Bob Manley, who was first elected to Town Council in 2009, is seeking a second term.
Manley is a 20-year resident of Verona who, with his wife Nancy, has raised two children here. A teacher and coach by profession, Manley served as the Verona Pool manager from 1999 to 2008. He was an assistant coach with the Verona Eagles for two years, a Verona Baseball League coach for six years, a head coach of the Verona Barnstormers for three years, and a soccer and basketball coach with a number of Recreation Department teams.
During his four years on the Council, he has been the liaison to the Verona Municipal Alliance Committee, the Verona Public Safety Committee, the Verona Chamber of Commerce, the Verona Senior Citizen Advisory Committee, and the Verona Rescue Squad. He currently also serves as deputy mayor, and is a member of the Planning Board.
“Since being elected to the Verona Town Council in 2009, I believe I have exhibited and maintained all of the requisite qualities of effective community leadership that I pledged to uphold during my initial campaign,” Manley said in a statement. “Over the past three plus years, I have proven myself to be a trusted and dedicated member of the council. I have listened to every concern raised by the citizens of Verona. I have taken under advisement every thought, idea, and suggestion offered to me, and then made the most informed decision possible for what I believed was for the good of the entire community. While I am thoroughly committed to keeping our property taxes as low as conceivably possible, I also pledge to do everything in my power to maintain the high quality of life, and the delivery of essential services that the residence of Verona have come to enjoy, and upon which they rely. I seek re-election so that I may continue the good work I have begun, and help lead Verona to an even more prosperous and fulfilling future.”
A musician by avocation, Manley has proposed the addition of a large amphitheater to the Hilltop Phase II project, which will add two multi-purpose sports fields between the Verona Community Center and the apartments being built by Cenrose. The initial engineering study has put the cost of the amphitheater at $1.5 million.
“I appreciate greatly the need to continue to encourage and invite developers and new businesses into Verona,” Manley wrote. “Quality development such as the Cenrose corporation’s Hilltop project must be vigorously sought out and brought to fruition. This will further bolster our economy and help relieve some of the tax burden on the residents.”
Manley has set up a Facebook page for his campaign. You can find it here.
