TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON—The town’s director of public affairs, Daisy Velez, having made a unique and by all accounts excellent mark on an evolving community, is stepping down from that leadership post.
Her patron in the job, Mayor Peter Calamari, posted July 5, “Her contagious enthusiasm, creativity, intelligence, and work ethic made her a natural fit for the job, and I was honored and excited to appoint her. She held the director position for over four years. In that time, she added many new events for our residents to enjoy as well as expanded and enhanced existing ones.”
The mayor said, “A significant part of Daisy’s tenure fell under the blanket of the Covid- 19 pandemic. As we all remember, the world was forced to shut down, gatherings were severely restricted and for the most part banned. Isolation took on a whole new meaning and became a sad reality.”
“However,” he said, “as any great leader would, Daisy got creative and looked for opportunities amid this health crisis. She came up with ways to safely bring the community together with many Covid-friendly events. In doing so, she helped preserve our sense of normalcy and community by giving many something to look forward to shedding a positive light in an otherwise dark and scary time.”
He said of his and Tom Sears’ Republican running mate — Velez started her first term on the Township Council in 2022 — “Daisy made it extremely easy to support and get behind her new ideas as her enthusiasm was and remains infectious. The proof of her effectiveness and enthusiasm was highlighted by the terrific turnout of our community at every event she put together.”
Calamari said, “One of Daisy’s many passions is running. While she throws her efforts wholeheartedly into every event she organized, I think she was just a little more excited about the recent 5K walk/run.”
He said, “This was the very first time an event of this nature was sponsored by the Township, and not knowing what to expect, we were both elated that the event generated more participants [approximately 300] than we could have ever imagined! Professional road racing clubs who attend a great deal of these events noted and commented on how well organized and run it was.”
Velez, a teacher and mom, who moved to town in 2014 and promptly began volunteering on town events, told Pascack Press on July 5 she is not stepping down from her council duties: “In fact, I’m just getting started.”
There has been no report of next steps for replacing her at public affairs.
In a 45-minute phone interview after her long day of work and meetings, she told Pascack Press, “I have put a lot of my personal goals on the back burner. I need to re-focus. Public affairs, I love it, and it does take a lot of time to do a good job. I called it my full-time part-time job.”
She lauded her volunteers, the mayor, and the town’s police and firefighters, the ambulance corps, the DPW, and the library, and the town clerk’s office —singling out former clerk aide Bernadette Pomykala.
Velez said that when she took over the department the town had a calendar of five annual events. Her joy has been in expanding offerings, which she says is helping the township to stand out.
She likes the direction the town is headed in, with trends bringing in younger families, with more children. Calamari’s priorities have included large, high-visibility, and long-lasting improvements: the Pascack–Washington intersection overhaul, a new firehouse and ambulance headquarters, a new DPW facility, and land acquisitions for passive recreation.
Velez said, “When I moved here it seemed like an older community, and then it’s shifted, and even the library has done so much on their end, and I think that’s really put us on the map as a fun place to live.”
She added, “Now other services are being provided and things are being modernized — our building, our infrastructure. We’re really starting to make a name for ourselves in that sense.”
From an events standpoint, public affairs and the Recreation Department — the two share a town Facebook page — residents are pouring their passion into the calendar. Growing the offerings out from the core group — Sept. 11 Observance, Town Day (in October), Veterans Day, Memorial Day, and the Christmas tree lighting — the town has added a summer concert series (taken over from the fire department), a residents appreciation weekend, the 5K, a health fair, a menorah lighting, and, thanks to a resident’s proposal, now a Ramadan crescent moon lighting.
And she said a good number of new events owe their existence to the pandemic: “The drive-up Halloween movie, the virtual pet costume contest, the home decorating tour. There was still that coming together while staying apart. It worked out so well that the next year we had the same thing, but it wasn’t so restricted.”
She said, “Before [Calamari] appointed me, I said, ‘I see the potential in the community for more events, and I would like to do that, but I need your support.’ And he supported me 110 percent.”
One proposal that didn’t fly: goat yoga. “That got some eye rolls,” Velez said.
Moving on, she said, “I’m excited to see what’s ahead: fresh ideas. Hey, that’s brilliant! Let’s do it. If you’re out there and you see something, let’s see what we can do if we can bring it to our town. Why not? It’s wide open.” And she urged residents to pitch in, if they have notes. “Join our team. Help us make it better.”