After a lively debate in March on whether or not Maplewood needed to dedicate funding to a part-time position for its Age-Friendly Coordinator, the Township Committee ultimately voted to allocate $35,000 for the position and related SOMA Two Towns for All Ages programming.
The debate amongst elected officials focused partially on whether or not the coordinator position was needed or if other township staff could handle programming for seniors.
TC member Deb Engel said that the original $40,000 allocated for the part-time role was more than some full-time program managers employed by the township make in a year, and that no other committees have paid staff who focus solely on policy.
Committee member Vic De Luca, who as mayor in 2016 helped establish SOMA Two Towns for All Ages in coordination with South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum, said that he did not think that the group’s structure was immutable, but that SOMA Towns for All Ages had helped establish regulations for community events that benefited seniors and raised awareness for things like handicapped parking and accessibility in the towns.
“It created a consciousness that we didn’t have before, and I don’t think we’re going to continue that unless we have someone on staff whose focus is that,” De Luca said. “If we take the money out, we can’t put it back. We have one less tool to accomplish what we want to accomplish.”
After the TC voted to include the $35K in funding, Deputy Mayor Malia Herman told Village Green that she was pleased that the Township Committee committed to maintaining the Age Friendly Coordinator position.
Herman noted that support was not unanimous, with TC members Vic DeLuca and Dean Dafis voting for the funding, and Mayor Nancy Adams and TC member Deb Engel voting against it at a pubic budget meeting prior to the budget introduction last Tuesday, April 15.
Of the $35,000 allocated, $20K is for salary for the remainder of 2025 (the salary line was originally $40K but that amount was for an entire year’s salary) and $15K is for programming. The Township will now advertise to fill the position, which is currently vacant.
“This was a challenging budget year and we had to make some difficult decisions,” Herman told Village Green. “However, when the SOMA Two Towns for All Ages coordinator was recommended to be eliminated, I reached out to as many people as I could to find out more about this position and why it’s important. What I found was that even though our Township staff do an amazing job working with our senior residents, they have many other demands.”
“Having an Age Friendly Coordinator means that our town would have a staff member committed to researching and recommending senior-friendly policies and programs — as well as implementing and managing them,” Herman continued. “This is crucial for a town like ours that is committed to being an age-friendly community. Maplewood is special because we welcome all ages and abilities, and maintaining this position will allow us to continue to be a welcoming community for all. I am pleased that the Township Committee has committed to maintaining the Age Friendly Coordinator position.”
One community member who reached out to the TC was Maplewood and South Orange’s original Age Friendly Coordinator, Cathy Rowe.
In a letter dated March 31, 2025, Rowe told the TC that the role of the coordinator “was both in policy and implementation. For policy, it was to raise awareness and ask the town to commit to strategies that would help older residents stay in the towns, maintain their independence and be active members of the community.”
Rowe argued that “Once policy was decided or recommended, implementation was the bigger challenge. Both towns are very lean on staff and no one’s responsibility in town hall was to implement age-friendly recommendations.”
After listing several senior-friendly initiatives such as the new accessible electric shuttle bus, Rowe asked how those programs were being publicized, implemented and measured: “Until processes are in place to make sure that the work of getting something like a new bus is actually implemented and brought to residents, I think the coordinator is needed.”
Rowe concluded: “An age-friendly initiative ensures that people can stay in this town. Once you feel that there really is an aging lens in all work done from Maplewood town hall, I don’t think a coordinator is needed. But I question if we are at that point. And if Maplewood’s master plan is truly committed to equity, that equity should include a focus on aging.”
South Orange and Maplewood were recognized as age-friendly communities by AARP in 2018. Included in the photo are local officials including Age Friendly Coordinator Cathy Rowe (second from left).
Read Rowe’s full letter here:
March 31, 2025
Dear Maplewood Township Committee members,
I read the Village Green article about and watched the recording of the Township Committee’s discussion about whether to hire a new age friendly coordinator. As the original SOMA Two Towns for All Ages Coordinator, I want to take this opportunity to clarify a few things before any final decisions on the position and budgeting are made.
First, I want to make it clear that having an age-friendly coordinator is separate from the continuation of the SOMA Two Towns for All Ages initiative. To join the AARP Network of Age-friendly Communities, each town filed for and was accepted separately. SOMA Two Towns was the joint initiative.
Secondly, the role of the coordinator was both in policy and implementation. For policy, it was to raise awareness and ask the town to commit to strategies that would help older residents stay in the towns, maintain their independence and be active members of the community. Once policy was decided or recommended, implementation was the bigger challenge. Both towns are very lean on staff and no one’s responsibility in town hall was to implement age-friendly recommendations.
And finally, the long-term goal of an age-friendly community is to have an aging lens in all policies and implementation. In the long run, I don’t think any community would need a specific coordinator if they reach a point where using an age-friendly lens is just the way they do business. For example, when I started there was nobody in the Maplewood tax office who was doing outreach to older residents about the Senior Freeze tax program. That program has been expanded by the state several times and is a key tool to allow people to afford to age in place and remain in town. Starting with me, I believe each Age-Friendly Coordinator has arranged for presentations by the NJ Treasury Department and worked with our Assemblywoman to educate and assist residents in applying for this important program. Work on educating residents about the Senior Freeze can be done without a coordinator – is it? Is the tax department or someone in town hall making sure information about tax programs for older residents is shared?
I saw on the recording of the town committee meeting that Vic DeLuca named multiple things that SOMA Two Towns coordinators had initiated, like recommendations for age-friendly events and block parties and having senior seating at community events. If those are still happening, then the town has changed the way they do business. But are they still happening? Other things the age-friendly coordinators did or brought to town that did not fall under any position in town hall were the volunteer fair (300+ participants), Repair Café, the COVID emergency fund, the Senior Resource Guide, the SOMA Two Towns newsletter/website/Facebook/emails to communicate with older residents, a housing forum, the current ADU policy, the monthly free farmers market in Maplewood Senior Apartments as well as simple things that just weren’t thought of before like name tags for senior center events and a mahjong instructor.
While I was coordinator, we hired a consultant from Rutgers to look at how we did transportation. We spent $8,000 of the grant money on their work, held a travel symposium for older residents to hear about options, ran a pilot program with Gogo Grandparent to offer a set amount of free rides, and even drove around town to plot a course for a loop for the senior bus. Nothing was changed on the Maplewood side. In fact, it took me two years to find a list of who rode the Maplewood senior bus. When I got that list, there were 12 people on it and 2 were deceased. I saw that Maplewood has a new electric accessible bus for older residents- that is a great accomplishment. How will it be implemented? Historically, the town, recreation and the Senior Center have not publicized that there actually is senior transportation and it has been used for a small group of people. Will it be only for field trips (52 people per trip) or for the small list of people who know about and use the “senior bus” to go to Shoprite or for errands? What are the plans to actually let people know about it? Until processes are in place to make sure that the work of getting something like a new bus is actually implemented and brought to residents, I think the coordinator is needed.
In addition, at 20 hours a week and an hourly rate, I don’t think any of the coordinators so far have actually cost the town $40,000.
In my experience working for Maplewood, the town gets distracted by new ideas. While they are great ideas, the tendency is to drop one project to pursue a new one. I hope that the age friendly initiative is not one of them.
I’m glad that Vic DeLuca and Dean Davis pointed out that age friendly work is separate than programming. Having a Senior Center is different than having an age friendly focus. The SOMA Two Towns newsletter distribution is in the thousands, the Senior Center about 200. People will not decide whether they can retire in town based on how good a yoga or art class or Halloween party is. People make decisions based on whether they can stay in their house, what support services they get, can they afford it, is there transportation for when they curtail their driving and do they feel that they are included and respected members of the community. I know personally, having kids who are now out of high school, there are frequent discussions among Maplewood residents about where we will move now that we’re not using the schools. At 25,000+ in property taxes, what do we get in return?
An age-friendly initiative ensures that people can stay in this town. Once you feel that there really is an aging lens in all work done from Maplewood town hall, I don’t think a coordinator is needed. But I question if we are at that point. And if Maplewood’s master plan is truly committed to equity, that equity should include a focus on aging.
I would be happy to discuss or answer any questions,
Sincerely,
Cathy Rowe
