Hamilton Mayor Kelly Yaede speaks at the Mid-Jersey Chamber of Commerce’s mayoral candidates forum Oct. 8, 2015 at the Rose Garden in Hamilton. (Photo by Winfield Wetherbee.)
Republican Kelly Yaede, 47, has been mayor since November 2012, when she was appointed to the position after the resignation of John Bencivengo. Yaede won the remaining two years of Bencivengo’s term in November 2013, soundly defeating Democrat Barbara Plumeri. She previously has served on the Hamilton Board of Education (1999-2001) and the township council (2006-2012). A lifelong Hamilton resident, she is a graduate of Nottingham High School and Richard Stockton State College.
The Post’s Rob Anthes sat down with Yaede Oct. 15, in a side room at the Princeton Manor during the annual Senior Citizens Fall Dinner Dance, to find out more about her and her platform.
What’s a day in the life of the mayor like?
Kelly Yaede: A day in the life of the mayor is ever-changing. No two days are exactly the same. You address issues that change continually. You have to have the ability to switch gears at a moment’s notice.
I’ve instituted “Child on the Floor,” which means when a young child comes in, she or he is to be greeted by their mayor. You can go from greeting a child at 10 to dealing with the loss of an employee. You have to change gears. But as mayor, you set the tone for your leadership team. You set the direction for what you want this town to take. It’s headed in a positive direction now.
Economic development is key. Businesses, they are the backbones that bring in rateables to Hamilton Township. You may have a morning meeting with a developer, who has some questions, and later on in the afternoon, I may be at a senior event.
As mayor, you’re mayor 24 hours a day, seven days a week because you’re also public safety director. The mayor can call State of Emergency, not the police chief.
You lead, and you set you priorities as a administration. When you are the CEO of a town this size, you have to lead by example. That’s why residents are not shocked they get responses over the weekend, or I’ll stop by their house over the weekend if they’ve written me a letter. I have 90,000 bosses, the residents of Hamilton Township.
We’ve made government more accessible through online permitting, through our aggressive social media networks. For snow storms, for example, my staff and I will, around the clock, respond to emails, concerns, and give updates on where we are. Communication is so key.
This leadership team has been tried, tested and re-tested with the three health crises. Our team rose to that challenge.
The mayor is the leader, and sets the tone and tenure for the entire town. When there is a crisis, there is one person Hamiltonians looks to for direction.
A day in the life of the mayor is ever-changing. You wake up every day knowing you have the opportunity to help people and affect change. When you are born, raised and educated in Hamilton Township, you want to make Hamilton the best town.
One of the best compliments I’ve received was, a woman brought her child up to me at Winter Wonderland, and she said, “You don’t have to worry about Santa Claus. You have you to worry about the Mayor; she sees everything.”
After the shootings in Newton, I told my staff, “Get me into every elementary school.” That’s unheard of from a mayor. I wanted the feeling, I wanted to the know the principals. I wanted to know the challenges they face. I met with as many as possible. We do demonstrations; I went with the superintendent to two schools, and we did an active shooter drill.
You’re here taking care of the seniors, and then you’ll be in a school, and then opening up the expansion of the animal shelter. It’s addressing the challenges head-on.
One of the examples that comes to mind is when we had the employees get sick at the postal service. Already the calls were coming in. I was notified by CNN. When I got on scene, the first thing I did was ask for their public information officer. They were shocked I asked for that. We have 90,000 people who will be receiving their mail, and we had the anthrax case here. I said, “In order to prevent mass panic, you have to get someone here to message it with me.” So, that is key, being out there and communicating effectively with the residents of Hamilton Township.
In a day in the life of the mayor, lunch is a luxury. It’s a job I absolutely love. No disrespect to my previous employers, but I finally have a job that can keep up with me. It’s great.
One of the things you’ve emphasized during the campaign is the crime rate. It’s the lowest it’s been since 1977. What has your administration done to lower the crime rate?
KY: What has been a priority for myself is letting the professionals use the tools every month. We use a tool called Comstat. We let the professionals analyze the crime stats on a monthly basis, with me. That helps us deploy our resources in an effective manner. Whether it’s done at the detective bureau, anti-crime unit, whether it’s traffic, whether it’s juvenile division. We utilize those statistics to accurately deploy our resources.
First and foremost, as mayor and public safety director, they’re not just statistics. Behind any crime, there are real people, with real lives and real stories to tell. One crime is frustrating as a mayor. But when you realize the lowest crime rate since 1977, two things are vital. You let the professionals do their job; you give them the resources. And you don’t let politics play into anything when you’re addressing public safety.
I was giving my State of the Township address, and I didn’t tell my chief or the bureau commanders who were in the room that we were launching an aggressive social media campaign. We asked the police to revamp their website. Recently, we launched Instagram. It is a two-way conversation. The first video we posted to the police website, 7,000 hits. We are being very aggressive with our communication.
I met with the police chief of D.C., and I said, “Give me some of your best crime fighting tools.” We’re working smarter. Government and technology has come together.
We will continue at ways to continue to reduce crime. We have a virtual Crime Watch meeting. Senior citizens can have a security check. One of our officers, free of charge, will come out and check your home, lighting, any potential risk factors.
It’s letting the professionals do their jobs, giving them the tools, and continually analyzing new tools to outsmart the criminals.
On that note, when you announced this year’s budget, you said your administration was going to look into body cameras for police. How is that going?
KY: We were on the forefront as a policing unit on several initiatives. One was, when I first became mayor, was to discuss the use of Narcan. Two was to replace the police radios, and from my meeting with the D.C. chief of police, body cameras. She told me how it is a vital tool, not only to protect the police officers, but the residents, and how many times that video has been used to quell tensions.
The attorney general’s office just came out with their protocol for the body cameras, and their guidelines. We are working with the prosecutor’s office on resources, on servers and also on cost. The police chief is working hand in hand with the prosecutor’s office. We were on the forefront, and in February, I did announce that I would look into that.
So, we were on the forefront of looking into necessary resources to save lives and protect the residents.
The Narcan, that was on my agenda Day One when I came in as mayor. My first meeting it was on the agenda, and the chief of police was working with the prosecutor’s office. We were on the committee with the prosecutor’s office for next steps. As far as Narcan, prevention is the No. 1 tool. We are in the elementary schools, as soon as first grade. Alcohol is the leading gateway drug, so prevention is so key.
And then the body cameras. After meeting with the police chief, we were one of the first departments who didn’t have it who said, “We want this.” We’re on the forefront of getting those as quickly as possible.
Are you working with the attorney general?
KY: The attorney general issued guidelines. We were so aggressive with getting the body cameras, we had research. I provided to the prosecutor and the chief of police the D.C. regulations. The attorney general’s office, through the prosecutor’s office, said, “Mayor, can you just hold up? We’re coming up with our own guidelines.”
You’ve mentioned quite a few trips to other places you’ve taken as mayor. Are those trips necessary?
KY: They are invaluable. The mayor prior to me, that’s how he came up with HamStat. He attended one of these events. It was going to the Mayors’ Conference. I met with the D.C. chief of police prior to my conference starting. When you take that information, you ask mayors, “Did you implement this? What worked? What are the challenges?” It is absolutely invaluable. You learn best practices.
When we were realizing cases of Ebola, the mayor of Dallas said, “I will avail myself to you.” For two hours, we were on a conference call with the mayor saying, “These are best practices. Here’s where we stubbed our toe. Don’t do this.” It has been an invaluable resource.
I was with the mayor of San Francisco, and this was where the idea came up for how we would release our records for the inspections of our restaurants. He did it on Yelp. San Francisco is a very progressive town. I came back from my staff meeting, and I said, “Do you know what Yelp is?” A lot of people—it’s not as popular here. So then we said, “When we do our online permitting, we are going to put inspection reports online. That came from a direct conversation with the San Francisco mayor Ed Lee.
You learn by visiting with these mayors, and having that one-on-one time out there. You ask other mayors from these large towns, like Austin, Texas, where they have millions of residents, what are your challenges and how are you fixing them?
Who’s the mayor of Nawlins—you can’t say New Orleans or they’ll correct you. It isn’t Nagin, it’s a new mayor. He’s French. I sat with him. They had 40,000 home that were vacant and abandoned. You ask him, “How did you address this?” We walked through the process. You try to implement that here.
You know the challenges that you have as mayor, and you want to go to those who are doing it the best. It’s invaluable.
Every mayor thinks their town is the best. If someone asked you why they should move to Hamilton, what would you tell them?
KY: Bar none, the quality of life. We have the balance of businesses with residential properties. You can get anything you need in Hamilton. There’s a balance of supermarkets, gas stations, recreational facilities. Look at all the parks we have. We have parks in all of our communities. Crown jewel, Veterans Park. It’s that quality of life, the balance of residential with commercial development, not only for basic needs. We have Genesis. We have a biotechnology company here in Hamilton. All your needs, you do not have to leave Hamilton Township to find recreational opportunities, whether it’s a park, a sporting league. As a hands-on mayor, I like to go out to the Shop Rite on 130, and ask people where they’re from. Allentown. Chesterfield. Bordentown. Robbinsville. It’s great pride to see them coming in.
A food desert in the Bromley section will be eliminated with the WalMart coming in on Nottingham Way. That project started before you were mayor, and I’m sure people are anxious for it to open. What’s its status?
KY: I’m happy to report they have promised me they will be open by June of 2016. If you go by, the walls are up.
It was so necessary for WalMart to believe in Hamilton and open a second store, to provide the basic necessities the residents needed. And then, to agree to refurbish the entire development, the strip mall next to it, it is such a promise for that site that has been abandoned. It reaffirms to me the belief the business community has in Hamilton Township. Forty-one new businesses opened in Hamilton Township last year.
The business community feels that Hamilton is safe, that its taxes are stable and that the administration is open to meet and do business. Businesses want to come to Hamilton. We’re going to see redevelopment at a lot of sites that have been abandoned. We will continue that.
You said 41 new businesses opened in Hamilton in 2014. What kind of effect have they had on the township’s revenues?
KY: Rateables. Rateables will offset the need that you have to go to the property tax payers. The business community, outside of providing service, bring in the tax rateables that offset what you need to go to the property tax payers. That’s why it’s so important to have that balance. Then you balance that with open space and recreational areas.
The focus of your 2015 State of the Township address was bringing tourism to Hamilton. At the time, you said you had a few developers interested in the Morton Tract for an amusement development. Have you had any progress on that?
KY: We went out to bid, and we’re looking at meeting with developers to look at the tract and see what can be done there. It all started, I took my nephews to Chuck E. Cheese. Everyone in there was from Hamilton. As mayor, you sit there and say, “We don’t have this in Hamilton.” We’re aggressively pursuing options and trying to overcome any obstacles that may be there with that piece of property. We are realizing Hamiltonians want somewhere they can bring their children, a safe place like a Chuck E. Cheese.
We have the base to attract a business, and hopefully, we will see it come to fruition. But it’s going to be a long process because we’ve realized that we have the library, we have the golf center and we have the mini golf area. We’ve seen that grow. The revenue has grown. The usage has grown.
We’re trying to capture that tourism. We have three hotels that have been built, two have opened their doors, one is being built. We do want to capture that. We’re hearing some rumors they may be interested in some other sites close to a highway. But I can’t say someone may be interested in that.
What is your stance on fire consolidation? Do you feel there should be one, consolidated fire district?
KY: Absolutely. We’ve seen the fire departments moving towards consolidation for several years. We’ve seen a joint committee, purchasing equipment, trucks, training, trying to do that all together. The system that exists now is antiquated.
However, what I would like to see is communication. With the recent announcement, I haven’t seen a plan. I know the unions presented something. But I haven’t seen a plan. I don’t know what firehouses are being closed. I don’t know their personnel cuts, what personnel cuts they have in mind. I don’t know the impact on services. What is most important, what are the costs to the taxpayers with this plan?
This is why I asked DCA if they wouldn’t mind taking a look at fire services, how they’re presented and give us some recommendation. I think it’s the appropriate avenue to take, particularly in light of some of the numbers I’ve been receiving from different fire districts of the impact of equalization. Some districts will almost realize more than a double tax increase. I would prefer no taxes increase in any fire district. That needs to be shown to me, and that needs to be shown to the residents of Hamilton Township.
What I’ve learned is residents do not ask, “What company did you come from?” They expect you show up in a reasonable time. They expect their lives and their properties be protected. I’ve never received one complaint about the fire service. Cost? Yes. But I have not received one complaint from a resident on fire service.
How we go about it and how we inform the residents and move forward, this needs to be communicated effectively for both the fire personnel and the taxpayer.
My father is a fire commissioner, and is a role model of fire consolidation. He had two fire companies. They realized volunteers were down in one company. As a commissioner, he said, “Why are we paying for two fire companies? Let’s move into one building, consolidate.” They did that. He took some heat for that, but it was appropriate for the taxpayers of the district. So, my opponent’s attacks on my family during campaign season have not only been ill-regarded but also inaccurate.
Since you’ve brought up your opponent, one of the things she has focused on in this campaign is the state of the school playgrounds and what it says about your administration’s communication with the school district. Do you think you have a good relationship with the school district? Have you communicated enough with the superintendent?
KY: Unfortunately, my opponent not only is a little late to the campaign, but is delayed in experiencing the vital relationship between the school district and the municipal government. We provide many services to the school district. We have meetings. We have a good relationship with the prior superintendent and now Dr. Ficcara. To politicize the playground issue shows an insensitivity to the value of the relationship between the Board and the municipality.
What the basic difference in this campaign is, while she has thrown out wishlists and politicized playgrounds, I’ve been doing the work for years to have an excellent relationship. It was at the request of the school board’s insurance company that the municipality no longer take care of the playgrounds. At a joint meeting, the superintendent said, “There’s no reason for you to be on our property.” As the municipal government, we said, “Are you sure?” This was a mutual agreement, and we wrote out an agreement not only about the playgrounds, but for salt, fibar. We said, “We will assist you, but you need two employees to get certified.” We had employees attend the same certification. We said we were going to continue until 2014, and inspect the playgrounds for the last time in September. Even though the written agreement wasn’t signed, we still provided the salt, the fibar like we said we would.
Prior to the issue coming to light, we met with multiple school board members to let them know about the shared service agreement. The school district as a whole knew this was their responsibility, and it was evident when they hired the private consultant. Last year, they upgraded two playgrounds. They knew the responsibility was the school district’s. We helped them to make sure they were open in an appropriate time, and we stand ready to continue to do that.
Did I have strong questions for the school district when we met? Absolutely. I got a call from a reporter asking if I knew the playgrounds at all the schools were closed. It was the first day of school. I was pushing my boys on the swingset on the first day of school. So, I asked the school district, “Can you explain why the equipment at McGalliard School was left open?” And they said, “Well, we ran out of tape and fencing.” As a parent, how do you justify that?
That was an unfortunate issue for the school district, but the communication with Dr. Ficcara and the school board members, it is a great relationship.
You’ve said your Day One priority in a new term would be to go to Gov. Christie and ask for the township’s energy tax receipt money back. This is something mayors of Hamilton—John Bencivengo and you—have talked about for years.
KY: I did it a little differently.
Right. Last year, you said you would pursue an amendment to the state constitution to bypass the Governor on the issue. But it seems like you’re running into a brick wall almost.
KY: As mayor, when you have an issue, you have to look at different solutions to affect change. I can’t speak for other mayors, but we knew the Governor would veto it. So now, we ask for concurrent resolution that doesn’t even give the governor the opportunity. We take it right to the voters. We ask the Legislature to pass this so we can take it right to the voters. Let the voters have their say. If you know the Governor’s going to veto it, go over, go around. There has to be a way for property tax payers to get these resources back.
You cannot be afraid to challenge your own party. The Governor’s priorities will sometimes impact mine, mine will impact him. We both know it. But you cannot be afraid to say, “I’m fighting for my residents, as mayor.”
What do you think voters need to know about you in order to make an informed decision on Election Day?
KY: On Election Day, I would like the residents to know that from being a hands-on mayor they can have and anticipate a level of confidence in knowing that I have my finger on the pulse, on the issues that are impacting Hamiltonians, and they can rest assured that myself and my administration is working on it. It’s that sense of confidence in knowing that their homegrown, born, raised and educated mayor will continue to address these issues and with the priority of making Hamilton better and making sure future generations want to come and live in Hamilton Township.
I would like people to know that when they go to sleep at night, we’re working tirelessly—the police, the administration—to make Hamilton better and tackle any issues that face Hamilton.
When we have a weather event and I fire up the command center, our directors volunteer their time to help. When our residents are sleeping, I take the list testing the bridges for ice. I test the bridges myself. If I slip at 3 o’clock in the morning, I know we have to get our salt trucks out. I want the residents to know that while they’re sleeping, their mayor is out there working to make it safer for them. There is nothing that is off limits.
Bottom line, their mayor is always working, always accessible, and her administration—under the tone set by the leadership of the mayor—is working hard for them.
The item of the Democrats’ economic development platform is building a transit village. You have said that can’t happen because developers are hesitant to build near the train station with the townhome development there. So, are you working on something else there? What are you doing to ensure that area stays a productive, developed portion of the township?
KY: I’m glad you brought that up. Jack Rafferty had a dream, that’s true. Unfortunately, the Democrats killed that dream. When you allow a developer to build 637 housing units on one side of the train station, that prevents someone wanting to come in and build true mixed-use—businesses, houses, restaurants, recreation. I was quite shocked my opponent—I understand my opponent is a replacement candidate and came quite late to the race—she should have known that, what destroyed what would be a transit village. When she said New Jersey Transit didn’t return our calls, we’ve met with New Jersey Transit for years.
However, we’re hoping with Congoleum—I received an email yesterday, and they’re still in negotiations with a buyer. We’re anxious to see those plans. When we meet with them, I think we’ve had 11 meetings with them at the site. It’s unfortunate because they really want a mixed used. But when you realize you have 637 homes on the one side, it is such a deterrent to the builders because they want mixed use. We are working with them. We’ve explained our vision and how we can make that whole area into a site that residents can come and use and get the necessary services.
You’ve talked about how busy and full your days are. But, one of the things you’ve made a trademark is your open door policy. So, how can you meet with residents whenever they want to meet when you’re so busy attending to needs when they come up?
KY: You as mayor, although you have varying priorities, you make it work. Being able to switch gears. For example, I was on scene where several homes was impacted. I’m holding a phone, and I have our Office of Emergency Management. Someone knocked on my window, and asked me to sign her daughter’s yearbook. That is an honor. I’m managing a scene, but you take the time, you do it. You have to make it work. The machinations all work. If I’m not there, my staff knows to reach out to the student. One student actually did. I was out at an event, and I said you call him and tell him to come back in. He came in. A year later, I saw him out on the football field. He was so stunned I remembered him. When you love the job, it works. You make it work.
My boys have an issue. They now know not to have me to drop them off at their sporting events or take them to the Y. My family does not ask me to run to the store to pick up milk, because two hours later, the mashed potatoes are rock hard. They stopped asking me to do those things.
But you make it work. What you learn is, the issue they have, that is their priority. And you treat it like a priority because it’s of concern to them. You make it all work, and hopefully, you squeeze in eating.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
KY: Some say I’m a perfectionist. I’d like to see no crime. I’d like to see the schools bustling with more young families coming in, refurbishing the older homes. Attracting more businesses. Keeping the tax rate stable. Increasing our efforts at communication, and keeping up with technology. Making government more user friendly.
I would love to be here as long as I can. I get asked it a lot, “Mayor, did you ever think about running for higher office?” You’re on the front line as mayor. You can affect change when you’re the CEO. Although it’s a big responsibility, it is also a way you can make a significant impact with the right vision, the right leadership team and the right tools.
I want Hamilton to be known as the town to come to, to live. “Big H” to me. I call it “Big H,” and I stand by that. I disagree that Hamilton is to be painted for the reason my opponent does. The residents take that personally. “Big H” has continued to be a leader. As mayor, it’s to provide that leadership to make this town even better. It’s a great town.
How many seniors would be heartbroken if their grandchildren didn’t live close by? You want to make sure future generations want to live here. I would still love to be sitting as mayor 10 years from now.
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