Politics & Government

Council Candidate Tom Wyka: Fighting Against 'Closed Club' Government

The open government activist seeks to break the GOP hold on the council.

Republican politicians are focused on keeping Democrats out of government, and it's time for a change, according to Tom Wyka.

Wyka, an 18-year Parsippany resident and a proponent of open government, is running to Town Council as part of the Democratic Vote for Parsippany ticket, along with Annelise Catanzaro and Janice McCarthy.

His background includes 20 years working in information technology. He earned a bachelor's degree in management from Bucknell University and an MBA from Seton Hall University. In addition to coaching football for the Police Athletic League and sitting on the finance board of St. Christopher's Church, Wyka is vice president of the New Jersey Foundation for Open Government.

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"We advocate for citizens rights to government information and assist in crafting state level legislation for transparency issues," he explained. "I intend to bring that same passion to my role as council member."

Wyka said he intends to serve as a watchdog for the people of Parsippany.

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"I will reinstitute and champion ethical reforms, such as the anti-Pay-to-Play corruption measure I lobbied for in 2009,  and which the council underhandedly discarded against the will of our citizens," he said. "I will keep checks on the mayor's decisions such as overpriced no-bid $22,000-a-year websites and the skimming of  $700,000 surpluses from the sewer plant. I will promote genuine transparency."

In Tuesday's primary election, the Vote for Parsippany slate is opposed by Independent Democrat Robert Hofacker. Wyka, however, is looking toward the general election and taking on the Republican Team Parsippany ticket.

"One of the problems I see developing in the town is our government becoming a 'closed club' [that neglects] the intellectual talent of our population," he said. "Qualified members of the community are being removed from committees in favor of political friends. The 'closed club' mentality is also contributing to bad decision making such as overpriced insurance policies and the town's overpriced new website.

"We need to keep better checks on misguided development projects," he added. "We also need to be more vigilant through government reform measures to ensure our elected officials are acting ethically."

Other issues important to Wyka include pursuing shared-service opportunities, promoting more recycling compliance, involving the public in cost-cutting efforts and lobbying Trenton on ways to keep services cost effective while maintaining a high level of service standards and morale among municipal employees.

"I believe my passion for good government,  my activism for local reforms, my community involvement, and my strong desire to improve the lives of our residents demonstrates my qualifications to serve," Wyka said. "We need to break into the 'closed club' and create more accountability."


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