Nochimson was first elected to the Council in 2011. “Over my recent 3 ½ years of experience on the Town Council, I have seen first-hand the wasteful spending and poor decision making of our local government,” Nochimson said by email today. “Unfortunately, the Verona taxpayer is directly supporting this waste through higher taxes. My goal is to alter the Council majority, which for years has been aligned with the status quo and supported unfair, uncompetitive hiring practices. These decisions are a source of Verona’s increased operational costs and thus higher costs for Verona taxpayer. Now is the time for new management.”
“With the support of Councilman Kevin Ryan and the election of Alex Roman we can together make the voice of the Verona taxpayer heard,” added Nochimson, who was elected to the Council for the first time in 2011. “We can accomplish this change while balancing the objectives of those whose work supports the vitality of our community.”
Roman ran unsuccessfully for Council in 2013, as did Williamson, who lost by one vote to Mayor Bob Manley. Roman said in his announcement today that little had changed since then. “The events of the last two years have yet again shown the need for a fresh perspective and new leadership in Verona,” he wrote, pointing to problems with the town’s IT department and hiring practices, among other issues.
“I believe that I can provide the experience and perspective necessary to solve our issues,” added Roman, who is a manager of information technology at a large company, and has been a regular at Town Council meetings since 2010. “I am well-versed in all areas of management including hiring, training, and supervision of employees, preparation of operating and capital budgets, regulatory compliance, business continuity planning and disaster response, and other critical skills.”
Williamson has been a Verona resident since 1991. The current president of the Verona Baseball & Softball League, he participated in the planning for the two turfed youth sports fields that are now being built at the Hilltop. He did not have a statement on his campaign goals prepared at press time.
This is Sapienza’s third campaign. He was re-elected in 2011 with the most votes of any of the four candidates vying for the two four-year terms available (four candidates also ran for two-year terms). “I think we have a great community and I’m proud to be a part of it,” said Sapienza, who said that he does not have a specific agenda for this year’s campaign. “The town has spoken by electing me twice. I enjoy this role.” Last year, Sapienza voted with Manley and Deputy Mayor Jay Sniatkowski to approve a budget that raised taxes by 5.68% and he has voted to renew the contracts of both Township Manager Joe Martin and Town Engineer Jim Helb. Nochimson opposed all three measures.
