For Mayor - Bob Conley

I have lived in Madison for 50 years—since I was a child.  I married here and had my two sons here.  I work here as Vice President of Operations for the Madison Area YMCA.  My record of volunteerism demonstrates my commitment to this great town.  To keep it great and make it even better, we have to restore fiscal responsibility, leadership and respect.  As your mayor, I pledge that I will not mortgage our future with projects we cannot afford; I pledge to lead with an open mind; and I pledge to make the most of our dedicated volunteers.

Commitment

I have a long record of demonstrated leadership and commitment to Madison.  I have served two terms on the Madison Borough Council and served as council president in 2008.  I was council liaison to the Public Works, Utilities, Public Safety, and Finance & Administration (2010-2011) departments, served as chairman of the Chatham Joint Meeting Finance Committee, and was founding chair of the Shared Services Committee with Board of Education and Traffic Calming Committees.  I am a past chairman of the Madison Recreation Committee and was a member of the Open Space and Recreation & Historic Preservation Advisory Committees.  Within the community I have served as president of the Madison Rotary Club, the Madison Rotary Foundation, the Adult School Board of Trustees, and the Grace Counseling Center Board of Trustees.  I am currently vice president of operations for the Madison Area YMCA and am past president of Chapter 17 - Association of YMCA Professionals.

Fiscal Responsibility

Today, I am very concerned that at a time of severe economic uncertainty, the current Mayor and Council majority is putting wants ahead of needs. We are running out of money for roads and sewers while ignoring state funding for road projects and borrowing $3.4 million for artificial turf fields. This is a form of fiscal insanity. Only with long-range planning and partnering with the state and neighboring communities can we achieve a program of sensible spending that will ensure we maintain vital services while restoring and improving our aging infrastructure.

Leadership

My years of working for the YMCA and on the council have taught me the importance of teamwork. Individuals can solve problems, but forged into an effective team, we can consistently and smoothly meet challenges and even turn them into transforming opportunities. Madison has a lot of smart people with good ideas. As mayor, I want to take advantage of our many dedicated and capable volunteers. It may be harder to govern that way, but in the long run, it’s better.

Respect

Have you watched the Council meetings lately? Respect has taken a back seat to bullying and grand-standing. We can do better than that. We have to do better than that. Effective government starts with civility toward volunteers and those who differ with us. Effective government welcomes input from residents. Effective government runs on respect. Madison deserves effective government.