Author Archive

TAPinto Summit

By Ellen Dickson

‘Delia is a smart, hardworking and independent thinker.’

SUMMIT, NJ – Former Summit Mayor Ellen Dickson, who served from 2011 to 2015, has endorsed Delia Hamlet for Summit Ward 1 Common Council. Dickinson became mayor after succeeding former Mayor Jordan Glatt. Ellen served for two terms on Summit’s City Council and was then elected as Summit’s Mayor in November 2011. 

Dickson completed her term as Mayor of Summit at the end of 2015. In her 20 years as a community leader in Summit she was president of the PTO at Lincoln Hubbard and Summit High School, served as a member of the Board of School Estimate, spent five years on the Zoning Board, and served as Council President in 2009. Previously she served as Chair of the Safety committee, as well as the Finance and Building & Grounds committees. 

Mayor Dickson announced her endorsement of Hamlet saying, “Delia Hamlet, a write-in candidate for council in Ward 1 has been attending the meetings, asking the tough questions and listening to the citizens. It is time for a new voice on Council to work with a task force toward a Summit consensus before taking a decisive action. The Broad Street West project will change Summit forever. Council has the authority to approve it but are they listening to the vision of Summit residents for the future of their City? In these divisive times Summit needs a future all can look forward to. Delia is a smart, hardworking and independent thinker. Please add a new voice to the dais. A voice that helps shape an even better Summit. Vote Delia!”

Hamlet graciously accepted the endorsement, saying, “It’s an incredible honor to be endorsed by such a distinguished community leader in Summit. I’m looking forward to working with the Common Council to create common sense solutions to issues such as the Broad Street West Redevelopment, safety in town and keeping Summit fiscally responsible.”

Delia was a write-in candidate for Summit Ward 1 Common Council. She is an active community advocate and a proud mom of three children, who all attend Summit Public Schools. Early voting is now underway, and election day is Tuesday, November 8.

TAPinto Summit

By Al Dill

Having been a 4-term (12 years) Summit Council member, it is generally expected that you ride off into the sunset when your term ends and the new Council takes over.

But hearing the City is facing debt problems and possible large tax increases, I want to know what went wrong and why.

We need change and that can start by the election of Delia Hamlet as Council Member Ward 1.

Delia has some very impressive ideas to move Summit forward in the areas of recreation, keeping residents better informed of City projects, a cleaner downtown and much more.

Please vote for Delia Hamlet to help get Summit back on track. Vote column A.

Al Dill, Summit

TAPinto Summit

By Delia Hamlet

Early Voting Starts Today – Every Vote Counts

Judgment Day – Who Are The Real Heroes of Summit?

October 29th is a very important day for Summit. Early voting starts today.  Summit needs every single vote.

I would like to take a moment to applaud The Real Heroes in Summit.

The Real Heroes are the residents who have stood up at rallies and council meetings and have encouraged dialogue and debate.

The Real Heroes are the leaders and volunteers of so many of our charitable organizations.  I give so much credit to all these people, and you know exactly who you are.  These residents don’t seek out political dialogue. Instead, they quietly do good and focus on making Summit a better place to live.

The Real Heroes are the Democrats, Independents and Republicans who have joined together to focus on Summit, not partisan politics.

The Real Heroes are the individuals who peeled back the onion on this Broad Street West Debacle.  Even this week, I still shake my head at the insanity of neglecting to share the full impact of  the privately owned ‘finger lot’ within BSWR.  The public is smart, and they can handle information and clearly have had to find much of the real facts out for themselves.

The Real Heroes are the families who have had to sit alone on Tuesday nights as moms and dads marched to city hall to ensure they got their place in line to speak for the ‘three’ minutes allotted.  And others who have pushed for virtual participation in Council meetings so that all residents have the opportunity to be included in the decision-making process.

The Real Heroes are the residents who point out safety issues to make the town better, instead of pushing it under the rug. They want transparency and actually want to work with the town to improve safety challenges.

When the election is over, I can look myself in the mirror and know that I put Summit’s best interest ahead of partisan politics.  It’s time to get our town back on track with practical governance.  We deserve decency, kindness and respect.  We are neighbors.  I want to create an environment where both political parties can have dialogue and debate respectfully.  In my direct conversations with residents I am already seeing this happen in real time.

I would like to end by thanking The Real Heroes who have already made Summit better and do it for the good of community and no other reason.  You have all become like family to me and many others, and I mean that with the utmost sincerity.  The positive momentum stemming from The Real Heroes right now is what makes me proud to call Summit home. They further inspire me to continue to cut through the noise and be the practical voice that listens and acts in the best interests of all Summit residents.

This is our best shot at saving Summit.

PLEASE VOTE EARLY.  THIS ONE COUNTS!

DeCorso Community Center

15 East 4th Street

New Providence

Mon-Sat 10am-8pm

Sun 10am-6pm

Thank You

Delia

Delia Hamlet is running for election to the Summit Common Council representing Ward 1.

TAPinto Summit

By Elliot Fishman

A couple of years ago, I had the privilege of co-chairing a group of concerned Summit residents fighting overdevelopment. An out-of-state developer called the Primrose Group intended to build an oversized school in a residential neighborhood. The project would have ruined the character, quality of life, and pedestrian safety of the entire neighborhood. Residents feared additional traffic and parking overflow on surrounding streets in one of the town’s busiest commute corridors. Over 200 families banded together, attended planning board meetings, engaged in neighborhood conversations and circulated petitions.

Delia Hamlet was one of the most active and outspoken members of the group opposing Primrose, even while she lived across town. As a mother of three, she immediately grasped the public safety concerns. And as a longtime community member, she immediately saw what Primrose intended to build was out of scale to Summit’s unique, hometown feel. In one forum she noted Primrose was an affront to the generations of activist citizens who came before us, whose own efforts to control development provided all of us now with such a special place to raise our families.

What stood out most about Delia’s leadership on the Primrose battle was her unwavering drive, determination, and dedication to protect the interests of her Summit neighbors. She has always been for public safety and against overdevelopment.

The 200 of us fighting Primrose at town planning board meetings were a highly-diverse group. While we were all Summit residents, we came from different parts of town, ages, socioeconomic backgrounds, and political affiliations.

Fast forward a couple of years, and history repeats itself with Broad Street West. Over 1700 of us have already signed a petition in opposition of the current Broad Street West Redevelopment plan.  I believe many more in town would join our group, if they became aware of the grossly outsized buildings. As Delia has said, Broad Street West would forever urbanize Summit’s downtown to the detriment of its current friendly village feel.

The fight against BSW is a major reason Delia is running for office. As we strive to retain Summit’s suburban character, manageable pace, and quaint downtown, it is incredibly important that we elect officials like Delia who have in mind the interests of all Summit residents. With Delia, there is no quibbling about one’s typical political affiliation. She is truly the bipartisan candidate we all need on council.

Elliot Fishman, Summit

TAPinto Summit

By Jim Bennett

It is disappointing that Phyllis Sank presents Summit voters with an October 3, 2022, letter to the Editor that plays fast and loose with the facts about Delia Hamlet. Let’s correct the record.

On April 10, 2021, a 19-year-old Summit Woman found herself abducted and forced into the trunk of her kidnapper’s car  – close to where Delia’s three children had been playing at their father’s home. If the woman had not been able to dial 911 from inside the trunk using her cell phone, the outcome might have been tragic.

As a mother, Delia was critical of the police for two principal reasons. First, there was no Nixle report of the kidnapping. Second, authorities issued public statements after the crime proclaiming that the abduction was only attempted. These statements were incorrect. The kidnapping was anything but attempted – it was successful, and there is video proof.

Delia helped organize a neighborhood group to stop this kind of crime and encourage truthful and timely communications from City officials. Delia invited Phyllis Sank to the group. Sank initially participated but then withdrew. Police Chief Steven Zagorsky sat in on discussions with Delia and others about these issues. Following a rash of thefts and attempted thefts that went unreported to the community by the City, the group hired an unarmed private security firm for a while. Chief Zagorsky and the City knew of the private security team’s presence and goals before it started work.

Since the abduction, Fernwood neighbors tried to close off the connection between Fernwood and Route 24, but the State would not approve the closure. Since the closure was not possible, Delia and others have been pushing to put a median at the end of Fernwood Road, where it runs into Route 24. A similar median exists at the end of Canoe Brook Parkway. A median would deter criminals from crossing over to the Route 24 ramp immediately across from Fernwood.

The City approved this median many months ago in a public City Council meeting, but the administration is still working on the project. However, you can be sure that if Delia had been on Council, there would be a median at the end of Fernwood Road today.

Phyllis Sank’s distortions about Delia and her efforts to enhance safety are shameful and do not belong in Summit’s public discourse. Rather than attack her, we should instead thank Delia for her service to our community. Delia Hamlet deserves your vote in November.

Jim Bennett, Summit

TAPinto Summit

By Nick Giorgi

I am proudly born, raised, and live in Summit with my wife and three young children. I’m third generation. This is not my adopted or transient residence, for which I claim to speak on behalf of its inherent character. I know Summit because I’m a product of it. I’ve poured blood, sweat, and tears in the school system and onto Tatlock Field. It’s with incredulity that I’ve watched the devolvement of Summit’s Common Council and the processes by which they claim to represent our town.  

Like many others within our community, I was disinterested in local politics prior to the pandemic. I had assumed that our good neighbors and colleagues were above the troubling machinations of national discourse. But my interest was piqued with the debate regarding a proposed ban on gas powered leaf blowers. I didn’t have a dog in the fight but was alarmed by the alacrity that our Council had in dismissing the well-meaning constituents that disagreed with them. I watched as a council member laughed as a Summiteer offered questions to the body. I asked rhetorically, our officials realize that these folks vote, don’t they? 

The recent dialogue regarding Broad Street West has illuminated these concerns to a more egregious degree. When I first learned of development in the proposed region I was enthusiastic, and still am. I assumed it would involve beautiful architecture, a meaningful boon to the city financial coffers, and another outlet for downtown entertainment. To me that region represents an impermeable desert that could be so much more for the community. I then began to learn more about the proposals and became alarmed because it doesn’t cure the ills and inexplicably appears to add to the burden. But what’s been more alarming has been the brazen willingness for Council to steamroll public transparency and opposition.

Common Council meetings have turned into “must watch” entertainment. Tune in to watch hundreds of very well-reasoned and educated objections to an otherwise dispassionate slate of stone faced officials.

One particular meeting stood out in highlighting these transgressions. On June 21st the Common Council held a meeting at the Community Rec Center. After four hours and forty-two minutes of near-uniform dissension from the audience, Councilman Danny O’Sullivan read from a written script his introduction of a resolution (ID#9733) to advance a proposed amendment to the Broad Street West Redevelopment Plan to the Planning Board. All council members agreed, with the exception of Councilwoman Lisa Allen. What was striking was that it was revealed that Council did not need to advance an amendment to the plan in order for the Planning Board to opine, as conveyed by their counsel. The current council members were seemingly unaware of this. Councilwoman Allen, to her credit, applied this new information to her decision whereas other members curiously stuck to script. 

Within 72 hours the dissenting council members changed course and the proposal was not advanced. Apparently Bayesian theory work on a lag in some circles. This begs the question for Councilman O’Sullivan and others; were you uninformed or swayed by public sentiment? How are we to trust your judgment when you flip-flop from advancing a proposal to postponing it in such a slight timeframe? Neither is a good look. To pile up the alarms, another council member sold their residence without relinquishing their seat on the council until it was politically advantageous. 

Since adolescence a goal of mine was to prosper in Summit, raise my family in Summit, and inspire them to aspire to raise their families in Summit. I’m onboard with change and I embrace it, but I believe it should be born out of the collective willpower and in the collective good of the people it affects. Some folks claim that there is a silent majority unwilling to face the vitriol of a louder minority. To that I say, welcome to democracy. The truth should ultimately prevail at the ballot. I’ve been supportive across the aisle to various candidates but believe that the current slate in power requires a check to help install the balance that this public deserves from their elected officials. 

Delia Hamlet has stepped up for Summit and our country when it was needed, when it was thankless, and when it was difficult. Given what I’ve seen from her opponent in contrast to her dedication to thankless efforts in opposition, where do I sign?

Nick Giorgi, Summit

TAPinto Summit

By Bill Callahan

I endorse Delia Hamlet for Summit, NJ Common Council.

As a decorated Army Officer in Kuwait and Executive Officer for the 155^th Transportation Company, Delia has exceptional experience serving our country. She continues to hone her leadership skills as partner and Chief Operating Officer of the Fort Athletic Club, a premier health club. Like me, Delia has chosen Summit as her hometown where her children receive a top-notch education at our public schools and where we support local causes like GRACE to ensure each of our neighbors are supported in times of need.

Delia has the training and talent to manage the affairs of Summit, including Broad Street West, and she will respect the work done by previous administrations. I encourage my fellow neighbors to join me in voting for Delia Hamlet for Common Council.

Bill Callahan, Summit