Mayor Jason F. Cilento

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Four years ago when I first ran for Mayor of Dunellen, I began my personal statement here on Dunellen411 by quoting President Dwight D. Eisenhower: “The middle of the road is all of the usable surface; the extremes, right and left, are in the gutters.” 

I believed President Eisenhower’s words rang true then, and I still believe they ring true today. Our national politics remain divided and people are beginning to seek options other than the two major parties. That’s why I have always felt and have always aimed to govern here in Dunellen as the Mayor of Dunellen, not the [insert party name here] mayor of Dunellen. 

I care more about serving the constituents of Dunellen than I do party politics. I believe that is why the Dunellen’s Future Together Team has broad support amongst Democrats, Republicans and Independents alike in Dunellen. We serve the people, not ourselves, or a political ideology, and nor do we expect you to vote for us because of our political affiliation or only knock on our registered parties' doors seeking votes – we seek to knock and reach every door in Dunellen, regardless of party. 

We hope you vote for us because we are the team that has accomplished a great deal for Dunellen and have laid out detailed plans and a vision for our community – and the vision has been greatly impacted by the voices of our residents and businesses through yearly surveys, community engagement events, town halls and being present at borough events. This has led to us implementing policy based around the community's input. Simply put, we have walked the walk, not talked the talk. We have shown you what we can actually do and accomplish for the better good of our community and not simply hope to rely on any titles that come before our names.

As a lifelong resident of Dunellen, I have dedicated my time to making Dunellen a better place for all to call home. Born and raised in Dunellen, I have had the unique opportunity of experiencing the borough from a variety of perspectives: child, adult, homeowner, councilman for nine years, and now mayor. This 360-degree perspective has allowed me to understand our Miracle Mile and what it needs to be successful, and clearly identify its strengths, challenges, and undeniable potential. I am proud to call Dunellen my home and am excited to raise my growing family here–my wife Lindsay and I are expecting a baby girl in February 2024.

I attended Dunellen’s public schools K-12, graduated from Kean University with a bachelor’s degree in political science and a minor in theatre studies, and graduated from Rutgers University with a master’s degree in public administration. My full time job is in financial intelligence at a global financial institution. Both my education and professional career provide me with the valuable knowledge and pragmatism necessary to understand how the government should operate and how tax dollars should be spent.

Over the years I have been an active member in the community from a young age, including playing high school football and track and field (Go Destroyers!) and participating in Dunellen High School’s performing and visual arts programs. Upon graduating in 2008, I led volunteer clean-up efforts downtown and served as an associate fire member on the Dunellen Defender Fire Company No. 1; I co-founded and served as president of a local non-profit theatre company in 2012 until 2015; and I served on the board of directors for Juggling Life Inc. from 2009 to 2017. Volunteerism is important to the residents of Dunellen and I am honored to have served alongside so many of you for all these years.

Over the last three-and-a-half years, I have kept the promises that were made in 2019 when I first ran for mayor. These accomplishments include:

• Improved the Municipal Budget and adoption process by offering PowerPoint presentations at Council Meetings.
• Developed a budget infographic highlighting the important points and goals of the annual budget, while simplifying data through visuals illustrating where tax dollars are spent.
• Increased access to information and transparency by providing Monthly Messages from the Mayor, Monthly Walk & Talks, continuation of The Dunellen Report and Dunellen Updates with Mayor Cilento video series in addition to rolling out a brand new Borough of Dunellen YouTube channel and Facebook page.
• Ensured that a hybrid form of Council Meetings, both in-person and with virtual access, continued after the pandemic to provide more opportunity for public participation and engagement.
• Led Dunellen through the COVID-19 pandemic, the recovery from Hurricane Ida, and the rebuild of the fire house
• Attracted new development projects and has facilitated over $40MM in investments into the downtown 
• Worked closely with NJTransit to make improvements to the Dunellen Train Station
• Led efforts to improve Dunellen’s aging infrastructure making investments in sewer improvements, utilities, park improvements, and most notably, investing in road improvements - having paved close to seven miles of Dunellen’s 16 miles of roads to date, and augmenting pedestrian and traffic safety measures
• Led efforts to obtain over $4MM in grants to fund infrastructure and beautification projects in Dunellen
• Worked with a coalition of mayors along the Raritan Valley Rail Line to fight for direct services into New York City
• Spearheaded three planning initiatives including the Master Plan Reexamination (inclusive of NJ’s first Climate Resiliency Plan), the Active Transportation Study by NJ TRANSIT’s Transit Friendly Planning Program, and the NJTPA’s Complete and Green Streets for All policy—that guide the Borough’s decision making over the next decade
• Worked to enact ordinances against polluting waterways and the overuse of public garbage receptacles from multi-use properties in an effort to prevent debris from harming storm water systems
• Recently enhanced the Noise Ordinance to be better enforced
• Digitized Dunellen’s volunteer application and has promoted a more inclusive and diverse group of appointed members of committee, commissions and authorities, leading to an increase of appointed volunteer members of our community from all backgrounds
• Enacted an ordinance that limits the amount of handbills and circulars that are placed on resident properties from private and unsolicited vendors
• Relaunched the Borough of Dunellen website to be more user-friendly and accessible. The website can host over 40 different languages!
• Obtained Sustainable Jersey's Technical Assistance for Advancing Equity Pilot program which will help Dunellen gain an understanding of vulnerable populations in the Borough and how the Mayor and Council may better meet communication needs for all constituents.
• Expanded part-time municipal employees to full time such as the Construction Office and Tax Collector’s Office in order to provide greater accessibility and to better serve Dunellen constituents.
• Negotiated contracts with the Police Officers and Public Works employees that show appreciation for the hard work, as well as assisting in the attraction and retention of new employees. Simultaneously, negotiating that retired employees, both union and non-union, pay into their healthcare benefits upon retirement, therefore putting Dunellen in a better financial position over the long term.   

Although there has been a great deal accomplished, there is still plenty more to do! Here is a roadmap I believe we can work on together as a community:

• Assure the borough keeps the municipal tax rate as low as possible while maintaining quality services, and ensure the revenue from redevelopment is used to pay down debt services and over time reduce the burden of taxes on residential property owners. 
• Develop a Downtown Improvement District to market, attract and retain businesses, as well as encourage local grant opportunities to help with facade improvement programs for downtown businesses. 
•  Lessen the burden on taxpayers through continued use of grant opportunities for park improvements, beautification projects, and infrastructure improvements. 
•  Further develop opportunities for student ambassadors to work on committees and commissions in the municipal government, promoting civic engagement and understanding with our youth. 
• Continue enhancing public safety through a combination of enforcement personnel recruitment and support such as a traffic officer and community engagement officer, as well as continuing to enhance road striping, rapid flashing beacon lights or traffic signals at key intersections, implementing a trucking route to improve commercial traffic flow through town, and advocate for State and County roads become 25 MPH and look into making roads 15 MPH near and around school and parks
•  Implement a Complete and Green Streets for All Policy. 
• Ensure the Dunellen Climate Resiliency Plan and Master Plan Re-Examination goals are met over time. 
• Ensure the South Avenue Culvert Project is finally completed to alleviate flooding 
• Continue to work with key stakeholders at NJTransit and the State of New Jersey to advocate for a modern and accessible Dunellen Train Station.  
• Continue to enhance communications and transparency for the residents and businesses of Dunellen, ensuring that Dunellen develops and implements a municipal communications strategic plan through the Sustainable Jersey Diversity Profile technical assistance grant
• Continue with our road improvement plan to keep Dunellen's roadways a safe and smooth ride for you and your family.

In addition to my local responsibilities, I represent Dunellen in both State and National organizations. I currently serve as 2nd VP of the NJ Conference of Mayors and sit on committees for the NJ League of Municipalities. I sit as the only NJ Republican mayor member of Climate Mayors, and as a member of Leaders for Climate Accountability. I have also led efforts with other mayors on the Mayor's Alliance for a Clean Green Brook Waterway initiative.

Despite all that’s been achieved, this wouldn’t have been accomplished without a team working towards a singular goal of making Dunellen better. I believe the best council members are the ones who leave their political affiliations at the door when they walk into the council chambers and put the needs of their constituents before their egos. I have had the honor of working with many Dunellen-first council members. 

I also have the utmost respect for the countless volunteers that serve on committees, commissions, boards & authorities and the many employees who carry out and implement the policy that the governing body puts forward. Full transparency, it’s a team effort!

I would like to recognize that I am running again uncontested for Mayor of Dunellen. I continue to understand the responsibility that has been bestowed upon me by our community and I do not take it for granted. Building trust between myself and our residents has been a principle of mine that has guided me during my time as a public servant in Dunellen, and it is the reason I have gone door-to-door meeting with as many members of our community as possible this election season and is also why I try to be as accessible as possible throughout the year to constituents. I want to get to know you and for you to get to know me. If we have not yet met on your front porch or at a community event, please reach out to me through our website – I will make sure to contact you back.

Finally, I want to part with good words about my running-mates Crisol-Iris Lantz and Hal VanDermark. Both in their short time either being a volunteer on a committee or serving on Borough Council have accomplished a great deal and have thoughtfully advised mayor and council on issues related to pedestrian and traffic safety in Dunellen, environmental issues through the recently enacted Climate Resiliency Plan and improvements to downtown Dunellen through the master plan re-examination process, as well as the Sustainable Jersey Diversity Profile & Municipal Communication Task Force. Both have been volunteering on a Borough committee, task force or commission before they decided to run for council, they did not simply decide to run for council, and then seek to volunteer in the municipal government to fluff their resume; which speaks volumes of their character and commitment to Dunellen. They serve the people, not for politics - and for that - they have my full endorsement as they seek to earn your vote to serve on the Dunellen Borough Council.  

I am honored to be running for re-election as Mayor alongside Crisol-Iris Lantz and Hal VanDermark for Dunellen Borough Council. I hope you will vote for the Dunellen’s Future, Together Team on Column B and together we will all continue to move Dunellen forward!

Please visit our website for additional resources: 

https://dunellensfuturetogether.com/dunellen-411-statements or visit our facebook page at: Cilento Lantz & VanDermark for Dunellen or Instagram account at: dunellensfuturetogether.