Governor Tom Kean to Moderate Community Forum

On Tuesday, June 22, the 2010 Bergen LEADS class will present a Public Forum on the Future of Local Government. We are honored to welcome former New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean who will moderate the forum.

The forum is open to the public and will be held at Bergen Community College from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. There is no charge to attend, but pre-registration is required. To register, e-mail amissey@bergenvolunteers.org or call 201-489-9454 x119; deadline for registration is June 18, 2010.

The County's premier civic leadership program, Bergen LEADS features have been meeting monthly seminars during which the 30 class members dissect issues, debate viewpoints and gain first-hand understanding of how Bergen County works. Former Bergen County Executive William "Pat" Schuber is seminar director, guiding discussion of such topics of critical importance as healthcare, education, economic development, the environment, government, public safety and diversity. Shared services and regionalization are recurrent themes in every issue explored.

Drawing on knowledge and experience gained throughout the year, Bergen LEADS class members will present three points of view answering the question “How can government best provide the appropriate level of needed services to residents in a time of very limited resources?" The perspectives include 1) Eliminate County government and let municipalities provide services; 2) Eliminate municipal government and let the County provide services; 3) Keep the status quo, with County and municipal governments providing services, but make service delivery efficient and cost-effective.

Bergen LEADS is sponsored by the Volunteer Center of Bergen County; sponsors of the Forum are TD Bank and TD Bank and the law firm of Cole, Schotz, Meisel, Forman & Leonard in Hackensack.

For further information about the Forum or about Bergen LEADS, contact Amanda Missey, Bergen LEADS Director, at 201-489-9454 x119 or amissey@bergenvolunteers.org.