Let's Finish What We Started

Hello friends and neighbors!

Thank you for giving me the privilege to serve as your mayor for the last four years, a job I have taken on as a full time volunteer. I am thrilled to announce that I will once again be seeking your vote in November for another term along with Councilwoman Linda Habgood, Councilman Mike Dardia, Councilman David Contract, and Councilwoman Dawn Mackey, who were elected with me and collectively known as the Westfield Together team. We are excited and eager to continue to represent your interests and finish what we started.

As Mayor, I am proud of the significant progress we’ve made while managing the unprecedented challenges of a global pandemic, including delivering the first zero percent municipal tax increase in decades. We have made improvements on key priorities, including road paving, communication, sustainability, historic preservation, and more. The Westfield Together team remains focused on solving problems and delivering on our campaign promises.

We have worked to ensure residents feel engaged and heard by establishing Mayor’s Advisory Councils focused on the previously underserved, and by tapping into the talents of our residents by initiating a volunteer open application process. We have brought the community together by introducing AddamsFest, rainbow crosswalks, public art exhibits, and Open Quimby, and have ushered in a new era of access and transparency by live streaming our Council meetings and prioritizing resident communication. You can check out our full list of accomplishments.

Prior to serving as Mayor, I spent a 27 year career at HBO where I became the first female in the C-suite as the EVP, Domestic Distribution and Marketing, overseeing HBO’s $4.5B domestic subscription business. I chose to leave in 2016 to pursue a new chapter focused on my personal passions of championing female entrepreneurs and leaders, and advising businesses on their growth and innovation strategies.

Leaving my commute behind, I was able to spend more time in Westfield where I observed a lack of transparency and visibility into Town leadership, resulting in a disconnected citizenry and a general sense of complacency. I concluded that the Town had not proactively responded to our many challenges and believed my experience in transformations would be most useful right in my own backyard.

Once elected, we engaged the public to inform a new Master Plan and a long term strategic plan for our Parks, resulting in a soon to be proposed Edison Athletic Complex and planned improvements to Houlihan/Sid Fay, Brightwood, Windsor, and Tamaques parks. We will continue to seek your involvement as we collaborate with Streetworks Development to realize a new vision for our downtown by reimagining their Lord & Taylor properties and our train station parking lots.

Bringing these initiatives to fruition requires experienced leadership with vision and courage. I’ve learned that in politics voting no is easy, but committing to yes is hard. I hope you will agree that I have demonstrated the leadership and courage to “get to yes” when the decision is in the best and long term interests of the community.

As 27 year Westfield residents, my husband Kip and I are here for the long-term, having raised and educated our three kids in this great community. I was raised by a single mom after my dad, an Air Force pilot, was killed in Vietnam when I was six years old. She instilled in me and my sisters a fierce independence and a strong commitment to service, a tradition I hope to continue as your Mayor. I look forward to sharing more details on the Westfield Together team’s vision for the next four years while working to earn your vote in November.

Please get vaccinated when you’re eligible. I can’t wait to see you around Town! #mayor34