Thank you, Chairwoman McPherson And I just want to say that it's been an honor working with you and the Freeholder Board these past two months Freeholders, Senators, Assembly members, Mayors, council members, friends, and distinguished guests Good afternoon, and thank you for being here as I present the state of our county government Before I begin my speech, I would like to take a moment of silence for the men and women who are overseas fighting for our country I would also like to reflect for one moment on someone we recently lost who was all dear to us Dr. John Greico became synonymous with education here in Bergen County He was one of the greatest champions of education that I have ever met While we all feel his loss, his spirit of doing what's right for Bergen County is a life-lesson that we should all take to heart I am pleased that you could join me on this lovely winter day here at Darlington County Park in Mahwah, which is a premiere recreational destination for so many residents of Bergen County I chose to hold my state of the county address here for two reasons: ONE, I wanted to see how many of you were brave enough to come here through all of the snow and ice AND TWO, I wanted to bring your attention to Darlington County Park because it is celebrating its 40th Anniversary this year and its recreational opportunities should be embraced and a thank you to the 1965 Freeholders who had the foresight to develop this. As constituents and elected officials, I believe that it's important to get out and promote all of the cultural, recreational, and open space projects we embrace here in Bergen County As I said, I am a tremendous proponent of all of the positive cultural and recreational opportunities available to us in Bergen After our success in 2003 of saving the John Harms Theater from the wrecking ball, We turned our sights in 2004 on the rehabilitation of the Williams Center in Rutherford The Freeholders and I have committed $500,000 to start work on this project, and I'm sure when completed, the new Williams Center will provide a welcome cultural venue for our residents in Bergen County There also will be several improvements and events in our COUNTY PARKS this year: The conversion of Overpeck County Park Landfill in Leonia into usable parkland remains on schedule. When completed, I am confident that this park will be a tremendous asset for all residents of Bergen County We will complete the Maple Sugaring Pavilion at the McFaul Environmental Center in Wyckoff We also will complete the restoration of Walden Pond at Van Saun County Park in Paramus ALSO In conjunction with WCBS-FM, our free movies in the park series through July and August will be augmented with several live musical acts New DOG RUNS will be constructed at various parks, AND those in:Riverside County Park in Lyndhurst, Overpeck Park in Leonia, and Woodale County Park in Woodcliff Lake/Hillsdale will receive upgrades We'll also continue negotiations to purchase a privately held Golf Course in River Vale and turn it into a public facility Additionally, this year we'll bring a new sport to Bergen County this year at Campgaw Reservation right down the road. THIS spring...a disc golf course will be completed And through the County's new partnership with the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission, we will begin the plans for a new 22 MILE walkway and bike path along the historic Hackensack River from the New Milford/River Edge Border all the way down the Meadowlands It is my hope that these improvements and initiatives will lead more residents to take advantage of our tremendous recreational opportunities But recreation is not just about tangible attractions such as riverwalks and golf courses It's also about the peace and solitude of our rapidly dwindling open space Intense development pressure caused municipalities and non-profit to seek a record $15 million to preserve nearly 300 acres of open space in Bergen County last year alone Our 2004 priority acquisitions included lands in the Highlands Region and along the Upper Hackensack River This year, we wish to focus on transforming a former junkyard into a new gateway center at the Historic New Bridge Landing in River Edge My administration will continue to identify strategies for the preservation of critical open space and recreational opportunities My administration will continue to identify strategies for the preservation of critical open space and recreational opportunities It is a fair budget that underscores the core function of county government: provide for what is important in our communities and varying constituencies while improving the quality of life for all of our residents Unfortunately, the federal administration is considering a proposal to eliminate Community Development Block Grants Eliminating block grants would cost Bergen County over $16 million in funding that has served as an effective tool for communities and service providers in meeting the needs of less fortunate individuals, families, and neighborhoods I have asked all of our local elected officials and policy makers - in fact, almost everybody in this room - to join with me in fighting for the return of this crucial program that provides tremendous financial support for important causes The Adminstration may choose to short-change our most vulnerable residents, but I refuse to let that happen We must fight the President on this proposal and help do what's in the best interest of our Bergen County residents That is my primary responsibility as County Executive: to ensure the safety of all of my constituents and to make their lives a little bit better One way to ensure our safety is to bolster all facets of Homeland Security I believe that our first responders in Bergen are doing a fantastic job Several events over the past few months have provided clear cut examples of how well WE WORK together as a team to keep our citizens safe Last summer's Orange Level Alert; the threats against Bergen County financial institutions; the outbreak of a rash at the Boys and Girls Club in Lodi; and a rush-hour plane crash at Teterboro And in a few weeks we will get a better understanding of how well we handle a widespread biological terrorist incident when the federal government initiates its TOP OFF 3 simulation, of which Bergen County will play a major role I'm convinced that our first responders are prepared to tackle any terrorist-attack But keeping our residents secure is more than just preparing against large-scale incidents The County is doing more to protect our residents from day-to-day injustices Last year, I established the Consumer Education Outreach Program and a Consumer Hotline within the Division of Consumer Affairs. Since the inception of the program, we've investigated over 1,300 cases of consumer fraud and have recovered over $320,000 for citizens of Bergen County This year, I expect the Division to levy more fines against con-artists who prey against our citizens Additionally, I ordered the County's Division of Weights and Measures to conduct random inspections at gas stations located within Bergen County and halt any illegal activity, such as fraudulent pricing Not every violation is intentional, but every violation defrauds the consumer. I also distributed much needed equipment to our first responders, such as Emergency medical equipment to all ambulance corps in Bergen to improve response; air purifying respirators to all police agencies; and decontamination trailers to fire departments and mutual aid organizations While many of these examples of crime fighting do not receive notice in the press, they all play a tremendous part in keeping the residents of Bergen County safe and secure everyday Because Bergen is such a congested county, we are constantly finding ways to improve the county's transportation infrastructure and make it easier for commuters and residents to travel Transportation continues to be a critical issue throughout the region, with a particular impact on the quality of life for Bergen County residents and the strength of Bergen's economy This was never more evident than the tremendous response we received from our Bergen County Transportation Summit held last October Over 450 attendees and speakers from around the county, state, and nation came to address the critical transportation needs of Bergen County While we continue to discuss pending transportation issues in the county, we can begin to fix some key areas that need improving Route 17 is essentially the economic backbone of the County and I will continue to work with Bergen County's state legislative delegation to make the overall improvement of Route 17 a high priority The county has obtained $3.4 million in federal and state funds to complete the final design for improvements at the Passaic Street/Rt. 17 intersection Fixing this problem will alleviate the miles-long traffic jams from Farview Avenue in Paramus to the Essex St. bridge in Lodi that motorists must sit in during every rush hour Last week alone, we held an encouraging public meeting on strategies for improving access and mobility in the Kinderkamack Road corridor for residents and local businesses I want to thank all those who attended and let them know that improving Kinderkamack Road is one of my priorities this year Improving our roads is ONE step toward relieving congestion on our streets and highways The other is investing in viable mass-transportation projects Last year, I spoke to you about the possibility of bringing rail service to the eastern part of the county along the existing Northern Branch rail line As this comprises Bergen County's top transportation priority, we will continue to work with our municipal, State and federal officials, the NJ Department of Transportation, and NJ Transit to advance passenger rail along the Northern Line Initial environmental work has been completed along with identification of proposed station sites This year, I'll continue to work with elected officials on multiple fronts in an effort to identify funding sources and appropriate technology for direct, one-seat access to New York City Since becoming County Executive, I have pushed for greater consolidation and sharing of government services because I believe that transportation, roads, air quality, water, sewage, storm water management, and public safety are all regional problems, which require regional solutions For the past year, I have been meeting with mayors, municipal officials, and authority commissioners to discuss various shared service strategies and agreements. Granted, not every proposal has been a success Take for example, the initial proposal to merge the Westwood and Emerson Police Departments with the Bergen County Police While the initiative eventually failed, the discussions brought to light the need to provide constituents with reasonable alternatives toward reducing skyrocketing local property taxes and encouraged further dialogue. And because of our shared services discussions, we are now seeing some of our other ideas bear fruit I MUST SAY THAT One of the highlights of our shared services initiatives was consolidating the 9-1-1 Communications and Public Safety Dispatch for Ridgefield and several other towns. This move eliminated redundant services while saving Ridgefield taxpayers alone more than $250,000 per year The success of this plan has led to discussions of consolidating 9-1-1 and dispatch in other towns such as Lodi and several others I will aggressively follow through on further 9-1-1 operations savings and all shared service agreements so that taxpayers receive the benefit of greater efficiencies from government Cliffside Park and Fairview are moving forward with plans to consolidate their Public Works Departments, including building a shared public works garage The Bergen County Utilities Authority and the Northwest Bergen County Utility Authority have entered into a cooperative agreement with the North Jersey Wastewater Cooperative Pricing system to save more money on chemicals and equipment The County also created a Municipal Bank that allows municipalities, school districts, and non-profits at any time of the year to finance equipment purchases or capital improvements at the lowest available interest rates, in essence creating "One-Stop Shopping" for capital purchases This year, we'll increase the lending limits of the Municipal Bank and also begin working with the towns to create special lending notes that will help towns with capital purchases and save money And I provided a $25,000 grant to the Northwest Bergen Shared Services group to facilitate regionalized ownership of equipment and technical support systems We will also be purchasing street sweepers that dedicated towns can use to help them meet the state's tougher stormwater regulations But managing the County is also about making a difference in the lives of people everyday Last year, we reduced the waiting list by 100 Senior Citizens for the county's successful Meals On Wheels program by changing our contracts and providing a week's worth of frozen meals to seniors who are able to cook We also created a new, online database of senior citizen service providers operating in Bergen County to make it easier for seniors and their family members to access county phone numbers I also hired the United Labor Agency to perform outreach with the county's burgeoning day-laborer population so that we can help those who want to assimilate into our lifestyle We will continue to augment these programs in 2005 as well as purchase more buses for our Community Transportation system, create a Countywide mental health and substance abuse center, and provide desperately needed social services for our returning SOLDERS and their families These are programs that affect people everyday. For the past several years there has been a growing call to examine the fundraising practice of political candidates On Monday, the state Senate passed a comprehensive campaign reform measure This is a good start, and I believe that we in Bergen County should follow suit Over the past year, I have established a committee to conduct an exhaustive and comprehensive review and discussion of campaign finance reform initiatives in New Jersey and throughout the country The committee members suggested three reforms that I believe should be implemented in Bergen to reduce potential conflicts of interest and ensure greater credibility with the public The FIRST is implementing an RFQ, or Request For Qualification process, that is reviewable by a standing committee SECOND is requiring full disclosure of campaign financial information, solicitation, or financing and make it readily availble to the public The THIRD reform proposed by my Committee is offering public financing to all major party candidates for countywide office I will send the first two recommendations to the Freeholders for consideration While the public financing proposal has merit, there is a need to to further examine the impact this may have on county taxpayers and state approval before committing to a trial I believe these reforms will help restore the public's faith in government and will further allow Bergen County voters the opportunity to learn more about their candidates for public office When I delivered my first State of the County Address, it was only a few months into my term In that time, we were able to put together a solid administration, reduce the size of county government, and stabilize taxes And it is my distinct pleasure to serve you as your County Executive My job is to make the lives of my constituents a little bit better so that Bergen County will remain the most desirable county in which to live, work, and raise a family From promoting and expanding our open spaces, to working on innovative ways to keep us safe and secure, to helping us get from point A to point B, to instilling the public with trust in our government I take great pride in doing the best I can to achieve these goals We have done much together and I am confident we will do great things in the future Admittedly, my job has not been easy But as I look around at the people in this room who work so hard to do what is best for our residents, I can safely say that the state of Bergen County is as strong as ever Thank you for your time and, most importantly, for helping to make Bergen County the best place to live, work, and raise a family Now, I obviously can't do this alone It's through the hard work and tenacity of my Directors that we are able to keep moving Bergen County forward In fact, can I get all of my directors to join me up here? These are the people who work with me every day in doing what's best for the County I thank them from the bottom of my heart for making my job easier, and I think that they should receive a nice round of applause Thank you all very much for coming today AND STAY WARM!!!