Dover mayoral candidates spar on overcrowding, redevelopment ahead of June 6 primary

Questions about overcrowding, tax deals for developers and revitalizing the downtown business district highlighted an online forum Wednesday between three Democratic hopefuls for mayor in Dover.

Largely setting aside the rancor seen in previous elections, Mayor Carolyn Blackman, former mayor James Dodd and former alderman Edward Correa focused on the issues.

"Dover is my hometown. I've lived here for 50 years, raised my family, volunteered in the town for 20 years to benefit the community," said Blackman, a retired Avon sales professional who served as Ward 3 alderwoman for 12 years prior to becoming Dover's first female and Black mayor in 2020.

"Nothing is more important to me than our town and our community," she said.

Correa, however, said it was "time for change." An agency manager for the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, Correa said he and his running mates for the Dover Board of Aldermen "are the change Dover needs and we have the experience to get it done."

Dodd, who lost to Blackman in an acrimonious race four years ago, said Dover has lost ground since then. "Both of my opponents here tonight had their chance to prove with action their leadership skills, and both have failed us," said Dodd, a lifelong resident who owns a vehicle repair business in town and served three terms as mayor starting in 2008.

The forum, hosted by the Morristown Area League of Women Voters, Morris County NAACP and the NJ Hills Media Group, was presented less than a week before the June 6 primary. In the heavily Democratic town, the winner will be the presumptive favorite for the November general election.

Rival Democratic factions in Dover

Dodd and his "Rescue Dover" ticket are seeking to reclaim the office after he lost by 50 votes to Blackman in the 2019 election. Blackman's campaign that year was elevated by the Morris County Democratic Committee's choice to endorse her "Dover First" ticket over Dodd and his slate of alderman candidates.

Following the election, Correa, who also helped to elect Dover First alderman candidates in 2018, was appointed to fill Blackman's Ward 3 seat. He was elected to a full term in 2020 and now chairs the Dover Democratic Committee.

The Morris County Democratic Committee, however, broke ranks with Correa in 2022, saying he had "lost the support of the movement he helped build." The committee chose to endorse a new ticket, "Dover Forward," and Ward 3 candidate Karol Ruiz, who defeated Correa in the 2022 primary.

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Four years later, Blackman and Correa find themselves on separate tickets, with the Dover Democratic Committee voting to endorse Correa, giving him the coveted top-line position on the ballot. Meanwhile, Dodd is hoping to engineer a return.

Dodd's answers frequently repeated his belief that neither Blackman nor Correa had shown the ability to manage town finances or to negotiate Dover-friendly deals with developers looking to build in town.

Tax deals for developers draw scrutiny

A case in point involved a discussion of using tax break programs known as PILOTs, or "Payment In Lieu of Taxes," to entice developers to build housing and business properties.

Correa acknowledged PILOT programs can be controversial as they often amount to tax discounts, with none of the payments earmarked for schools as regular taxes would be. However, he said, "No developer, whether it's affordable housing, commercial spaces, home-ownership programs, market-rate rentals or industrial is going to invest money without a PILOT. What we need to do is get the best deal for the town and in the process get some affordable housing units in there as well."

Added Blackman, "We want developers to come to Dover, but we want smart developers that are going to work for Dover and not for themselves. We have PILOTs now. They weren't the best PILOTs, but we have to deal with it. We will continue to create affordable housing. We are working with Habitat For Humanity to help us start that process."

"There's a lot of misconceptions about PILOT programs," Dodd said. "PILOTs are awesome when they are developed and negotiated correctly. There are so many programs that are out there for our community that are untapped. This administration is not bringing in outside resources and that is something we need to do."

"My administration is working with the county, the state and grant writers to bring funding into Dover" Blackman rebutted. "It might not be what Dodd thinks it should be, but we are working on it. We brought in more than $2 million in grants from 2022 and for 2023, we already have $1 million in grants."

Correa: Invest in community center, recreation

Correa added the PILOT payments can be shared with the school district while also benefitting other areas where the town needs funding. His vision for Dover is to make it a "Mecca" for arts, culture and business in northwest New Jersey.

"We have an opportunity with the PILOT money to invest that money back into the community," he said. "We need desperately, a community center. That's our proposal, invest some of this money in arts and culture, and sports and recreation for everyone in our community."

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Dodd said he'd be better able to spend Dover's money wisely.

"It comes to having the experience and knowledge to negotiate with developers," he countered. "When you bring a developer into town, you have the ability to negotiate for them to build us a community center. It doesn't have to fall on the back of the taxpayers. Unfortunately, that's not happening right now."

Overcrowded homes in Dover

All three candidates agreed that overcrowding, including stacking violations in which units are rented to more tenants than allowed, has added severe burdens to the town, including the school system, parking and traffic. Dodd took Blackman to task for eliminating five housing code enforcers. Blackman said she is increasing code enforcement staffing and the grant money she has brought in will help fund that initiative.

Correa wants to add weekend code enforcement, increase community education about code requirements and target "slumlords who are profiting" from residents and "putting people's lives in jeopardy." Dodd said that out-of-town landlords are a big part of the problem "and must be held accountable."

Dodd also addressed overall staffing shortages in town. As many as 40 employees left in 2020 because they didn't want to work for Blackman, he said. Three former employees sued the town and Blackman's administration in 2021, alleging they were harassed and fired because they supported Dodd in the 2019 election.

The suit was settled last year for an undisclosed amount, according to Correa.

Blackman accused Dodd of coercing employees to leave. Correa said he and Blackman "inherited a train wreck" when they came into office because Dodd "indebted the town to $52 million."

"He raided the town's emergency fund," Correa said. "We paid down the debt."

William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com 

Twitter: @wwesthoven

This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Dover NJ mayor candidates debate ahead of 2023 primary