Mackaella Goodwin, a lifelong Madison resident, and Michael Dailey, a Madison resident since 1998, are the two Republican candidates for Madison Borough Council. Mackaella and Michael recognize the need to restore balance to the Borough Council and avoid the continuation of one-party rule within Madison. They have each spoken about the need to add diversity to the Council, which is currently comprised of all Democrats.
Vote By Mail
A topic that arises frequently when the two candidates speak with Madison residents is the way this year's election is being conducted. “Many voters still do not realize that Governor Murphy’s Executive Order #177 mandates a Vote By Mail election," explained Michael. “By now, all registered voters should have automatically received a Vote By Mail ballot. We strongly urge all voters to use their Vote By Mail ballots.”
"On election day, there will be just one polling location available in Madison, the Courtroom at Hartley Dodge Memorial Building,” added Mackaella. “Voters who choose to go to the polls on election day will not be able to vote on machines but instead will be provided with paper provisional ballots. Provisional ballots are the last ballots counted in every election, after every Vote By Mail Ballot has been tallied. Provisional ballots also tend to have a higher voter error rate, so there is greater risk that their vote may not even be valid.”
“Without question, the very best option for voters in this year's General Election is to use their Vote By Mail ballots."
Borough Government Should Serve Madison Residents and Workers
When asked about Mackaella and Michael, Pat Rowe, a Republican who served on the Madison Borough Council from 2013 until 2019, stated that "Both Republican candidates recognize that local government requires participation from citizens in order to work effectively and be truly representative of the people. For them, it really is about the people of Madison. Mackaella and Michael believe our borough government should serve the needs of Madison's residents and workers rather than trying to serve Trenton or promote a political agenda that originates outside of Madison."
Although the candidates have not been knocking on doors this year due to the continuing pandemic, they have been calling Madison households and businesses to help explain the voting process for this year’s General Election and to discuss their priorities for the borough.
Mackaella and Michael have vowed to focus on five areas as members of the Madison Borough Council:
- Prevent any increase in property taxes.
- Address the needs of Madison’s playgrounds and athletic fields.
- Substantially lower the electric rates charged by Madison’s municipally-owned electric utility. Madison’s rates are among the highest in NJ.
- Continue to modernize Madison’s roads, sewers, and utilities.
- Ensure that Downtown Madison remains through solid planning for the future.
Over the years, Mackaella has volunteered extensively in Madison to help people with disabilities to lead a full life. This is an area that she intends to continue to focus on within Madison, as she works to promote positive perceptions and greater awareness of the needs of adults and children with disabilities, and their ability to contribute to the life of our Madison community.
Both Michael and Mackaella emphasize the need to improve Madison's playgrounds. "Our playgrounds need greater attention from the borough, as any young family in town can attest. While there has been some focus on playing fields in recent years, and a dog park has even been recently established, the borough playgrounds where our Madison youth play haven't been updated in a very long time and some equipment has fallen into disrepair. For some children, they are even dangerous and could pose a liability for the borough," stated Michael.
Support for Law Enforcement
Additionally, the candidates have repeatedly expressed their support for the Madison Police Department. “Michael and I support the law enforcement personnel who serve our community. We are very open about the fact that we stand behind our Madison Police Department, fully funded,” stated Mackaella.
Michael added, “Our Madison police are the first to respond to our calls for help at the most stressful and distressing moments of our lives, when we or our loved ones or our neighbors are in danger. If the Madison Police Department makes a reasonable request for training or new tools or additional personnel to help them perform their jobs and improve their safety, they shouldn’t need to wonder whether the members of Madison’s Borough Council will say yes.”
Mackaella Goodwin
Born and raised in Madison, Mackaella is a member of the Madison High School class of 2016. She graduated from Lycoming College in May 2020 with BA degrees in Actuarial Science, Mathematics, and Quantitative Economics. At her graduation, Mackaella received the J.W. Free Award, recognizing her as the most active student in Mathematical Sciences and granting her departmental honors in the field of Mathematics. Along with this academic award, Mackaella also received Lycoming’s Intramural Female Athlete Award through the college's Student Leadership Awards program.
Mackaella is currently preparing for Actuarial Exam P while working full time as an Operations Consultant with the New York Life Insurance Company. She looks forward to beginning her career as an actuary.
Mackaella has always been an active leader with a strong passion for volunteer work and service projects. She volunteers with several organizations to assist adults and children in our area who have disabilities, and she has served in many ministries within St. Vincent Martyr Church, where she sometimes works as a substitute organist.
Michael Dailey
Michael has lived in New Jersey nearly all his life and spent his youth in Roselle. After earning a BS at Seton Hall University, he started his career in the western US, but he eventually made his way back to New Jersey and moved to Madison in 1998.
Michael’s work involves business-to-business sales within the custom home automation industry. For the last few decades, all of his customers have been small businesses in the tri-state area, and for a time Michael even ran his own small business. He knows first-hand the struggles that small businesses face as they operate within NJ.
Michael is a husband, father, employee, and community volunteer.
Meet the Candidates
Mackaella and Michael look forward to the opportunity to serve on the Borough Council on behalf of their Madison neighbors. Voters can contact Mackaella and Michael at goodwinanddailey@gmail.com and follow their campaign on the Madison Republican Committee website at MadisonNJGOP.com.