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ROGER PLAWKER
FOR FIRST WARD COUNCILOR

A vibrant, safe, and affordable community is something we all want, and the minimum we should expect. Town government is charged with the responsibility of delivering services and programs consistent with these goals. Effective leadership requires standing up to runaway spending, adhering to common sense choices in funding our schools, and ensuring that government adheres to and respects its limited role.

Together with Thrive Montclair, I will work to restore the fundamentals by promoting effi ciency at all levels. The tax burden of Montclair residents is out of control, having increased for many nearly 60% in the past ten years—well beyond the rate of infl ation, and well beyond the reach of many residents who have longstanding roots in this community. I am committed to getting involved early in the annual budget process to challenge new spending and instill fiscal discipline based upon my experience in the private sector. I am also committed to making environmentally responsible choices when purchasing municipal vehicles, maintaining municipal buildings and grounds, and by exploring alternative energy sources.

A community as rich in resources and talent as Montclair is capable of leading the way in all facets of municipal government. I look forward to working with all Montclair residents and businesses to ensure our resources are wisely distributed and to deliver the quality of services this community deserves. Please join us.

A life-long New Jersey resident, Roger Plawker was drawn to Montclair ten years ago by its cosmopolitan qualities, cultural diversity, and urban layout—with residential and commercial properties often in walking distance of each other.

Plawker is a managing partner of the well-known Roseland law firm Walder, Hayden & Brogan. His substantial experience in complex commercial litigation, criminal defense, and attorney ethics, as well as his management skills will bring an important professional dynamic to the council. Plawker’s wife, Emily, teaches law at Rutgers Law School-Newark. They have two children in the Montclair public schools and one preschooler, and are members of Temple Ner Tamid in Bloomfield. Plawker has coached baseball in the town league and plays for the Montclair YMCA traveling squash team. Plawker is also a Law Day volunteer, in which lawyers participate with Montclair High School and other Essex County high schools in conducting mock trials to educate students about the legal process.

Plawker is a graduate of Vassar College and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School. Upon graduation, he received the Ruth B. Doyle Award for outstanding service to the law school community. He holds a degree also in Russian language from The Pushkin Institute in Moscow. He served during the 1992 to 1993 term as law clerk to the Honorable Sybil R. Moses, Assignment Judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey, Bergen County.