Fanwood Mayor Colleen Mahr was a featured panelist at the recent Governor’s Conference of Housing and Economic Development in Atlantic City, NJ. Mayor Mahr shared Fanwood’s success in attracting investment, new business and more housing options.
The conference was organized to showcase how communities can and should work across boundaries to develop partnerships that benefit individual towns and the area. Fanwood is a successful example of efforts to attract investment, redevelop underutilized sites and work to improve transit. Mayor Mahr noted that significant improvements and revitalization of its downtown encouraged nearby Union County towns to follow suit.
“Each of our communities benefit when we are part of a strong, successful and attractive area,” stated Mayor Mahr. “In the case of Union County, that means a renaissance along the Raritan Valley Line Transit corridor. It is exciting to see improvements and investments being made in neighboring Scotch Plains and Plainfield.”
A critical element for success is improving transit on the Raritan Valley Line (RVL), including advocating for peak hour one-seat rides for RVL customers. Earlier this year, Mayor Mahr proposed organizing mayors on the RVL and currently co-chairs the RVL Mayors Alliance that is actively working with state legislators on this important issue. “This is a true example of what can be accomplished when towns work as partners,” the Mayor said.
Mayor Mahr, who will be sworn in next month as President of the NJ League of Municipalities, has long been a proponent of collaborating with other towns to create new opportunities to improve services, reduce costs and achieve greater efficiencies for Fanwood residents. The Mayor and Elizabeth Jeffery, Fanwood’s Director of Economic Development, recently hosted economic development and downtown professionals from Union and Essex Counties to share ideas and best practices for downtown business communities.
