To the editor:
Since beloved and honorable Westwood Mayor John Birkner Jr. is running for a New Jersey Assembly seat, it is natural to conclude that the next mayor of Westwood should be Jodi Murphy.
I have worked with Jodi in a variety of ways over the past few years, and she is precisely what Westwood needs in its next mayor. She is smart, approachable, accountable, inclusive, present, and progressive-minded.
Never one to shy away from a challenge or a problem, Jodi Murphy is easily one of the hardest working people I know. When it comes to Westwood, she is omnipresent. Her tireless work around Sustainable Westwood, Westwood’s Green Team, the Shade Tree Committee, Bergen County Styrofoam Collection Drive and the annual Bi-State Cleanup Hackensack River Watershed in Westvale Park are illustrative of this energy and genuine love for the environment and our community.
Jodi consistently motivates her peers—myself included—to be the best, most authentic versions of ourselves that is possible through healthy lifestyle choices. For example, as a coordinator of the Westwood Mayor’s Wellness Campaign, Jodi has devoted countless hours to Alumni in Recovery Parent Program, a support network whose goal is to raise awareness, end stigma, and provide hope and resources within the community about the disease of addiction.
Jodi cares for everybody in the community regardless of their age, sexual orientation, religion, political affiliation, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. She is willing to listen and fight for change that is beneficial to all residents.
Lastly, Jodi’s total opposition to Airbnb’s unfettered presence in Westwood is indicative of the sort of mayor that Jodi will be: pro Westwood, all of the time.
Clearly, the only viable choice in the 2019 mayoral election is Jodi Murphy.
