Business View Magazine | September 2019

261 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2019 Englewood has made impressive progress in the areas of economic growth, infrastructure, and, most notably, sustainability and climate action. Michael Wildes, Mayor of Englewood, is full of passion for the city he loves. He reflects, “I had the privilege of being the mayor for two terms, then took a break for nearly a decade; coming back onto the scene when social media and the notion of sustainability really emerged and changed the way residents communicate with one another and their government. I am very proud of the leadership that the Environmental Commission and a newly empanelled Green Team will be taking on the issues of sustainability in our city.” In many ways, technology has made it easier to communicate amongst the different agencies, and with residents. One of the reasons Wildes decided to come back was that the city was facing tough economic times, despite the growth sustained during his previous tenure as mayor. He explains, “The dynamic changed, there was now a new normal. Amazon consumed the retail world, where we had retrofitted our city to meet a retail need that was no longer the same. And we needed to come up with more effective development. I was concerned that, in the rush to develop the city to create a greater treasury, we not throw out what was appreciated a generation ago. That is, Englewood is a bedroom community to Wall Street, regarded for its extraordinary diversity and respect for advancement in the musical arts, but also a sense of its own topography and natural growth. We had open space and green acres that all needed a rebooting. And with active development, I was concerned that, ultimately, it pictured above Mayor of Englewood, Michael Wildes ENGLEWOOD , NEWJERSEY