NEWS RELEASE

CASSELLA, BRIZZI, RAVETTINE

 “PROGRESS FOR EAST RUTHERFORD”   

Contact: Matt Murray 609-799-3957                                       

Immediate Release                                                                 

CASSELLA TEAM HITS THE STREETS FOR VOTES

WALKING TOUR WILL EMPHASIZE LOW TAXES, IMPROVEMENTS

East Rutherford (August 27, 2007) – Mayor James Cassella and his running mates, Councilmen Joel Brizzi and Ed Ravettine will begin their door to door campaign for re-election this week, announced Cassella.

“We look forward to visiting every home and discussing with residents the progress that we have made for the community and the plans we have for the future of the borough,” said Cassella, who is seeking re-election to his fourth term in office.

‘We will wear out a lot of shoe leather, but we think it is important to meet the people and listen to their concerns and for us to ask for their support on Election Day.” he added.

Cassella said the borough boasts one of the lowest property tax levies of any town in Bergen County – and he plans to keep it that way. “We have tried to run a very efficient town government, to make prudent investments and to manage growth so we can increase our tax base without negatively impacting the town,” said Cassella.

That efficiency is demonstrated by this year’s 6 percent tax decrease. “I think the fact that we lowered taxes this year when every other town in our area had to raise taxes is a notable achievement and an indication of our hard work to keep taxes low,” said Cassella.

Joel Brizzi, the council president, is seeking his fifth three year term on the council, said despite the low taxes in East Rutherford, the borough has managed to make many improvements to the community – most notably to parks and recreation areas.

“I am very proud of the fact that we offer families some of the best recreational facilities in the area,” said Brizzi. “Our playing fields, such as Riggin Field and other recreational amenities make us the envy of every town in Southern Bergen County.”

Brizzi, a local business owner, added that the improvements to the town and the low taxes have helped bolster property values. “I know this administration has worked hard to protect the investment that homeowners have made in their houses. This is a desirable community to live in and I think that is reflected in the relatively high home values throughout the town.  We don’t want that to change.”

The “progress” theme is evident says Ed Ravettine in the streetscape project along Park Avenue and the parks improvements throughout town.

“Just driving down the street, you can see this is a vibrant town, with lots of work being done to make things better,” said Ravettine, seeking his fourth term on the council. “This administration is not sitting on its hands, we are working hard to improve things,”

Ravettine noted that many of the improvements people see, such as the streetscape program are paid for largely through government grants.

“We have an aggressive grants application process and I think that reflects the respect we have for the taxpayers. If there is state or federal money to help us pay for road paving or a park improvement, we will aggressively pursue it,” added Ravettine.