Changing of the guard
The Record contains a nice tribute piece to Councilman Paul Ostrow on the occasion of his departure from the Council after 16 years of service. The Council and the town as a whole owe a debt of gratitude to a man who tirelessly served the community for so long in a fashion that truly expressed the non-partisan and non-doctrinaire spirit of Teaneck government.The new Township Council is in some ways operating at a significant disadvantage to the outgoing one. Gone are decades of experience and institutional memory. Loads of accumulated knowledge of the issues and the inner workings of Teaneck government are leaving along with Councilmen Ostrow and Stern. On the other hand, the Council's newcomers are unencumbered by the past. Will the fresh dose of energy and enthusiasm they bring compensate for the fact that they have a steep learning curve to climb?
The fact remains that despite the late attention paid to the stormy election campaign this spring, the four newcomers to the Council are largely unknowns. We have some idea of where they stand on select issues, and some insight into their overall approach to governing, but overall, we have as much to learn about them as they do about the new responsibilities they are assuming. Will we be missing Councilman Ostrow even more in a year's time?
posted by Teaneck Blog @ 11:06 AM
6 Comments:
Paul Ostrow's greatest contribution to Teaneck has been his equanimity-his ability to seek consensus without the inherent screaming that accompanies many of Teaneck's issues.
The new council members should take a lesson from his superb leadership example. They will need it.
I wholeheartedly agree with TeaneckBlog on this topic. While it may be "popular" to cite change as a reason for not supporting incumbents (and I know Ostrow and Stern chose not to run again), the fact remains that experience and knowledge of the township are good reasons to retain and support some elected officials. I was truly dismayed when, at the LWV Forum, Rudolph (who has only lived in the township a very short time) said in his answer to the swim club issue that he didn't even know where it was and what the problem was with the lease. How can someone run for office and not take the time to acquaint himself with the current issues on the council's plate... this council will have to rely on the operating knowledge of Jackie Kates and Elie Katz, as well as the township attorney and manager, to learn the ropes. Let's hope ALL the newly elected councilmembers do not just "band together" and really devote themselves to learning from those who are more experienced...
Let's hope ALL the newly elected councilmembers do not just "band together" and really devote themselves to learning from those who are more experienced...
...including Mr. Ostrow and Mr. Stern.
Though I have had no personal dealings with him, whenever I went to council meetings I found Paul Ostrow to be the most impressive of the members. He seemed to know more than anyone else and was always at pains to treat people politely and respectfully (even when members of the public were saying inane).
Paul Ostrow has served on the Township Council longer than I've lived in Teaneck. While I missed a few years, I quickly developed a tremendous appreciation for his depth of knowledge in all things related to Teaneck.
It is only over the past few years that I have come to a proper realization of the breadth and scope of his knowledge. The more time that I have spent being involved in Teaneck activities and studying the intricacies and arcana of Teaneck's government, has only shown me how much further I (together with most of us) need to come to approach Paul's levels of achievement.
With both Paul Ostrow and Yitz Stern leaving, and four new members coming on board, the Township Council will see the loss of two-and-a-half decades of experience and a steep drop in the internal levels of institutional knowledge. In addition to the three returning / continuing members, the Council as a whole will only benefit by taking a fresh view and perspective on the issues facing Teaneck AND by taking advantage of the insight and wisdom available from those who are no longer serving on the Council.
Alan Sohn
I like it! Keep up the good work. Thanks for sharing this wonderful site with us.
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