue should be the same as walking down any other street in town,” she said.

She wants to make sure that the Second Ward  receives the same attention and services as other neighborhoods to keep it clean and attractive. “You should be able to drive straight through here and not tell the difference between the wards,”she said.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Both of the new Council members also agree affordability, especially in housing, is an issue for the town.

Iannaccone supports a review of the town’s housing strategy  – there is still some rent control, he notes – and what can be done to improve it.

Meanwhile, he cheered efforts to incorporate affordable units in new construction – like the apartments now being built on Early and Prospect streets as part of the Speedwell Avenue redevelopment.

For Davis, affordable housing has been an issue since she began her campaign.

“People who work in Morristown should be able to live in Morristown, “ she said..
“Not all affordable housing, “ she adds, “should be dumped in the Second Ward. ”

She was strongly opposed to a proposal, supported by her opponent, to build public housing in an area that had been flooded during Tropical Storm Irene in 2011. “I would not live there,” she said bluntly.

What she wants to see is affordable housing throughout the town. “You shouldn’t have to make $100,000 a year to live in another part of town,” she said. “There should be affordable housing in every part of town.”

Both new council members are excited to be starting their new jobs.  Both promise to be strong advocates for the people they represent, to understand their needs and concerns and look for solutions.

And the fact that both these new members are from different political parties?

Not an issue, Iannaccone insists. Partisan politics, he says, should not be a part of local government.

But just to be clear: There are now five Democrats and two Republicans on the council.