MADISON — Just in time for holiday shopping, special items for everyone on your holiday list and for yourself will be abundant at the Thursday Morning Club’s festive “Le Bazar de Noel” two-day holiday boutique from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, November 13 and 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 14 at the Madison Community House, 25 Cook Avenue.

The Bazar will feature many wonderful exhibitors as well as a “Tricky Tray”.  These gift baskets will include gift cards, bank cards, and gift certificates to popular local restaurants and many beautiful handmade items.

This event is the Club’s major fundraising event of the year and proceeds provide operating funds for the Madison Community House, which is owned, operated, and supported by the Thursday Morning Club.

La Patisserie, which has been a popular feature of every Bazar de Noel (and this year’s Le Bazar is the 40th) will sell delicious quiches, cakes, bread, cookies, and homemade pies, perfect for your Thanksgiving dessert.  A variety of homemade soups and sauces will also be available for purchase.

Phyllis Flemming and Judy Hynes, Bazar co-chairs, have selected exhibitors who will offer high quality, unique, classic, and handmade items. Flemming noted, “with the special exhibitors, Tricky Tray, and homemade soups, etc., the Bazar is a festive and fabulous shopping experience”.  A few of the clothing vendors will be Groovy Elegance, Lei-Lei, Compassion Fashions, and the wonderful Preppy Player.  There will be handbags from Jo Jo’s Bags and Things, new and vintage jewelry from Remy’s Gems, and Swarovski jewelry from Touchstone and of course, House of Cork. Other vendors include Maiden Madison,  Lisaro Toys, and a new vendor, Col de Mar!  J J’s will provide local honey and a variety of sweet treats!  Their wares are available on our website!  Please take a look!

In an effort to provide a safe visit to our Bazar, we will be enforcing the New Jersey State mandates that are based on CDC guidelines.  No one will be admitted without a mask, and there will be masks available for all those who need one!

Admission to the “Le Bazar de Noel” is free. For information about the Bazar, please call (973) 377-0244 or email www.ThursdayMorningClub.org.

Organized in 1896, the Thursday Morning Club is a member of the New Jersey State and General Federation of Women’s Clubs.

Photo, left to right:  Jeannie Kosawowski, Phyllis Flemming, Judy Hynes, Roe Marchese, Claire Burling.

MADISON — Republican challenger for the NJ CD-11 Congressional seat Rosemary Becchi made a campaign stop in Madison early on Friday, October 16, and enjoyed meeting prospective voters over coffee and breakfast.  Rosemary received a warm welcome from the business establishment’s regular morning customers, who were eager to greet the candidate.

Lower Taxes, Less Regulation
“Like all the customers here this morning, Rosemary is supportive of New Jersey’s small businesses,” commented Mackaella Goodwin, a Republican candidate for Madison Borough Council, who joined Rosemary for breakfast.  “Rosemary has advocated for lower taxes for small businesses throughout her career.  I especially appreciate the work that Rosemary has done with Jersey First, the non-profit organization that she founded to advocate for pro-business policies, policies that will actually make it easier to do business in our state.”

In conversations with fellow diners, Rosemary explained the impact that she has been able to make during her career as a tax lawyer and while she served as tax counsel to the Senate Finance Committee.  “I have been fighting my entire career for lower taxes and less regulation. I’ve worked on important provisions like helping to make the 529 college savings plans what they are today. I not only worked on it while I was in Congress but for many years after I left. I also worked on critical legislation to help retirement savings.”

People Over Politics
“I want to go to Washington because I want to fight for New Jersey families. I think you deserve somebody that will put the people over politics, and that’s not what you have. Two years ago, Mikie Sherrill promised to go to Washington and be a different kind of Democrat. But she hasn’t been. She’s voted with Nancy Pelosi 99 percent of the time. I believe that the people of this district deserve better.”

Responding to diners’ questions about the continuing stringent restrictions on businesses during New Jersey’s response to the pandemic, Rosemary commented that “Businesses are hurting right now.  Mikie Sherrill has not advocated effectively for Morris County, and she is not getting the people of this district the critical help that they need. When the CARES act was initially passed, it did not provide any direct funding at all for Morris County.  That’s very troubling, and it makes you wonder, where do her priorities lie?  Mikie Sherrill’s voting record shows that she votes with Nancy Pelosi 99% of the time on very partisan legislation.  And it’s been at the expense of the people of this district.  She has not been focusing on the critical legislation that’s needed to help the people of this district.”

“This district deserves somebody that’s going to roll up their sleeves and get this economy going. We’ve got to find ways to open back up safely and securely. We shouldn’t be locking down our government and businesses like this one, but we should be doing more to get our economy back up and started again. We need to be working toward solutions that can help us move forward beyond this pandemic, toward policies that will open up our economy and provide businesses with the liquidity they need to survive.”

Voters expressed concern with Mikie Sherrill’s apparent allegiance and support for radical leftists like Nancy Pelosi and AOC who advocate for policies like the Green New Deal and Medicare for all.  Rosemary agreed with their concerns and noted that “That’s not what the people of this district want.  As I meet with voters all over this district, you tell me that you do not want someone who will advocate for radical ideas that will destroy your healthcare and destroy your jobs.  You want somebody that will put people over politics.”

Law and Order
When asked about the movement to defund the police, Rosemary was very clear. “We need to protect and support our police.  The people of this district want somebody like me who will fight to keep our families safe and secure.”

Vote By Mail
Suzanne Schreiber, a member of the Madison Republican Committee, was also on hand to remind diners that this year’s election will be a Vote By Mail election for New Jerseyans.  “It is essential that every voter use their Vote By Mail ballot this year.  New Jersey voters will not be able to vote at a machine this year. There will be just one in-person voting location in Madison, and any in-person votes will be provisional ballots only. There will be very few exceptions for visually-impaired persons only.”

“This year, the best way to make sure your vote will count is to use your Vote By Mail ballot.”

You can find more information about this event, the Republican candidates, or the Vote By Mail process at the Madison Republican Committee website MadisonNJGOP.com.

MADISON — Mackaella Goodwin, a lifelong Madison resident, and Michael Dailey, a Madison resident since 1998, are the two Republican candidates for Madison Borough Council. Mackaella and Michael recognize the need to restore balance to the Borough Council and avoid the continuation of one-party rule within Madison.  They have each spoken about the need to add diversity to the Council, which is currently comprised of all Democrats.

Vote By Mail

A topic that arises frequently when the two candidates speak with Madison residents is the way this year’s election is being conducted.  “Many voters still do not realize that Governor Murphy’s Executive Order #177 mandates a Vote By Mail election,” explained Michael. “By now, all registered voters should have automatically received a Vote By Mail ballot. We strongly urge all voters to use their Vote By Mail ballots.”

“On election day, there will be just one polling location available in Madison, the Courtroom at Hartley Dodge Memorial Building,” added Mackaella. “Voters who choose to go to the polls on election day will not be able to vote on machines but instead will be provided with paper provisional ballots. Provisional ballots are the last ballots counted in every election after every Vote By Mail Ballot has been tallied.  Provisional ballots also tend to have a higher voter error rate, so there is a greater risk that their vote may not even be valid.”

“Without question, the very best option for voters in this year’s General Election is to use their Vote By Mail ballots.”

Borough Government Should Serve Madison Residents and Workers

When asked about Mackaella and Michael, Pat Rowe, a Republican who served on the Madison Borough Council from 2013 until 2019, stated that “Both Republican candidates recognize that local government requires participation from citizens in order to work effectively and be truly representative of the people. For them, it really is about the people of Madison.  Mackaella and Michael believe our borough government should serve the needs of Madison’s residents and workers rather than trying to serve Trenton or promote a political agenda that originates outside of Madison.”

Although the candidates have not been knocking on doors this year due to the continuing pandemic, they have been calling Madison households and businesses to help explain the voting process for this year’s General Election and to discuss their priorities for the borough.

Mackaella and Michael have vowed to focus on five areas as members of the Madison Borough Council:

– Prevent any increase in property taxes.
– Address the needs of Madison’s playgrounds and athletic fields.
– Substantially lower the electric rates charged by Madison’s municipally-owned electric utility.  Madison’s rates are among the highest in NJ.
– Continue to modernize Madison’s roads, sewers, and utilities.
– Ensure that Downtown Madison remains through solid planning for the future.

Over the years, Mackaella has volunteered extensively in Madison to help people with disabilities to lead a full life.  This is an area that she intends to continue to focus on within Madison, as she works to promote positive perceptions and greater awareness of the needs of adults and children with disabilities, and their ability to contribute to the life of our Madison community.

Both Michael and Mackaella emphasize the need to improve Madison’s playgrounds.  “Our playgrounds need greater attention from the borough, as any young family in town can attest. While there has been some focus on playing fields in recent years, and a dog park has even been recently established, the borough playgrounds where our Madison youth play haven’t been updated in a very long time and some equipment has fallen into disrepair. For some children, they are even dangerous and could pose a liability for the borough,” stated Michael.

Support for Law Enforcement

Additionally, the candidates have repeatedly expressed their support for the Madison Police Department.  “Michael and I support the law enforcement personnel who serve our community. We are very open about the fact that we stand behind our Madison Police Department, fully funded,” stated Mackaella.

Michael added, “Our Madison police are the first to respond to our calls for help at the most stressful and distressing moments of our lives when we or our loved ones or our neighbors are in danger. If the Madison Police Department makes a reasonable request for training or new tools or additional personnel to help them perform their jobs and improve their safety, they shouldn’t need to wonder whether the members of Madison’s Borough Council will say yes.”

Mackaella Goodwin

Born and raised in Madison, Mackaella is a member of the Madison High School class of 2016.  She graduated from Lycoming College in May 2020 with BA degrees in Actuarial Science, Mathematics, and Quantitative Economics.  At her graduation, Mackaella received the J.W. Free Award, recognizing her as the most active student in Mathematical Sciences and granting her departmental honors in the field of Mathematics. Along with this academic award, Mackaella also received Lycoming’s Intramural Female Athlete Award through the college’s Student Leadership Awards program.

Mackaella is currently preparing for Actuarial Exam P while working full time as an Operations Consultant with the New York Life Insurance Company. She looks forward to beginning her career as an actuary.

Mackaella has always been an active leader with a strong passion for volunteer work and service projects. She volunteers with several organizations to assist adults and children in our area who have disabilities, and she has served in many ministries within St. Vincent Martyr Church, where she sometimes works as a substitute organist.

Michael Dailey

Michael has lived in New Jersey nearly all his life and spent his youth in Roselle.  After earning a BS at Seton Hall University, he started his career in the western US, but he eventually made his way back to New Jersey and moved to Madison in 1998.

Michael’s work involves business-to-business sales within the custom home automation industry.  For the last few decades, all of his customers have been small businesses in the tri-state area, and for a time Michael even ran his own small business.  He knows first-hand the struggles that small businesses face as they operate within NJ.

Michael is a husband, father, employee, and community volunteer.

Meet the Candidates

Mackaella and Michael look forward to the opportunity to serve on the Borough Council on behalf of their Madison neighbors. Voters can contact Mackaella and Michael at [email protected] and follow their campaign on the Madison Republican Committee website at MadisonNJGOP.com.