Ed Remsen likes to lead. He likes to manage people. He likes to be in charge.
In his position as regional vice president for the American Heart Association’s New Jersey field operations, Remsen, 57, oversees 30-plus staffers to raise funds for the organization.
He has 15 years’ experience as a baseball and soccer coach, encouraging young athletes to excel.
For the past four years, Remsen has served as Montclair’s mayor.
Through achievement and argument, Remsen has presided with a straightforward, no-nonsense leadership style, combined with a hearty work ethic and holistic approach to governing.
"I learned to understand what everybody needs and to understand what I need," said Remsen, who, with his six colleagues, will leave office July 1.
"I tried to be flexible so we could all be part of the consensus and we could all feel good about the decision. I always tried to stay focused on the bigger picture of what is the greater good, what we can agree on."
In his eight years in municipal government — four as the 2nd Ward representative and four as mayor — Remsen learned that collaboration is essential.
"I was very comfortable with sharing the work and the success with a pretty large number of people," Remsen said. "I was comfortable with having a large network of people as part of the solution."
What was his chief contribution as mayor?
"It would be keeping people organized and focused and not forgetting the things we said we would do," Remsen noted.
He credited the seven-member body, of whom six representatives ran with him on the Leadership Montclair slate, with a host of accomplishments.
Remsen’s roster includes revitalization of Montclair’s downtown area, and in parks and recreation facilities, a sharp drop in citizen complaints about local services, a decreased municipal crime rate, and the construction of three parking decks.
Remsen is proud that more attention is now paid to the arts, particularly via the Montclair Arts Council.
He praised the municipality’s state-mandated property revaluation, which saw 53 percent of homeowners’ taxes drop.
Then there’s the replacement of the long-vacant Hahne & Co. department store on Church Street by The Siena luxury condominiums and boutiques.
In July 2003, municipal officials declared the dormant structure part of a three-phase redevelopment plan. Remsen is proudest of this action, as it "was a symbol of what was wrong in the downtown area."
"We got it down and we got a ratable in its place," Remsen said. "And now you’re starting to see the retailers and the restaurants coming in and the vacancies decreasing."
The mayor recalled a Montclair Center in the late 1980s, which was plagued by empty storefronts and violence.
"The downtown is seen as the jewel again," Remsen said.
He attributed much of that rejuvenation to work carried out by entities such as the Montclair Business Improvement District and the Montclair Economic Development Corp.
"All of those things have taken hold of a town center that is something we’re proud of, something that’s generating jobs, more tax revenues and represents the town much better than it did 10, 15 years ago."
The mayor is frank in his perceptions. He acknowledged certain issues and actions that constituents were unhappy with, such as the establishment of a Sewer Authority, which produced a second bill that users could not deduct from their taxes. Remsen said the action was mis-communicated and "not handled well."
Remsen also recalled acrimony over development issues, including events that led to the demolition of Montclair’s historic The Marlboro Inn, which was controversially replaced by 10 single-family houses.
"It was clearly a very difficult call," Remsen said. "I would have asked the Planning Board to pay closer attention to what was built there. I wrestle with that."
Through all of the highs and lows, Remsen said that he never subscribed to a "pedestal view of the mayor."
"I tried to be very informal," Remsen said. "You don’t have to call me ‘mayor.’ You can call me Ed."
Remsen would also regularly drive around Montclair on the weekends with a to-do list of situations he wanted to check on or to glean observations on the municipality.
He would, without warning, knock on constituents’ doors to find out whether their issues were resolved.
"If it bothered them enough to call or write or e-mail us about it, then they deserved to have a response from the person they contacted," Remsen said. "That was my way of showing them the respect that I thought they deserved. But it was also my way of monitoring the situation to make sure the staff did what they were supposed to do."
The mayor also knocked on the doors of people who spoke harshly to him or to his colleagues during council meetings. Remsen would stop by, discuss their grievances, and make it clear that bullying and hyperbole would not be tolerated.
"I’ve said to people, ‘I’m not your Tuesday night punching bag,’" he recalled. "I would deal pretty candidly with people. I don’t expect a free pass because we are volunteers, but I expect some level and fair treatment."
In some cases, such confrontations would result in the resident becoming part of the resolution by being invited in on the process.
What was his best quality was as mayor? Remsen said it is his ability to multi-task, to write everything down and to be organized.
Asked what was his worst quality, and Remsen acknowledged he sometimes lost his temper.
"I think there were people who said, ‘I can’t believe how candid he is. I can’t believe how aggressive he is in responding to certain people,’" Remsen said. "And that was sometimes emotional, sometimes strategic, by saying ‘You’re not going to push us around.’ Sometimes people like the kinder, gentler stuff. Depending on the circumstances, I’d like to say that we had a good balance. Some people didn’t appreciate my very strong personality. But it’s part of what makes me who I am. It’s part of what makes me effective."
Remsen’s thick skin seemed to have helped.
"You have to realize that not everybody is going to love you, because if you worry about that, then you will spend too much time focusing on that and not getting stuff done," he said.
And effectiveness is what Remsen hopes his legacy will largely be, particularly the fact that during his term more than 200 people were appointed to the municipal boards, commissions and committees in four years.
However, Remsen is well aware that his legacy will include a lawsuit filed by At-Large Councilman Ted Mattox regarding two municipally funded nonprofits.
"Whether we’re happy with this or not, this council will forever be known as the one that was sued by another member and it wasn’t just the lawsuit. It was the rancor that went with it," Remsen said. "The payback for that, if you will, is what happened in the election where the incumbents were all un-elected. And unfortunately, that was also very visible and very public and very personal."
Remsen called the lawsuit the chief challenge of his term.
"The stuff with Ted was obviously unpleasant. It didn’t go away once it started," the mayor observed. "On the other hand, it brought the rest of the council closer together."
With mere days left in his term, Remsen seems relieved and satisfied with his record.
Remsen did not seek a third term, as he always believed eight years on the dais was an appropriately long occupancy, knowing how much he poured himself into all he did.
Remsen noted that the late-night meetings, weekend engagements, lost sleep, and going out in the middle of the night during a crisis, such as 2006’s microburst, take a toll on the mind and body.
After the new council is inaugurated, Remsen intends to keep a low profile.
"The outgoing mayor should disappear for awhile. You step out of the way so the new people can take the lead. You give advice if they ask for it," Remsen said. "In my case, I’m consciously stepping back. I’ve been involved in town for awhile. I need a vacation."
Born and raised in the Bronx, Remsen intends to travel. He promised his wife he would take her to Paris. He’d like to go on a safari. Remsen also looks forward to reading books, playing golf, spending more time with friends and family, and not having a 7 p.m. meeting almost every Tuesday night.
"It’s been a fabulous experience," Remsen said. "I’m glad I did it. I’m glad I ran. I’m glad I won. I’m glad I served. I’m proud of what we got done, and now I turn the page and I don’t want to do it anymore. It’s been a privilege."
