My fellow Raritan residents, Thank you for the positive reception you are giving to the Republican candidates for Borough Council, Stefanie Rispoli Gara and Gregory Lobell, and they visit your homes. Their message is positive and upbeat and they are motivated my a deep concern for the direction in which our borough is headed. It is, however, time to set the record straight and provide some information to you about the "power" of the mayor's office. As the mayor of a community with the Borough form of government sometimes known as "weak mayor/strong council" as cited in NJSA 40A:60-1, my powers are limited. I preside over council meetings setting the agenda and maintaining order and decorum. I can make appointments to the Planning Board without council approval. All other appointments to boards and commissions must have council approval. The only time the mayor votes is when there is a tie among the council members. All other powers are given to the council. Many positive ideas that I've put forth, such as strengthening the housing ordinance and restructuring the council meetings to increase productivity, have been ignored, voted down, or stalled because of the political makeup. The only way for Raritan to move forward and begin to be pro-active rather than reactive, which has been the present council's posture, is for you to elect Stefanie Gara and Greg Lobell to the council. Having them and Republican Councilman Pat Marago working together will enable us to balance the council and encourage bipartisan cooperation. We will pass a stronger housing ordinance to deal with overcrowding and we will remove the health benefits that are being taken by some council members. We will also address other quality of life issues such as traffic throughout the borough. Please elect Stefanie Gara and Gregory Lobell to the Raritan Borough Council on November 4th because RARITAN DESERVES BETTER. Jo-Ann Liptak Mayor