Verga and Karr clash over development, transparency at Morris Plains mayoral debate

By Michael Lovito

Two one-time Democratic allies squared off in Thursday’s Morris Plains mayoral debate, where they tried to convince voters they were best suited to keeping the cost of living down, making government more transparent, and developing the borough’s downtown.

Incumbent Mayor Jason Karr, a Democrat-turned-Independent, and Councilwoman Nancy Verga, the Democratic nominee, fielded questions submitted by residents at the League of Woman Voters-moderated forum, held in the Borough School and livestreamed.

In terms of policy goals, Karr and Verga seemed mostly to agree — both want to keep property taxes down while maintaining municipal services, encourage development while balancing concerns about traffic and green space preservation, and ensure Morris Plains stays affordable for both longtime residents and young families looking to put down roots.

But they occasionally differed on approach and, when touting their resumes, on whether the council or the mayor’s office should get the bulk of the credit for popular policies they’ve both had a hand in.

AFFORDABILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY

The debate began with both candidates articulating their vision for Morris Plains.

Verga, who’s lived in Morris Plains for 28 years and was first elected to the council in 2019, said she wants to “protect the lifestyle and community that we have, but also prepare for the future.”

She proposed controlling costs incurred by the borough government to avoid dramatic property tax increases, so new development projects aren’t “harming our community,” and adopting an approach to “accountability” that would give borough employees “clear priorities and the support they need to be able to deliver the services that residents expect.”

Karr, who is running for his third term as mayor and has lived in Morris Plains for 55 years, boasted that during his eight-year tenure, the borough was able to keep property tax increases to only 2.1%, while reducing its debt by more than 40% and negotiating its state-mandated affordable housing obligations down from 136 units to 21.

He also emphasized the importance of “accessibility,” promising that “I don’t care who you are, where you live, what’s on the side of your name, an R or a D, I want to be accessible, answer your questions, and solve your problems.”

Video: Morris Plains 2026 mayoral debate:

Verga countered that as a member of the council, she also played a role in recent tax and budgeting successes, and that true accessibility would mean “someone who is overseeing our borough operations who’s here during the business day when our employees are here.”

Karr took that to mean that Verga supported hiring a fulltime borough assessor or superintendent, which he said would cost Morris Plains over $300,000 and wouldn’t be “fiscally responsible for a town of 7,000 people.”

Verga later clarified that she does not support creating such a position but was instead implying that her recent retirement from corporate communications would allow her to focus on the mayor’s office fulltime and ensure that “council priorities are executed,” charging that Karr’s failure to fully implement a construction records digitization program was proof that he was falling short of his statutory duties.

“It doesn’t really take oversight, it takes implementation by the person in charge of doing that,” rebutted Karr, who works for Morristown’s public works department. “That was brought to the person who should’ve been taking on the responsibility to do that. We’re all big boys and big girls here. If you run for council, you run for mayor, you’re here to do a job. Do that job.”

PAST PERFORMANCE VS. POTENTIAL AND PROMISES

While moderator Joan Sturm never explicitly brought up the contentious approval of a McDonald’s drive through on Speedwell Avenue that helped facilitate Karr’s split with Morris Plains Democrats, it hung over the proceedings while the mayor and Verga discussed related issues like development, traffic, and community input.

On the issue of traffic, Karr pointed to his work with borough police to create crosswalk details and traffic units. Verga said that, as the public safety committee chair, she also advocated for the police department’s traffic units but bemoaned the fact that Morris Plains did not incorporate a traffic and circulation plan into its last master plan.

“The development that’s happening in our neighboring communities is hitting us hard,” Verga said, pointing out that there are often “four lanes happening illegally” on Speedwell at certain times of day due to traffic volume.

“We need to work together so we can have the strength to advocate with the county and with (the New Jersey Department of Transportation) on the improvements we need here. But first, we need a plan,” she said.

Verga also criticized the borough’s master plan, last updated in 2018 and set for review in 2028, for lacking “forward looking” suggestions and noted that Karr declined to approve a budget line item that would have begun a community input process this year. Karr said he felt 2026 was too early to begin such a process, but that he would include it in his 2027 budget.

Verga and Karr’s exchange on the master plan led to the only direct McDonald’s reference of the night, with Verga listing the project alongside the scrapped Mane Fragrance factory and rejected self-storage facility as development decisions that “created real concern and divided our community” — divisions that could have been avoided if the current master plan contained a “comprehensive development plan” and reflected a “community decision.”

Karr pointed to the acquisition and potential redevelopment of the abandoned Idlewild Pool site by the borough, which included the formation of a committee and “an open town hall forum,” as a model for the kind of community input that could be given for future development plans and projects.

“CLOSED DOORS” AND SECRET BALLOTS

The most extensive back and forth between Verga and Karr came towards the end of the debate, when Sturm asked if they wanted to bring up any other issues she hadn’t asked about.

Verga said that she wanted to see “more transparency about our budget process,” alleging that “the mayor and the CFO prepare the budget kind of behind closed doors” and provide it to the council only a week before they vote on it.

“Anybody is welcome to come into those meetings,” Karr retorted. “I mean, that opportunity is there for you. As finance chair, I think you would want to take an opportunity to do that, but nothing goes on behind closed doors.”

“As finance chair, I was not invited to those meetings,” Verga countered, and proposed the formation of a finance advisory board consisting of the mayor, the CFO, two council members, and possibly community members “who have experience in municipal management or finance.”

Members of the community will be able to provide their input on Karr and Vega’s debate performance at the ballot box on Nov. 3, 2026, and via early voting between Oct. 24th and Nov. 1. Mail in voting is ongoing, and all ballots post-marked by Nov. 3 will be counted.

The forum was co-sponsored by the Morris News Bee.