Morris Township Committee Hopeful Campaigns Against ‘Government of Exclusion’

Morris Township resident Cathy Wilson believes it is time for a change on the Township Committee and has thrown her hat into the ring to represent that change.

“A big problem in Morris Township is what I call ‘government of exclusion,’” Wilson said. “Women are excluded. Democrats are excluded.  Anyone who’s not part of the ‘established Republican order’ is excluded. I’m challenging this situation for what it is – unacceptable.”

Wilson is launching her campaign with a Meet the Candidate Open House on Sept. 20 at the Democratic Headquarters, 11 Washington Street, in Morristown in an event that is open to the public and will run from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Wilson has planned three brief presentations at 5:45 p.m., 6:45 p.m., and 7:45 p.m. and will be available the rest of the time to speak to guests.

"I'm very excited about this race and look forward to an invigorating campaign focused on issues important to Morris Township residents,” Wilson said.

Wilson said the decision of the Honeywell Corporation pulling up stakes and moving to nearby Morris Plains sparked her interest in running for office.

“Honeywell was a wake up call for me,” Wilson said. “I saw problems with our planning process and knew I could make a valuable contribution to correcting them. A key problem with our planning process is there’s no opportunity for residents, planners, officials, and other stakeholders to share ideas with each other in a collaborative forum, outside the parameters of a legalistic framework.  I think it would be a great benefit to our community for stakeholders to work together to create a shared vision, clarify common concerns, and develop creative resolution options. I have the passion, skills, and vision to work with these issues and bring positive changes to our community.”           

Wilson said another key factor that put her on the campaign trail was dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.  

“After the trauma of having no power for 12 days and no information about when it would be restored, working with electrical outage issues has become a passion for me.  I helped to found a citizens action group Citizens for Reliable Electricity in Morris Township (CREMT),” Wilson said.  

According to Wilson, CREMT’s mission is improved results fewer outages, shorter duration, better communication. 

“If I can serve as a point person between the Township, JCP&L, and residents, I guarantee that together we’ll come up with innovative ways to improve this situation,” Wilson said. “The key is to work together and be proactive. Serving on the Township Committee will strengthen my ability to do that.”

Wilson said that she offers an outsiders perspective to local government.

 “I believe that electing a well-qualified candidate who’s not part of the ‘Republican establishment’ will help to build trust, transparency, and results,” Wilson said. “That’s what I offer, and that’s why I’m running.”