Both candidates for mayor in Morris Plains agree on at least one thing: The borough’s downtown needs some help.
Even before the pandemic, there were too many vacant storefronts.
Republican Councilman Art Bruhn says he wants to gather business owners, landlords and the downtown business committee “to brainstorm on ideas on how to fill them.”
Mayor Jason Karr, the borough’s first Democratic mayor in decades, also sees revitalization as an ongoing challenge. Still, he says more than 30 businesses opened during his first term, even in the pandemic. Cigna Insurance is bringing 2,000 jobs; Crumbl Cookies has brought dozens more jobs to the Kohl’s shopping center on Route 10. A Korean barbecue and a furniture store are plugging other vacancies.
Karr, 54, says his experience is “worth its weight in gold.” He kept the borough running through the pandemic, and produced a budget this year that lowered municipal taxes, he says. For most of his 11 years as a councilman, he chaired the finance committee.
A product of borough schools and a 1986 graduate of Morristown High School, Karr has two grown sons and works for Morristown’s public works department. He prides himself on “showing up”–he attends numerous borough events–and says he enjoys helping residents when they have problems.
“That’s what we’re here for, public service,” he says. “A lot of times, if people have no other place to turn to, they come to the mayor.”
As an example, he cites a request from a disabled person who had difficulty navigating a crosswalk to the train station. Working with the police chief, Karr says, he got changes to the crosswalk.
Bruhn, 55, also points to his public service. He has been a volunteer firemen during his 25 years as a borough resident, and has coached with the Morris Plains Little League and soccer programs.
During his five years on the council, Bruhn has participated on a bipartisan committee to revamp the borough website, to make it more user-friendly.
If elected mayor this Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, “I will bring back Zoom meetings or live-streaming meetings to all public meetings. I encourage our residents to participate and provide their opinions on the decisions that are being discussed,” he says.
A Madison native, Bruhn holds an accounting degree from Rutgers and has worked in accounting for Ernst & Young, Goldman Sachs and Delta Dental. He now does sales for Empire Tool Rental, a Bronx, NY, company serving the construction industry. His son is a freshman at Morristown High, where he plays for the soccer team.
Bruhn says he has worked hard to earn the public’s trust.
“As a public official I have learned to be honest, respectful and to listen to residents,” he says. “The residents have trusted me to do what’s best for the entire community. I have proven that I have done this in the past as a councilman and will continue to do this as mayor.”
Karr says his years in government have taught him not to over-promise.
“I never promise anyone I can do something. I tell them if I can do it, I will make it happen. There is never a guarantee. I call everybody back, answer every email, try
to be honest with everybody, and listen. That’s important for a public official. I strive to do that every day,” says the mayor, who sees managing growth as one of the biggest challenges facing Morris Plains.
Some 434 apartments are coming on Route 53, with another 192 units on American Road, notes Karr, who seeks a second four-year term as mayor.
THE COUNCIL RACE
Once solidly Republican–Frank Druetzler dubbed Morris Plains “the Community of Caring” during his 32-year tenure as GOP mayor–the 6,000-resident municipality now is evenly split among registered Republicans and Democrats and unaffiliated voters. Republicans hold a 4-2 council majority.
The two council Democrats, Joan Goddard and Nancy Verga, are seeking re-election to three-year terms. They’re being challenged by Republicans Jennifer Meehan and James Myers.
Both Democrats work in corporate communications. They claim credit for starting a business development committee, and for helping secure more than $350,000 in grants for open space, trails and pedestrian walkways.
If re-elected, Goddard and Verga vow to pursue a “more robust commitment of resources” to revitalize the downtown, along with shared services with neighboring towns to control costs. They also contend the borough needs an environmental committee to help minimize impacts of residential growth, which is expected to grow by 20 percent over the next few years.
Myers and Meehan emphasize their local roots–both are lifelong borough residents.
Myers is the son of the borough historian, and was a lifeguard at the Community Pool. He graduated from Morristown High and Providence College, owns a tourism company, and has three teenagers. He teaches CCD classes, coaches soccer, basketball and baseball, and recently was named “Volunteer of the Year” by the borough Recreation Commission.
Meehan says her 33-year career with AT&T has given her problem-solving, analytical and interpersonal skills that will help her get things done if elected to the council. When her two children, now grown, attended Morris Plains schools, she was active in the Home School Association. Later, she volunteered as a booster of their sports programs at Morristown High. She is married to a retired Morristown police detective.
