Teaneck’s Council race to select 3 members of our 7 person governing board is ongoing. 

The sole incumbent candidate – and presumed leader of slate 4-5-6 – is Mark Schwartz.  Though registered as a democrat, he has demonstrated his judgment about political leadership in those he has supported for: 

United States President
Republican Donald J. Trump to whose 2020 campaign Schwartz  contributed two thousand dollars last Fall and who he has never repudiated in contrast to most of his fellow Townspeople whose rejection of Trump has been  quickened by Trump’s total mismanagement of the current pandemic. (see below for the FEC contribution report)
U.S House of Representatives, NJ’s 5th Congressional District
Republican Scott Garrett  who Schwartz continuously supported as late as 2016 when Garrett lost to Josh Gottheimer. (see below for endorsement). Garrett was arguably the most conservative 21st century NJ congressman though he usually lost in Teaneck by huge margins in his 8 congressional races.
Governor of New Jersey 
Republican Chris Christie – who Schwartz loudly supported as a Teaneck Democrat for Christie’s second – disastrous – term as governor; he never repudiated his support even as the “Bridgegate” scandal sealed Christie’s political fate. 

In contrast to Councilman Schwartz, Teaneck Voters have almost invariably been been right about all three of these politicians —  they regularly rejected them by wide margins.

It is one thing  to “misjudge” the leadership abilities and character of political figures you initially support. It is quite another not to be able to admit errors in those initial judgments.

Schwartz – like all three of these politicians he has supported – rarely acknowledges his errors in judgment which makes his learning from the past nearly impossible.

The consequences of the current pandemic for the future of urban-suburban real estate patterns are now clear. And they further expose how completely inappropriate has been Schwartz’s single-minded focus on  “huge, tall, dense multi-unit rental facilities” as the vision for Teaneck’s development. 

Why should we expect that reality will now modify Schwartz’s views – views that have always been at variance with Teaneck’s longstanding goals set forth in its hard-won Master Plan? His views have never been ours. New economic realities will soon accelerate to show that they have been in error all along — and surely at variance with why most of us chose to live here!

Perhaps we should look elsewhere for leadership for Teaneck’s Council.  Try looking at the top of the mail-in-ballot!

For President

For Congress

For Governor