Mayoral election hits homestretch (Andy Skibitsky)
A fourth term? Why not? Another term is just what current mayor Andrew K. “Andy” Skibitsky is in search of when Westfield residents elect the next mayor on Tuesday.
Skibitsky’s long record of public service began when he was first elected in 2002 as the Ward 3 Town Council representative. Three years later, he moved on to begin his work as mayor when then-Mayor Greg McDermott resigned in 2005. Skibitsky was appointed to the position in June 2005, then was elected to a full term in the November 2005 mayoral election.
Skibitsky’s life has been centered around public service, and his passion for it has allowed him to accomplish many things for the town of Westfield. For example, in 2013 the analytics database NeighborhoodScout named Westfield the 30th-safest city in America. In addition, New Jersey Monthly named Westfield its “favorite downtown” in 2015, and Gannett New Jersey voted Westfield the best destination for shopping in New Jersey earlier this year.
His background in business as an executive in the pharmaceutical field and his government knowledge have helped Skibitsky represent Westfield for the past 12 years.
One of the mayor’s biggest focuses every year is making sure that he and his team maintain strong fiscal management. “Just 16 percent of taxpayer money in town actually comes to [the town],” Skibitsky said. This means that every decision that is made must be done carefully to ensure a strong budgetary performance.
“I’ve served three terms already and I believe I’ve done an excellent job,” Skibitsky said. “Of course we had a tough time during the recession, and I thought we managed through that skillfully.”
Another accomplishment is the town’s handling of Superstorm Sandy in October 2012. “We did a terrific job in our pre- and post-storm communication,” Skibitsky said. The Star-Ledger noted Westfield’s use of its website, Twitter feed, conference calls and fliers to communicate with residents during and after the storm.
Skibitsky has more plans for Westfield in the coming years, and the Mindowaskin 2018 project is just one thing on his agenda for improving the parks in town.
“The 100th anniversary of Mindowaskin Park is next year, so we started with the dredging of the pond and the refurbishing of the coastline with the new rocks,” Skibitsky said. “We have more planting to do and must replace some of the walkways and the playground equipment in the children’s area.”
Skibitsky is also very happy about the increase in new businesses that are drawing people to Westfield. “In the next few months we will have 121 new apartments in the heart of downtown in three different locations,” Skibitsky said. “Town planners call those people ‘walking wallets’ because they are going to walk into town and spend their money.”
Skibitsky knows that the task at hand is making sure he wins the election in the coming week. “I think it’s an exciting race,” Skibitsky said. “There’s a lot of people involved and there’s a lot of energy. I have a terrific team of volunteers who share their time and values with the town of Westfield.”
Skibitsky believes that his track record as mayor of Westfield and his devotion to this town will sway people to vote for him on Tuesday. He also believes that Westfield will continue to prosper if he is reelected.
“I think people will make an informed decision and vote for me if they look at the big picture,” Skibitsky said.
Skibitsky’s life has been centered around public service, and his passion for it has allowed him to accomplish many things for the town of Westfield. For example, in 2013 the analytics database NeighborhoodScout named Westfield the 30th-safest city in America. In addition, New Jersey Monthly named Westfield its “favorite downtown” in 2015, and Gannett New Jersey voted Westfield the best destination for shopping in New Jersey earlier this year.
His background in business as an executive in the pharmaceutical field and his government knowledge have helped Skibitsky represent Westfield for the past 12 years.
One of the mayor’s biggest focuses every year is making sure that he and his team maintain strong fiscal management. “Just 16 percent of taxpayer money in town actually comes to [the town],” Skibitsky said. This means that every decision that is made must be done carefully to ensure a strong budgetary performance.
“I’ve served three terms already and I believe I’ve done an excellent job,” Skibitsky said. “Of course we had a tough time during the recession, and I thought we managed through that skillfully.”
Another accomplishment is the town’s handling of Superstorm Sandy in October 2012. “We did a terrific job in our pre- and post-storm communication,” Skibitsky said. The Star-Ledger noted Westfield’s use of its website, Twitter feed, conference calls and fliers to communicate with residents during and after the storm.
Skibitsky has more plans for Westfield in the coming years, and the Mindowaskin 2018 project is just one thing on his agenda for improving the parks in town.
“The 100th anniversary of Mindowaskin Park is next year, so we started with the dredging of the pond and the refurbishing of the coastline with the new rocks,” Skibitsky said. “We have more planting to do and must replace some of the walkways and the playground equipment in the children’s area.”
Skibitsky is also very happy about the increase in new businesses that are drawing people to Westfield. “In the next few months we will have 121 new apartments in the heart of downtown in three different locations,” Skibitsky said. “Town planners call those people ‘walking wallets’ because they are going to walk into town and spend their money.”
Skibitsky knows that the task at hand is making sure he wins the election in the coming week. “I think it’s an exciting race,” Skibitsky said. “There’s a lot of people involved and there’s a lot of energy. I have a terrific team of volunteers who share their time and values with the town of Westfield.”
Skibitsky believes that his track record as mayor of Westfield and his devotion to this town will sway people to vote for him on Tuesday. He also believes that Westfield will continue to prosper if he is reelected.
“I think people will make an informed decision and vote for me if they look at the big picture,” Skibitsky said.
