County council candidate Gruenebaum lays out platform

I’m Jane Gruenebaum, and I’m running for Sussex County Council’s District 3 seat to bring your voice to the table and say, “Enough is enough.”  

Enough with the mega-developments, enough with the traffic, enough with the months-long wait for a doctor’s appointment, enough with the crowded classrooms, enough with the status quo that benefits a few and leaves the rest of us paying the consequences.

These are not partisan issues; these are community issues. But we cannot keep voting for the same people for Sussex County Council and expect change. I’m not opposed to all growth, but it must be balanced, rational and measured. We need a reset.

The five-member Sussex County Council is the powerful elected body that sets the parameters for growth and development countywide. Most subdivisions are approved by the planning & zoning commission, a five-member body appointed by county council, charged with making decisions within the parameters set by county council 

Now, nothing makes the eyes glaze faster than a discussion on zoning, that is, until a bulldozer starts knocking over the trees next door to you. But I’ve seen these zoning debates up close as president of the Sussex Preservation Coalition. 

Now, emboldened developers are pushing two of the largest projects in Sussex County history for Route 9: the 1,922-unit Cool Spring Crossing and the 852-unit Northstar. These projects would mean more traffic, more students in crowded schools, fewer woodlands and damaged wetlands.  

This pace cannot continue. The consequences of lagging infrastructure already have been too great. We’ve also lost wetlands and woodlands, and polluted our inland waterways. In turn, this has led to increased flooding and a loss of biodiversity that is gone forever. 

Here’s an outline of where I stand, and you can find more specifics at my webpage, www.janeforsussex.com:

1. Promote improved quality of life and economic prosperity for all, which includes developing a plan for more affordable housing for working families
2. Provide for the health and safety of our community, ensuring first responders have the personnel and tools they need to meet population growth
3. Synchronize growth with Infrastructure improvements, and this includes making traffic impact central to every development decision
4. Address current conservation concerns and prepare for the future by including conservation provisions in the county’s comprehensive plan
5. Promote citizen access to and transparency in county and zoning commission hearings
6. Rethink the way we approach transportation and support for education and healthcare providers. 

I’m not a career politician, a Realtor or contractor. I spent my career in the public policy sector, including a stint as executive director of the National League of Women Voters. I’m a big believer in people working together for change. I am a coalition builder and a positive voice for change. 

In fact, all of us working together is what it will take to make change happen. When I win, I will still need your support and your activism to be successful.

Please don’t sit out this election Tuesday, Nov. 5. We can’t let the status quo win again.