Bergmanson for Governor

Why we need Carl Bergmanson

The citizens of New Jersey have been betrayed by a series of governors from both parties who have put the needs of the special interests and the megalomaniacal demands of the New Jersey Supreme Court ahead of the needs of the citizens of our state.

The result has been a financial disaster.

Mayor Carl Bergmanson is the one man who is ready, willing and able to Restore Democracy and Fiscal Responsibility to New Jersey.

Holding government accountable.
In 1989, when the federal government attempted to shirk their responsibility to clean up radium contamination in Glen Ridge, Carl helped found the Lorraine Street Committee for a Radium-Free Glen Ridge, and today, Glen Ridge is radium-free.

Establishing Democracy.
In 1990, Carl turned his attention to bringing democracy to Glen Ridge. For decades, elections in the Borough of Glen Ridge were meaningless. Candidates were sponsored by a local political party - the Civic Conference Committee (CCC) - and residents were strongly discouraged from opposing the CCC’s candidates. Because he felt one-party politics stifled citizen involvement, Carl ran for Council as an Independent, and surprised everyone by winning. He also helped establish the Glen Ridge Citizens for Representative Government to help foster contested elections in the Borough.

Demanding Fiscal Responsibility.
In 1999, after nine years on the Council, Carl ran for mayor – and lost. Four years later, Carl won election as Mayor. It was the first time in the history of Glen Ridge that a CCC-endorsed candidate for mayor was defeated. When he became Mayor in 2004, the Capital Improvement Fund, was $700,000 short, due to years of inadequate funding. Carl worked with the council to restore funding, and by the end of Carl’s term as mayor, the CIF was fully-funded.

Restoring Infrastructure.
As an older “First Suburb”, virtually all of Glen Ridge’s facilities were built in the first half of the 20th century. Except for an addition to the library in the 1990s, no major renovations had been done to any municipally-owned building in the entire town, and virtually every borough facility was in poor condition. When Carl became mayor, he worked with the Borough Council to establish an aggressive program to restore every borough facility to “good or better condition” . By the end of his term, funding had been acquired and work had begun on The Municipal Building, The Public Library, The Public Works Building and yard, and the Public Safety Building - every major building owned by the Borough.

Demanding Accountability.
When Governor Corzine made it clear that he had no intention of keeping his promise to reform the New Jersey’s State Constitution, and then tried to increase the tolls by 800%, close state parks and target our municipalities for destruction, Carl helped launch the first effort in New Jersey history to recall a governor. While ultimately unsuccessful, the effort helped force Governor Corzine to moderate his extreme proposals.

Carl served as Glen Ridge’s Police Commissioner from 1994 to 1998. He also served on the Board of Directors of the New Jersey Conference of Mayors (NJCM), and served on the Legislative Advisory Committee for the New Jersey League of Municipalities and for the NJCM. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Gas Lamp Players. Carl lives in Glen Ridge with his wife Ruby and their cat Cubes. Their son Andrew is a sophomore at Brown University.

Jon S. Corzine has been a complete and total failure as Governor. New Jersey needs a Governor who will stand up to the special interests and do what needs to be done to restore Democracy and Fiscal Responsibility to State Government. Carl has shown, again and again, that he will stand up for what’s right, no matter the odds.