Jefferson Township, New Jersey

8 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 7 JEFFERSON TOWNSHI P , NEW JERSEY The existing footprint that’s here right now is pretty much what we can work with. It’s really hampered us when it comes to our economic viability.” Mayor Wilsusen knows his community well. He’d worked in law enforcement for 30 years, closing out his tenure as the Deputy Chief of Police. He ran for office wanting to help his community, in large part, because of the Highlands Legislation. He admits, “I came into this office knowing that and seeing empty storefronts and things of that nature. I knew I had to do something to help sustain the businesses we have. I obviously don’t have an economics background and I’m smart enough to understand that I don’t know it all and that there are people smarter than me and have a lot of great ideas.” So Wilsusen put together a plan and the result was an economic development committee with 10 people from all walks of life within the community. Their goal is to sustain businesses, bring in new businesses, and drive the economy forward. Those meetings have generated a new focus: Ecotourism. The township secured a private $1 million donation to get the ball rolling, and the committee is working to take advantage of the open space they have and create more hiking, biking, and walking trail systems. The pandemic ushered in a renewed desire for people to get outside and enjoy nature more. “All of our trails and our recreation areas were overwhelmed,” Wilsusen says. “So we’re creating a system in which people will hopefully want to come here and utilize our facilities, our recreation opportunities, and the lake.” Planning is now underway for the new marketing campaign. The economic development team have hired some experts to make it happen and really sell all four seasons of Jefferson Township, given that the trails can be used for winter activities, too, like snowshoeing and cross country skiing. They also hope to promote their great restaurant scene for post-hike dining. “Because of the Highlands restrictions, we’ve had to think outside the box, so we are hoping that Ecotourism is something we can parlay into, helping to drive some of our economic opportunities,” Wilsusen says. “A municipality has to be business friendly. No one is going to come here if it’s difficult for them to do business. It’s not enough to just say ‘we’re open for business.’ You have to put it into practice.” Hartman agrees. “Our business community is really good. Mayor Wilsusen was always involved here, even before he was Mayor. When he was a police officer, he was coming to events because he wanted to be more involved in the community. And that’s what you see in Jefferson compared to other towns. Jefferson’s got a different, cool vibe to it where people really want to help each other. They want the businesses to grow here.”