Environmental Advocacy Statement
Last week, I received the Sierra Club’s endorsement to become Leonia’s next Mayor. Sierra Club is an environmental advocacy group that mirrors many of my own environmental views, and I am proud to accept their endorsement.
Some may ask, “How does this relate to Leonia?”
This endorsement is especially gratifying because of Leonia’s proud history as a beacon of environmental stewardship. From Leonia being a Tree City USA for 34 consecutive years to Dudley Allen’s success (as Mayor) preventing Route 95 from running up Fort Lee Road, or swapping a junk yard for a beautiful county park to being one of New Jersey’s first communities to ever start a recycling program, Leonia has a GREAT environmental track record. My intent is to keep us on this same course and leave Leonia cleaner and better for future generations.
I’d like to share what I’ve done for Leonia’s environment and what I still intend to do, hopefully as your next Mayor.
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Actions Taken: Championed the new Shade Tree ordinance working with the Shade Tree Commission to further protect our tree canopy. Leonia’s new tree planting program is a model of how to do it right. I am very proud of my role in helping to make this happen.
Platform: Strict enforcement of new ordinance. Minimization of heat islands by planting more trees including on commercial lots. Expansion of Leonia’s private tree planting program will continue if I become Mayor.
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Actions Taken: Helped introduce EV charging stations in the Beechwood Municipal lot and more planned for parking area adjacent to the new Police Court Building.
Platform: Pursue a partnership with a leading corporate entity for additional Level 3 chargers with no acquisition, installation or maintenance costs to Leonia. This would satisfy our additional need for fast chargers and spur economic activity in our downtown at no cost to taxpayers.
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Actions Taken: As Chair of the Facilities Committee overseeing the new Municipal Building, the site plan includes more natural drainage including permeable pavers and rain gardens.
Platform: To address the urgent need for short and long term flood mitigation at Wood Terrace, Lakeview Avenue and Willow Tree Road by seeking substantial infrastructure grant funds through the Infrastructure Act at the federal level and by also employing increased use of natural drainage options including permeable surfaces, rain gardens and earth berms to contain runoff.
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Actions Taken: Strong support for all recycling efforts and activities in Leonia combined with education and communications on importance. Supported a recycling database on our website. If someone isn’t already recycling because they want to protect our environment, they should recycle because it saves all of us money.
Platform: Increased education efforts around the importance of recycling. Rolling out a new styrofoam recycling effort in Leonia. More Big Belly trash receptacles segregating recyclables from garbage. Solar panels to communicate with DPW to advise when receptacles need to be emptied, creating new efficiencies. Other trash receptacles where necessary.
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Actions Taken: Funded Highwood Hills maintenance and preservation programs. A wonderful natural green space for all Leonians to enjoy which, at one time, in the 1970’s was considered for multiple dwelling unit development before the first democratic Mayor Tom Ford put a stop to that.
Platform: Continue to protect Highwood Hills as a natural resource for all Leonians. Provide the necessary funding for maintenance and preservation. Encourage more Leonians to take advantage of this natural space.
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Actions Taken: Worked with our Environmental Commission to help write the ordinance that banned plastic bags and styrofoam food containers to create a cleaner Leonia (over one full year before the NJ Legislature did the same!).
Platform: Reinforce how a small change in behavior (people bringing their own bags when shopping has made such a substantial impact on litter and overall cleanliness.
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Actions Taken: Installed environmentally friendly lighting throughout municipal buildings to save Leonia taxpayers on energy costs.
Platform: Continue to ensure the borough is taking advantage of technological improvements in lighting configurations and energy use where it is clearly in our economic best interests.
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Actions Taken: I am an advocate for both. Bike lanes are included in the Broad Avenue re-paving/repainting work which will begin shortly. The Broad Avenue site work also makes the avenue more walk-friendly/safe, especially the pedestrian cutouts.
Platform: Continue to make it easier to bike and/or walk through town. Work to reduce the amount of daily car traffic where possible. Promote exercise and healthier living for all Leonians.
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Actions Taken: Strongly support greater Leonia design input for a natural preserve.
Platform: Work with the County Executive and County Commissioners to include one or two Leonians on the Overpeck Park IV design committee. These Leonians would help to represent all of our local and neighborhood Leonia voices when it comes to the nature preserve the 2200+ people endorsed by signing a recent petition to that end. At the same time, I will ensure these local reps keep us closely informed of progress, plans and expectations, inviting input from all of us every step of the way.
Please refer to my positions for more information concerning these and other matters of mutual interest to all Leonians.
I look forward to sharing more information about my candidacy for Leonia Mayor with you and, as I’ve said many times in the past, I am grateful we have a mayoral contest this time around. If nothing else, I’m convinced (and this is good news) that the election cycle will make many more people aware of the issues in Leonia that matter to all of us.
Bill Ziegler
Democratic Nominee for Leonia Mayor
Prospect Street