Steve Schnall, a member of the South Orange Village Board of Trustees, issued the following statement on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021:
South Orange Village Trustee Steve Schnall
After almost eight years in office as Trustee for South Orange Village, I find that it is time to move on to another endeavor and make way for someone else to leave their mark and add to this incredible Village. When I was elected in 2013 for my first of two terms, I didn’t fully grasp the countless aspects of what makes this such a great place to live, work and play. I learned a tremendous amount and was proud to work with my colleagues to contribute to our Village in many ways: We created new development projects and added to the resources that make a more vibrant downtown. We recruited more and better businesses and restaurants and continue to seek ways to help them succeed, even in the midst of this terrible pandemic. And spending much dedicated time with our Recreation and Cultural Affairs Committee has allowed me to greatly improve these offerings to our residents.
Other highlights included working with our dedicated and passionate volunteers on projects ranging from Village beautification to preserving historic properties to my personal favorite — experiencing and actively participating in the arts; not just the traditional visual arts, but also many diverse forms of music and exposure to new ways of seeing and thinking — which became the impetus for founding SouthNEXT (originally as a collaboration with Seton Hall University titled “South by South Orange”). I have been happiest when helping to create programs and then watch them performed at SOPAC or other local venues.
Most of all, I found what I had always been seeking: Community. This special 3 square miles serves as a backdrop for its residents to dream and reach and discover a better, more complete way of living amongst people of just about every background. I leave my position extremely satisfied with my involvement with municipal government and hope that I will leave a legacy of having made positive, lasting change. Even after my term expires in May, I sincerely hope that I will be able to continue the many beautiful relationships and continue to provide service to the place I have called home these last twenty-one years.
