FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CLIFTON, NJ — Underground infrastructure rarely receives public attention until something goes wrong. Yet deteriorating sewer lines can create costly emergencies, disrupt neighborhoods, and place unexpected pressure on municipal budgets.
Tafari K. Anderson, candidate for Clifton City Council, is calling for a preventive sewer maintenance and rehabilitation strategy that emphasizes infrastructure condition, financial discipline, and long-term reliability.
“Waiting for critical infrastructure to fail is not a financial strategy,” Anderson stated. “It is an invitation to more expensive repairs and unnecessary disruption.”
Anderson proposes a systematic assessment of aging municipal sewer infrastructure, using inspection records, maintenance histories, and engineering evaluations to identify priority rehabilitation projects.
Where technically appropriate, the City should consider trenchless rehabilitation methods that may reduce excavation, traffic disruption, and restoration expenses.
He also supports coordinating sewer work with roadway resurfacing schedules to avoid repeatedly opening recently repaired streets.
Anderson recommends publishing a multiyear infrastructure plan identifying anticipated projects, estimated costs, funding sources, and expected benefits.
Available infrastructure grants and other appropriate financing opportunities should be evaluated before additional costs are passed to property taxpayers.
“Taxpayers deserve a government that maintains the infrastructure they already paid for rather than allowing predictable problems to become emergencies,” Anderson said.
He also believes municipal officials should report annually on completed rehabilitation work, infrastructure condition trends, and major expenditures.
“Preventive maintenance is one of the most practical ways to protect Clifton’s neighborhoods and strengthen fiscal responsibility,” Anderson concluded.
Paid for by Friends for Tafari Anderson.