Don Nelson - Together For Summit
A lifelong Hilltopper,
Don Nelson
embodies what it means to be a public servant.
Don attended Lincoln Hubbard School and Summit Middle School before graduating from Summit High School in 1979.
He joined the Summit Fire Department as a volunteer in 1980, became a career firefighter in 1986, and was eventually elevated to Deputy Fire Chief in 2015 before retiring in 2022. Don is a past president of FMBA (Summit’s firefighter’s union) and is the current treasurer for the Summit Firemen’s Relief Association. Don also serves as a member of the Summit Zoning Board.
Don has contributed to the Summit community in a number of other ways: coaching youth girls' basketball and boys' baseball and serving on the boards of both the Police Athletic League and Summit’s Parking Commission. Don has also served as the City’s Coordinator of Emergency Management for six years, as well.
Don is an avid boater and motorcyclist and the principal of Captain Don’s Boating School, a NJ State Police-certified entity that teaches basic boating courses.
Don and his wife, Rose, have raised five children—Lauren, Nicole, Deanna, Donald Jr. and Mary—in Summit.
Running for Council has been a longtime goal for Don and, now that he is retired as a City employee, he not only has the time to serve our community, but he is also free from any potential conflicts that might have arisen with his position as Deputy Fire Chief.
Don’s priorities include:
- working to provide adequate resources to Summit’s public safety entities so they may execute their jobs efficiently and safely. Don supports walking-police patrols downtown, stricter enforcement of parking laws 24 hours a day, and a more vigilant approach to home invasions and car thefts, pursuant to the newly passed Resident Protection Ordinance;
- realistic and responsible property development that fits the character of Summit;
- oversight that ensures prudent use of public funds and accountability for missed benchmarks and overspending on municipal projects;
- insistence that developers fund performance bonds;
- reviewing IT programs for citizens and City departments;
- pursuing greater involvement from Union County in assisting Summit's unhoused population; and
- reviewing opportunities for the use of the Transfer Station to generate revenue for Summit.
Don's knowledge of the City and his decision-making track record are assets, but it is his ability to bring parties to the table and forge a compromise that may be his greatest quality. Don is a proven consensus builder. During labor negotiations as a firefighter, he learned that everyone should be able to walk away a winner; small concessions can create big successes. It is this philosophy that will make Don a stellar Council member, and help Summit be its very best.
