FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CLIFTON, NJ — Tafari Anderson, candidate for Clifton City Council, is calling for a publicly accessible six-year capital and infrastructure plan showing residents what Clifton intends to build, repair, borrow, and pay for before costly problems become emergencies.
Clifton faces ongoing needs involving roads, drainage, sewers, municipal facilities, parks, vehicles, technology, and public-safety equipment. Anderson said postponing maintenance may make a budget look easier today while creating a much larger bill tomorrow.
“Deferred maintenance is not savings,” Anderson said. “It is often debt disguised as delay.”
Anderson is proposing a rolling six-year capital plan listing each major project, its priority, estimated cost, available grants, proposed borrowing, debt-service impact, useful life, and anticipated completion date.
Projects should also be separated into essential infrastructure, legally required work, and discretionary improvements so taxpayers can see what must be done and what can wait.
Anderson said borrowing should be reserved primarily for durable public assets, not used to hide routine operating costs or avoid difficult budget decisions.
“If taxpayers are going to finance a project for years, they deserve to know the full cost before City Hall commits them to the debt,” Anderson said.
He also wants progress updates on major capital projects so delays, cost increases, and change orders are visible rather than buried in scattered documents.
“Conservative government means maintaining what taxpayers already own, planning before things fail, and borrowing responsibly,” Anderson said. “Clifton needs an infrastructure strategy residents can actually follow.”
About Tafari Anderson
Tafari Anderson is a Clifton City Council candidate focused on fiscal responsibility, public safety, responsible development, infrastructure, and transparent government.
Paid for by Friends for Tafari Anderson.
RESEARCH BASIS: City of Clifton multi-year capital program and 2026 budget materials.