Grayzel: Improve Communication

Four people will vie for two spots on the Morris Township Committee this Election Day.

Incumbent Daniel Caffrey, a Republican, will run alongside Andres Benvenuto. Democrat Jeff Grayzel is seeking a return to the committee (having previously served from 2007 through 2009), and is joined by Democrat Michael Kandybowicz (who replaced Mary Marley-Reidy after she dropped out of race.)

Patch sent each of the candidates a questionnaire in advance of Election Day, which will be Tuesday, Nov. 8. Grayzel's answers are below. For information on the other candidates, see here.

Name: Jeff Grayzel

Age: 48. Married to Lynn, with two children.

Occupation: President of G3 Medical Development since 1998. Previously manager of marketing and new business development at Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., from 1985 to 1998.

Education: BA in economics, Cornell University; BS in operations research engineering, Cornell University; MS in industrial engineering, Columbia University

Previous elected or appointed positions (including previous terms in sought position):

• Morris Township Committee member, 2007 through 2009.
• Fire commissioner, 2009
• Deputy police commissioner, 2008 and 2009
• Planning Board member, 2008 and 2009
• Board of Health member, 2007 and 2009
• Recreation Advisory Committee member, 2009
• Beautification Committee member, 2007 through 2009

Any other current elected or appointed positions: Trails & Pathways Committee member since 2008

Other Community Associations: 

• Morristown National Little League baseball coach
• Head Coach for T-ball league team for 5 years
• Morris United Soccer coach
• Vice president of the Washington Valley Community Association
• Member of the Morristown Jewish Center board of directors

How long have you lived in town: Since 1997 (14 years)

What do you see as the most pressing issues in the coming term, and what would you do about them: Better communication with our residents.

Note: Grayzel and Kandybowicz provided this extended response after this item was initially posted:

Honeywell: First of all, the master plan should be driving development in Morris Township. Changes to the Master Plan must benefit Morris Township, and should be in line with a consistent vision for the future development of Morris Township. Presently it is developers who are driving changes to the master plan, in this case Honeywell. Second, we think the current proposal is too dense and does not take into consideration the desires of the surrounding neighborhoods. So we do not believe the master plan should be changed to accommodate the current proposal from Honeywell. The development plans would have to change to warrant a change in the master plan.

Traffic is a major concern but not the primary issue. The primary issue at stake here is the nature of development in Morris Township over the next five to ten years. We need to reduce the urbanization of our community and preserve and protect open spaces which define the characteristic of our quality of life. There is no meaningful open space component to the current Honeywell proposal. Traffic is one of the things that degrade our quality of life and reduce property values, which in turn will reduce property tax revenue. If the current proposal in its dense form is allowed to move forward then the traffic issue is paramount given that the intersection at Park Avenue and Columbia Road is already at maximum capacity during rush hour. We do not want to see commuters using our local side-streets as cut-throughs to avoid these traffic jams.

Communication: The members of the Township Committee are not kept abreast of all issues. As an example, just recently at the last Township Committee meeting Mike Kandybowicz asked a question that had been asked of him by a resident. Mike sought clarification on the Township's current plans for the empty building lot adjacent to the municipal parking lot at the corner of Speedwell Ave and Gregory Ave. Specifically, Mike asked the Township Committee if there were plans for the construction of an apartment building. The members of the Committee professed no knowledge of any such proposal, and denied that anything was being done at that location. Even Mr. Caffrey who sits on the planning board was unaware of an approval granted last year to the developer JCJR, LLC for a building with retail space on the ground floor and two apartments above it -- on the vacant lot next to the municipal parking lot. Our Municipal government needs to be more aware of all the issues affecting our neighbors, and take a more active role in protecting their interests.

If the public is lucky, the agenda to the Township Committee meeting is posted late Monday afternoon for the Wednesday meeting. But usually Township Committee agendas are posted either the day before the meeting or sometimes even on the day of the meeting.

What’s one fact about you that most voters probably don’t know: I am a sports fanatic