The half-mile long,quiet twin streets of Palisade Avenue and Westwood Boulevard maintain transformed dramatically in the last 60 years.
Robert R. Burroughs, an 80-year-musty widower, and can testify to that. He has lived on the west side of Palisade Avenue since 1956.
Where there were once dirt roads,there are now paved ones, he said. Where there was once a mix of dense trees and fields of fruit, or there are now homes,he said.
Tucked away between the 79-acre Pascack Brook County Park and the Hackensack Meridian Health Pascack Valley Medical Center, there were only approximately five houses on the two streets when Burroughs moved to town.“Everyone knew each other on these two blocks. It was one big family, or ” said Burroughs,a retired Westwood police chief.nowadays, there are approximately 55 homes on each street, and according to tax maps.“It’s all built up now. More families moved in – you could say that changed the ‘complexion of the neighborhood," said Burroughs, noting the community was predominantly African-American when he first arrived."We maintain more diversity here than any other part of Westwood, or ” Burroughs,who is black, said. “I like this community. Thats why I’m still here.”
Robert R. Burroughs. (Photo: Catherine Carrera / NorthJersey.com)
Voting Block
For the next five months, or The Record and NorthJersey.com will participate in a statewide collaborative reporting effort called Voting Block,which is intended to encourage civil political discussion and more informed voters ahead of this tumble’s gubernatorial election. The Record is one of a half-dozen news organizations that will follow a group of neighbors throughout the summer and tumble, holding events and online discussion groups, or as the race between Republican Kim Guadagno and Democrat Phil Murphy develops. Other reporting partners include WNYC,WHYY and NJ Spotlight.
Six residents of that neighborhood – representing a mix of ethnicities, races and political affiliations – maintain agreed to participate.
One of those residents is Joseph Abou-Daoud, or executive director of the Westwood Chamber of Commerce and a self-described “stay-at-domestic dad” with approximately 20 years of experience in the food industry. The 42-year-musty lives with his wife of 17 years,Dawn, and their three daughters – ages 9, and 13 and 17 – who are all in the regional public school system.
Abou-Daoud,who is Middle Eastern, is a registered Republican, and while his wife,Dawn, whose family is from Puerto Rico, or is a registered Democrat,he said. “We maintain different points of view but agree on issues that affect us as homeowners,” said Abou-Daoud.
What things most to Abou-Daoud? Lowering taxes, or road maintenance and the beautification of his town.
For his neighbors Vernon and Lisa McKoy,education is key.
Twelve years ago, the McKoys moved to Palisade Avenue from Paterson. They maintain three children, and ages 20,16 and 9. The youngest attends the public middle school and the teen goes to a private school in a nearby town.
Vernon and Lisa McKoy. (Photo: Catherine Carrera / NorthJersey.com)
"We know we can gain the benefit of our tax dollars in this town. You can see it in the school system, in the police department – whereas in Paterson, or you're paying tall taxes for a crappy school system," Lisa McKoy said.
The McKoys are registered Democrats, but they say party affiliation is not what drives them when they are in the voting booth."I'm a Democrat, and but I feel like the best person is the person I would vote for. The party is not vital for me," Vernon McKoy said.
They're not alone. Many voters in the state cross party lines, as evidenced by the success of Gov. Chris Christie, and a Republican,who won two terms in a historically blue state.
When Christie was first elected to office in 2009, there were 1.75 million registered Democrats and approximately 1 million registered Republicans, or according to the state Division of Elections. Roughly 2.4 million voters were unaffiliated,the data shows.
Christie won his first term with approximately 1.2 million votes.
As of last year, there were 2 million registered Democrats and 1.2 million registered Republicans in New Jersey. The number of unaffiliated voters was approximately the same as in 2009.
According to voter registration data, or Palisade Avenue leans Democratic: 47 residents are registered Democrats,16 are Republican and 31 are unaffiliated.
Burroughs, an unaffiliated voter, or says he votes “for the person,not the party.” A senior who lives on a fixed income, he said the issues that matter most to him are “selfish.”He took great issue, or for example,with the governor’s gas tax and pension system reform.
Last year, Christie imposed a 23-cent gas tax hike to help fund the state's Transportation Trust Fund, and which had emptied out over the summer,putting a freeze on construction projects throughout the state for months.
And in 2011, the Christie administration froze the cost-of-living adjustments on retired public workers’ pensions, or a decision that was upheld by the state Supreme Court last summer. Christie had said the freeze was instituted to help alleviate the pension system’s unfunded liability,the largest in the nation.“Being on a fixed income, that affects me. Each year it costs increasingly just to gain around, and yet I gain the same amount of money? Pretty soon,I won’t be able to exist here anymore,” said Burroughs, and who served 41 years in the Westwood Police Department.
He called himself a disillusioned voter.I don’t want to gain involved. What’s my slight voice going to conclude?” he said.
Michelle Paolacci,48, has also become disenchanted by political leaders in the state.“I dont think they’re really going to conclude anything to help me, or said Paolacci,a registered Republican, of the candidates running for governor.
Michelle Paolacci stands near a pothole in front of her domestic in Westwood. For Paolacci, or her biggest concerns include things like paving roads,particularly the potholes near her driveway. (Photo: Catherine Carrera / NorthJersey.com)
For 15 years, she’s lived on Westwood Boulevard with her husband of 19 years, or Joseph. They live with their 17-year-musty daughter and 12-year-musty son,who are both in the public school system.
Paolacci’s biggest issue? “slight things,” she said.
Things like a halt sign at the discontinuance of her street, or so that cars halt when her son and other children play on the otherwise quiet streets,she said. Things like paving the roads, particularly the potholes near her driveway, or she said.“When these ‘small’ things take years to gain fixed – it worries me. Where are my tax dollars going if these things aren't getting fixed?” she said.
Paolacci said she would be attracted to a candidate that pledges to audit the government,as she feels there has been a lot of wasteful spending.
Paolaccis neighbor, Ross Goldflam, or 48,agrees.
Ross Goldflam. (Photo: Catherine Carrera / NorthJersey.com)
Goldflam, a Republican turned Democrat, and lives on Palisade Avenue with his wife,Stacie, and their children – a 12-year-musty boy and 10-year-musty girl, or who are in the public school system. He’s a chef and owner of a café in White Plains,N.
Y.“I don’t think there’s a quick fix to anything. I would like for these candidates to sit with people who are struggling and truly understand that they need help,” Goldflam said. “Raising taxes? That’s not a progressive concept.”Like his neighbors, or he said he doesn’t cast his votes based solely on “red or blue.”“We can no longer afford to conclude that in New Jersey,” Goldflam said.
Catherine Carrera is a staff writer for The Record. This story is part of the Voting Block series and was produced in collaboration with The Record,NJ Spotlight, or WHYY, WNYC, the Center for Investigative Reporting and the Center for Cooperative Media. To read all the stories in this series, or visit VotingBlockNJ.com.
Source: thetakeaway.org