Verona is fortunate to have an election for the unexpired three-year Township Council term for which four residents are seeking the office. Elections provide voters the opportunity to consider the priorities for our community and select candidates who will be most effective in meeting the Township’s needs.

 

I have had the opportunity to meet each candidate and review their campaign materials and public statements. Each offers a strong professional background and desire to serve Verona. We therefore must decide which candidate is distinguished from the others and consider whom will be most successful as a council member. The most effective way to determine this is by looking at their commitment to Verona, including past service to the Township, effective participation in Council meeting, and ongoing understanding of issues facing our town. Upon doing this, there is one clear choice: Councilman Corey Schor.

 

Corey is the only candidate who served on a Township board, committee, or commission prior to seeking appointment or election to the Council. While serving on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, Corey led successful efforts to expand access to additional programs, recommend new commonsense fee structures, and implement resident feedback. The committee members selected him to be their chairperson, and he became a valuable resource for the Township Council and administration.

 

Most notably, however, was Corey’s work addressing budget deficits and operational concerns at the Verona Community Pool. He spearheaded the creation of a pool subcommittee that made formalized recommendations to the Council. Corey used his industry executive experience to develop budget models that showed how to move the pool from running a deficit to a profit. He successfully pushed sponsorship solicitation and generation of additional revenue.

 

A true consensus builder, Corey worked individually with each member of the Council to understand their ideas on the pool and incorporate public feedback into recommendations. When disagreements arose, Corey pivoted to address underlying concerns and supported Councilmember and administration with information and budgets as final decisions were being made. The culmination of these efforts were policies that drove a banner year at the VCP.

 

Corey later joined the Open Space Trust Fund Advisory Committee after recognizing that his experience as Recreation Committee chair could help inform discussions on passive and active recreation options being discussed for preserved land.

 

An engaged and thoughtful community member, Corey is the only candidate to have consistently attended or commented at Council meetings for years prior to this election, giving him valuable understanding of issues facing the Township. He regularly offered strong suggestions for municipal operations that the Council incorporated into resolutions and ordinances. His comments were based on significant research and designed to foster improvement to be enjoyed by all residents. Corey’s objective was promoting good policy rather than politics.

 

Since joining the council, Corey has demonstrated that he is a highly engaged, thoughtful representative of the public. Within days of his appointment, Corey met with every municipal department head and the leaders of our emergency services to ensure that he understood all aspects of the Township’s operations. He entered with a keen desire to ensure the best Verona possible and has already made a difference in just two months. While we may not agree on every issue before the Council, Corey is able to disagree and advocate for policies in a civil, respectful manner that is consistent with the character of our community.

 

Thus, one need not answer the question of who would do the best as a council member because Corey has already showed his commitment to Verona, proven his effectiveness in making change, demonstrated advanced knowledge of government operations, and advocated for long-term strategic planning.

 

Councilman Corey Schor is the clear choice for Verona voters this November.

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