Politics & Government
Meet Mihir Oza: Parsippany Council Candidate
Mihir Oza will run against Louis A. Valori, Robert J. Peluso, Bob Crawford and Robert 'Bob' Keller.
Parsippany Patch has reached out to local candidates to find out more about them. Check out Parsippany Patch's Election Hub for information on all candidates. Here is information from Mihir Oza.
- Oza owns a condominium in Parsippany and "my family and I moved around a bunch in Parsippany but I’ve lived in Cambridge Village since 1997."
- Party Line: Democrat
- Age: 25
- Family: My parents, aunts and uncles all reside in Parsippany. My father works at a financial company.
- What is your education background? My family and I moved to Parsippany from Berlin, NJ in 1994. I went to Troy Hills Elementary School, Brooklawn Middle School and Parsippany Hills High School. I went on to study Marketing at Drexel University in Philadelphia. I wish to pursue an MBA in Finance at Montclair State University.
- Why do you think you are qualified for this position? President Kennedy once said “Those who foolishly sought power by riding on the back of the tiger ended up inside.” I work for a regional bank that takes pride on being one of the few banks to grow during the recession by not “riding on the back of the tiger” but by putting the customer first and being active in the community. At Investor’s Bank I analyze, construct and underwrite multi-million dollar commercial real estate loans and this skill set can directly be applied in making budget and building projects in Parsippany. In the private sector not a dime goes to waste and I would apply the same principle on the Council.
- Why are you running for this elected office? I am part of the generation that has seen so many rapid changes throughout the years that it’s hard to keep up. The traditional paths that led to success in our country no longer exist. Upon graduating in 2010 there were almost no jobs out there. But I always believed and still do that we are a strong nation and there is no such thing as a menial or small job- we take what we can and grow stronger by the day. We need a fresh voice on the Town Council from somebody who’s struggled through the Great Recession during his youth and has come out on top. We need more young people involved in local government to have a unique exchange between the seasoned and the freshmen.
- What are the three issues that most concern you and explain your proposed approach to managing these issues.
Three issues that concern me are rising property taxes, businesses leaving Parsippany, and lack of transparency in the local government. We live in a strong and wealthy town and it’s important to keep it that way. I have an elitist approach when it comes to the cost of living in Parsippany. This town is costly to live in because we have safe neighborhoods and great schools. It’s important to preserve this. I will use my skills as a Financial Analyst to ensure that are tax dollars are spent wisely and to eliminate superfluous spending.
The vacancies in our office buildings are rising. We must give incentives to businesses to want to have their locations here. It will bring jobs and taxes into our town, lessening the burden on our residents. One way to do this is provide tax incentives to businesses to headquarter here. The residents in our town are kept in the dark about things like where our tax dollars are going. One example is the salary of our township attorney. I will make sure to break down these walls and let our citizens know what they need to know. - Have you held elected office before? Please provide details of what position and for how long. “This is my first run for political office. However, I’ve held leadership positions at school organizations throughout high school and my collegiate years.”
- What organizations do you belong to? During my years in Philadelphia I volunteered for Philabundance, the region’s largest food bank and hunger relief organization.
Editor's Note: Patch will be posting these candidate questionnaires in the order that they are received back. For candidates who have not heard from Patch, please contact Kim@patch.com.
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