2 running for mayor of Stanhope

Mayor Patricia Zdichocki and Councilman Eugene Wronko are running for mayor of Stanhope in the June 6 Republican primary.

Zdichocki, a former council president who served six years on the council, was elected to a four-year term as mayor in 2019. She was unopposed in that race to succeed Rosemary Maio.

Wronko, who has been on the council since February 2020, was unopposed in a race for a one-year unexpired term that fall. He was elected to a three-year term in 2021. It expires Dec. 31, 2024.

Eugene Wronko

Why are you running for this office?

As a homeowner and someone who has raised three children in the borough, I want to keep Stanhope as a great place to raise a family and a place where our seniors and residents can live safely and happily.

I have always answered the call to lead and contribute to our community. Now more than ever, we need a mayor who has the confidence of their peers; who is strong yet humble enough to respect different views; and who understands that leadership is about the benefit of the people, giving credit where it’s due and delivering results.

I possess all the required leadership qualities and I have proven this throughout my career and in service to our community. I have listened and heard the concerns and when it was suggested that I should run for mayor, I knew that I needed to step up and run.

What are the top three things you aim to accomplish if elected?

1. Foremost is controlling spending and taxes. We have all been impacted by irresponsible spending at the federal level with record high inflation and interest rates, supply chain disruption, and ever-increasing energy costs. This combined with unfunded mandates from Trenton makes it important for us at the local level to do whatever we can to control spending and reduce the tax impact on our residents. I will continue the success we have had as a governing body working with our dedicated borough administration and other key stakeholders to leverage grants that can save our taxpayers and improve our community.

2. Secondly, we are not effectively using all the communication channels available to us or communicating as well as I believe we can with our residents. I will improve our communication by ensuring we leverage all channels. I also will begin holding office hours twice a month to allow concerned citizens to have access to me to share their thoughts, questions and concerns. Listening is a critical part of successful communication, and I will work hard to ensure your voice is heard with a respectful and a compassionate ear.

3. Last, but certainly not least, I plan on establishing a community foundation that will allow us to raise money that we can in turn use to address community needs, such as supporting improved programs for our seniors and veterans, providing more support for our local youth programs, and generally providing more financial support to address overall community goals. A foundation will help us achieve this while not having to ask our taxpayers to do more.

What makes you the best candidate for this position?

I am the best candidate for this position because I possess the right combination of skills, emotional intelligence and proven experience.

I have served my country as a United States Navy veteran and served the Stanhope community for over 20 years in a variety of roles and through this experience I have learned how to listen and get results.

I currently serve on the council and as a volunteer firefighter with Stanhope Hose Company No. One. I have previously served on the Stanhope Board of Education and in primary leadership roles with Lakeland Little League, Lenape Valley Jr. Wrestling and the Lenape Valley Jr. Patriots Football/Cheerleading programs.

In addition to my community service, I have over 25 years of executive and senior leadership experience in business. My professional responsibilities include managing large budgets of more than $20 million, proven negotiation success with labor unions and vendors, and overall strong human resource management.

Lastly, as you have seen from my endorsements, I have the strong support of most of the current and former borough council members. This should resonate with voters, and they should question why the current mayor does not.

Background and qualifications

I have leveraged my career and business experience to directly contribute and positively impact our community. I have served as an executive board member of organizations at the local, state and national level.

My formal education includes a bachelor’s degree in business administration, and I am currently completing my master’s in business administration (MBA).

Currently I am a senior director overseeing a consulting practice that advises numerous Fortune 500 organizations on performance while enhancing their current capabilities, mitigating management and human resource issues, and improving their overall financial health.

I am a leader who has the respect and support of his peers. My focus has always been on helping our community and I plan to continue to do so as your next mayor.

Patricia Zdichocki

Why are you running for this office?

During my term as mayor, we have undertaken some of the largest infrastructure projects and received some of the largest grants in the borough’s history.

These grants, together with a conservative approach to spending, have enabled us to maintain a safe and healthy community that is affordable and attractive to residents and businesses.

We have accomplished a great deal but there is much more to be done, particularly in upgrades to our water system and ongoing improvements to our roads and parks.

I hope I have earned the support of our residents so that I may continue the work we’ve started.

What are the top three things you aim to accomplish if elected?

My priority is and always has been to keep our municipal spending as low as possible without negatively impacting the services our residents have come to expect.

I want to be sure we continue to maintain our roads and infrastructure, explore new opportunities for shared services with neighboring communities, and expand our recreational facilities, including our parks and trails, and to accomplish all within the scope of a realistic and affordable budget. We will place a high priority on pursuing state and federal grants to help achieve our goals.

What makes you the best candidate for this position?

In addition to my experience as mayor and six years of service on the Borough Council, I am a tireless, get-things-done person. I am accessible and responsive to our residents and I have a proven track record for getting things done. My goal has always been to achieve the absolute best for our residents.

Background and qualifications

I have been a Stanhope resident for 25 years. After a successful career as an IBEW electrician by day and a UPS supervisor at night, I now spend my leisure hours volunteering for local organizations, including the American Legion Auxiliary, Skylands Rotary, the Lake Hopatcong Elks and the Stanhope Seniors. I was honored to receive the Elks Distinguished Citizen Award for the past two years.

I am also an advocate for DASI, the Sussex County Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault Intervention service, and received their Volunteer of the Year award for the past three years.

This past year, I was elected to serve on the board of the New Jersey Council of Mayors, an opportunity which enables me to share ideas and solutions with other mayors and state officials.

My professional management and community volunteer experience along with my personal standards of hard work, determination, honesty and integrity have prepared me to address the issues that impact the residents of the Borough of Stanhope.

It’s been an honor to serve as mayor of the Borough of Stanhope, and I hope I have earned the support of our residents that will permit me to continue to serve for a second term.