Committed to protecting public safety and using his background in finance to ensure responsible development and fiscal responsibility. Please give the Candidate Statement a read to learn more about how he intends to help ensure that the future of Summit is bright.
Hello, fellow Hilltoppers, my name is Mark Gundersen and I’m running on the Together for Summit ticket for Common Council in Ward 2. As a New Jersey native, husband, and father of a young son, I care deeply about this town we call home, and I am passionately committed to shaping Summit’s future. My background in corporate finance and investing has given me a skillset that will benefit our Council and help us ensure the most fiscally responsible use of our taxpayers’ dollars.
As a firm believer in civic engagement, I want to do my part to keep Summit a truly special place to live, work, educate children, and raise a family. Being a business owner with expertise in private credit and small business funding, I have a long track record of success in solving problems and helping businesses grow. As a member of Summit’s Economic Development Advisory Committee, I see first-hand how an effective relationship between the City and our business leaders can benefit our downtown and our commercial ecosystem.
Since entering the race, I have thoroughly enjoyed walking door-to-door and meeting neighbors in Ward 2. On porches and in living rooms I have had several exceptional experiences that I’d like to tell you about:
·I’ve had the pleasure of sitting on a sofa with a long-time Summit resident (born here before World War II) and learning a lot from her about the history of our wonderful town, including seeing my own house listed in her 1916 Summit directory;
·A younger resident, just seven years old, came to the door with his father and shared that there were “so many good things” about Summit. When I went home to tell my wife and our own seven-year-old son about this conversation, we pieced together that this child was the great new friend my son had just made at camp.
·I also met a veteran who hadn’t realized he could be honored in our Hometown Heroes program. I’m looking forward to following up on this so that his young children can see their father’s portrait hanging on a flag in town next year.
Last year I watched the Together for Summit ticket demonstrate how community involvement, thoughtful ideas and strong conviction can attract widespread support among our residents. Since elected, they’ve continued to deliver on their campaign promises and Summit is now advancing in the right direction on crime, city finances, and development.
If I am elected and given the honor to serve, I intend to follow those same principles and work hard for everyone, not just in Ward 2, but for everyone in this community. My priorities are as follows:
·With public safety still a front-of-mind issue for residents, I support providing the Summit Police Department with the resources it needs to operate effectively and efficiently. All crime is unacceptable. I strongly support the recently passed Resident Protection Ordinance and believe the extra layer of protection it provides will be a sound deterrent. Other nearby towns are already emulating this new law.
·Summit will continue to grow, but we do not need massive, poorly financed projects like Broad Street West. I will make sure that we only pursue worthwhile development projects that comply both with Summit’s character and the City’s Master Plan. Summit is a welcoming and inclusive community, and I will assess any prospective development projects with Summit’s affordable housing objectives in mind.
·Using the expertise I’ve developed in finance, I will seek opportunities to stretch our taxpayers’ dollars and procure non-taxpayer-funded revenue from county, state or federal grants. I will build on my experience on the Economic Development Advisory Committee to help showcase Summit and promote its attractiveness for businesses and entrepreneurs.
I am passionate about Summit and its residents and businesses. I strive to be approachable, open-minded and energetic. Together for Summit, we can achieve consensus on important issues and express our opinions constructively. If you give me the privilege of representing you on our City’s Common Council, I promise you will have a Council Member who listens intently to his neighbors’ concerns and works diligently to ensure that the future of Summit is bright.
Mark Gundersen for Ward 2 Common Council
Hello, fellow Hilltoppers, my name is Mark Gundersen and I’m running on the Together for Summit ticket for Common Council in Ward 2. As a New Jersey native, husband, and father of a young son, I care deeply about this town we call home, and I am passionately committed to shaping Summit’s future. My background in corporate finance and investing has given me a skillset that will benefit our Council and help us ensure the most fiscally responsible use of our taxpayers’ dollars.
As a firm believer in civic engagement, I want to do my part to keep Summit a truly special place to live, work, educate children, and raise a family. Being a business owner with expertise in private credit and small business funding, I have a long track record of success in solving problems and helping businesses grow. As a member of Summit’s Economic Development Advisory Committee, I see first-hand how an effective relationship between the City and our business leaders can benefit our downtown and our commercial ecosystem.
Since entering the race, I have thoroughly enjoyed walking door-to-door and meeting neighbors in Ward 2. On porches and in living rooms I have had several exceptional experiences that I’d like to tell you about:
·I’ve had the pleasure of sitting on a sofa with a long-time Summit resident (born here before World War II) and learning a lot from her about the history of our wonderful town, including seeing my own house listed in her 1916 Summit directory;
·A younger resident, just seven years old, came to the door with his father and shared that there were “so many good things” about Summit. When I went home to tell my wife and our own seven-year-old son about this conversation, we pieced together that this child was the great new friend my son had just made at camp.
·I also met a veteran who hadn’t realized he could be honored in our Hometown Heroes program. I’m looking forward to following up on this so that his young children can see their father’s portrait hanging on a flag in town next year.
Last year I watched the Together for Summit ticket demonstrate how community involvement, thoughtful ideas and strong conviction can attract widespread support among our residents. Since elected, they’ve continued to deliver on their campaign promises and Summit is now advancing in the right direction on crime, city finances, and development.
If I am elected and given the honor to serve, I intend to follow those same principles and work hard for everyone, not just in Ward 2, but for everyone in this community. My priorities are as follows:
·With public safety still a front-of-mind issue for residents, I support providing the Summit Police Department with the resources it needs to operate effectively and efficiently. All crime is unacceptable. I strongly support the recently passed Resident Protection Ordinance and believe the extra layer of protection it provides will be a sound deterrent. Other nearby towns are already emulating this new law.
·Summit will continue to grow, but we do not need massive, poorly financed projects like Broad Street West. I will make sure that we only pursue worthwhile development projects that comply both with Summit’s character and the City’s Master Plan. Summit is a welcoming and inclusive community, and I will assess any prospective development projects with Summit’s affordable housing objectives in mind.
·Using the expertise I’ve developed in finance, I will seek opportunities to stretch our taxpayers’ dollars and procure non-taxpayer-funded revenue from county, state or federal grants. I will build on my experience on the Economic Development Advisory Committee to help showcase Summit and promote its attractiveness for businesses and entrepreneurs.
I am passionate about Summit and its residents and businesses. I strive to be approachable, open-minded and energetic. Together for Summit, we can achieve consensus on important issues and express our opinions constructively. If you give me the privilege of representing you on our City’s Common Council, I promise you will have a Council Member who listens intently to his neighbors’ concerns and works diligently to ensure that the future of Summit is bright.
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