To Glen Rock Residents,
About four years ago, I got a phone call from the now departed Mark McCullough asking me if I would consider running for mayor. This was not something that I had ever seriously considered but yet I did not respond in the negative. As a regular at council meetings, I did feel that I had something different to offer and after much discussion with family and friends, I decided to give it a shot.
I was humbled and excited by the immense amount of support that I received as I shared my thoughts and vision for the town. My desire to serve grew with the clear message that I consistently received from residents was that it was time for a change in Glen Rock.
Three years into my term, I feel that our town is in a great place with more engagement and involvement than ever before. More than ever, people feel as if they are part of the conversation and more than ever, people are helping to shape that conversation. The Borough has never communicated with residents as regularly as we do now and it has never been as easy as it is now for residents to reach out to all of us.
As for me, I have made it my mission to be involved in just about everything that we do in Glen Rock. That has meant large amounts of time at Borough Hall working with our Administrator, Lenora, and others. I make myself available to residents any day and any time which has lead to many wonderful conversations over coffee or adult beverages. I believe that a mayor should communicate with residents potentially every day and I have used my Facebook page and these meetings to do so. I would challenge anyone to find a mayor who spends more time communicating with residents whether it is a warning relating to a public safety issue, tracking an upcoming storm, or regarding Borough events.
While I ask for no pats on the back, I have worked seven days a week for most of the weeks that I’ve been in office because I feel that that is what a mayor should do and it is what I promised when I spoke to many of you before you were kind enough to elect me.
This belief and work ethic has, unfortunately, taken time away from other things, at times, such as family and career. I made a decision when my position was eliminated from my company early in 2016 to take a year off from work and to dedicate my time, fully, to Glen Rock. It was a perfect opportunity to define my own version of leadership and to focus my efforts without distraction. That first year off did end up becoming a second year and then a third year, not wholly by choice.
As I find myself looking to return, full time, to my professional career and to share a few more random moments with family and friends than I’ve been able to for a very long time, I have decided that I will not be running for another term as mayor. This was an incredibly difficult decision but it is the right one for me, professionally and personally.
It is not in me to do something at anything less than 100% and I cannot fulfill my own expectation with regard to how much time I should be giving this town while also having time for a fairly long daily commute to and from work and time for family and friends.
You have my assurance that I will continue to give this amazing town every moment that I need to give as I serve out my final year and finish a leg of my life journey that I will never regret and never forget.
Bruce J Packer
Mayor – Borough of Glen Rock
Office: 201-670-3969
Submitted by Mayor Bruce Packer
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