"How can a self-proclaimed progressive be so short-sighted?
We need to reduce our dependency on the electric utility surplus for fiscal and environmental reasons."
On Tuesday, July 2, Madison Republican Mayoral Candidate Rob Catalanello issued a statement explaining his opposition to the borough's dependence on the excessive profits generated by Madison's electric utility. He also expressed his desire to foster a more sustainable future for Madison and its residents. We are posting this statement to our supporters here, because the local paper, the Madison Eagle, has thus far refused to print our statements or submissions.
There has been a lot of talk recently about the need for new fire trucks (apparatus). So much so, that Rachel Ehrlich, Democrat Candidate for Council, felt compelled at the last borough council meeting to speak on the subject. She was very eloquent and complimentary as she described her visit to the fire station and her knowledgeable escort. She concluded by praising Madison’s Electric Utility and the massive surplus it generates, as the surplus will be used to purchase this new apparatus.
In essence, Ms. Ehrlich was praising and endorsing Madison’s addiction to fossil fuels. Since upward of 50 percent of Madison's municipal budget is funded by the Electric Utility surplus, it is fair to call our reliance on it an addiction. How can a self-proclaimed progressive like Ms. Ehrlich be so short-sighted? It is as though she is saying, carbon footprint be damned, we need a shiny new fire truck and I don’t care how we get it! With reasoning like that, one can justify anything.
I am not questioning the need for new apparatus for the fire department.
I am not saying the Electric Utility isn’t a key asset for our borough.
I am saying we need to reduce our dependency on the Electric Utility surplus for fiscal and environmental reasons.
The question is, how we can help offset Madison’s carbon footprint?
I have reached out to all the major electric vehicle producers operating in the USA. I am happy to report there is significant interest in partnering with Madison to create an extensive electric vehicle charging system in the borough. That sounds like a good start.
Next, let’s incent Madison residents to purchase electric vehicles by copying parts of systems implemented in Norway. Specifically, the first 1,000 miles of driving will be on the borough, free of charge for Madison residents who purchase electric vehicles. Let’s give beneficial parking considerations (2 hours versus the current 1-hour limit) to electric vehicles. Finally, provide a one-time tax credit of $250 per vehicle to residents who purchase electric cars. Let’s motivate change, rather than just talking about it.
The new charging centers will be equipped with state of the art solar generation equipment and battery back-up facilities. We will sell electricity at 3 or 4 cents over our cost at the new charging center, and open it up to everyone, thereby creating demand for our product from residents outside Madison. This will produce an ongoing, sustainable revenue stream that can be encumbered by the borough to satisfy any contract into which it enters for the purchase of equipment, not just a fire truck. It will have the added benefit of bringing visitors to the borough to use the charging station. By implementing a boroughwide system of bicycles, similar to the Citi Bikes program currently deployed in NYC, with a dock at the charging station, residents and visitors can pedal to explore Madison, shop, or grab a snack while their vehicles are charging.
When one’s only tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Unfortunately, it seems as though our opponents in the upcoming election and many members of the ruling party’s local leadership view the Electric Utility as their hammer. The Electric Utility surplus is the solution to everything, regardless of our growing addiction to it and the deleterious environmental issues our dependence causes.
Madison needs concerned leadership and more members of the governing body that can think innovatively and implement the long-term solutions that will make our town a better, more sustainable place to live, raise a family, and run a business. Madison needs change, and candidates whose only solution is "business as usual" do not fit the bill and should not be trusted with our future. We must plan smartly for the future, not accept the status quo.
Robert Catalanello
Woodland Rd
Madison, NJ