Our government was steeped in chaos and controversy. There has been a gradual change in perception, which I believe has become much more accelerated during the past year. Just in the past year, West Orange hosted a visit from the First Lady to the Edison National historic site, Nickelodeon's Big Help Day, Organon Day, and a Memorial Day Service in which over 40 of our Veterans who received New Jersey's highest medal for distinguished service were honored. During the past year, West Orange High School had the distinction of being the only high school in the State of New Jersey named by the NJ Department of Education as a Star School. There is a renewed sense of pride in our community coupled with cautious optimism.
People are more positive about West Orange's future.
There are a number of reasons for this change. Certainly, I believe the most important factor is our residents' strong community activism. To our credit, our residents want to be involved and generously donate their time and money to many valuable causes. As a Councilman, I have had the privilege of sitting on a number of boards where I had the first hand opportunity to observe many residents donate countless hours to making West Orange a better community. I have also attended many meetings of various civic and religious groups, and have witnessed the strong commitment and dedication by which these volunteers undertake their civic duties.