The city of Salem is a historic place, older than the country itself. We recently celebrated our 350th anniversary. But along with our history comes a fair share of hardship. According to the state’s Municipal Revitalization Index, Salem ranks as the second-most distressed city in New Jersey. We are a small, predominantly minority community of about 5,000 residents. When our manufacturing industry gradually relocated elsewhere over the past 50 years, it left behind the kind of deep distress you would expect in a much larger city. We lost jobs, families moved away, and what remained was a shrinking tax base struggling to sustain basic services. Today, we still rely on transitional aid from the state to balance our budget.

When I became mayor in 2001, the situation was dire. We had about 400 vacant and abandoned properties, a dying business district, a food desert, a poverty rate above 30% and persistent gun violence. Some of it was the result of poor decisions made long before my time; some of it was just bad luck. But we refused to accept decline as our destiny.

We began working with technical experts who helped us take an honest look at where we stood, guided by data and hard facts. I was fortunate to join the first cohort of the live Strong Towns Academy, which opened my eyes to how we got off track and what we needed to change. My biggest lesson was the concept of “appreciating liability” and understanding that sometimes the very things we are holding onto are what are holding us back.

As a city, we are going back to basics. We are focused on building density instead of expanding outward. We made tough choices to stabilize our future. We foreclosed on hundreds of long-abandoned properties, sold the struggling water and sewer utility, and created the second land bank in New Jersey and the first in a rural area. That land bank became a cornerstone for change, helping secure a new developer who replaced dangerous abandoned properties with six new homes for low-income buyers. It was our first new housing development since the 1950s.

Small developers began buying one or two foreclosed properties from the city, rehabilitating them and selling them to new families and first-time buyers. Recently, we were awarded a state technical assistance grant to revisit our zoning policies so we can make homebuilding more inclusive and affordable, including smaller lot requirements for one- or two-bedroom homes that meet the needs of both young families and retirees.

We are also rethinking our downtown, removing outdated parking restrictions and opening the door to new business growth.

It has not been easy, and we still have a long road ahead. But Salem’s story is not one of decline; it is one of resilience. We have learned that even when resources are scarce, vision and persistence can move a city forward. We may be small, but we are mighty, and we are proving that a community with deep roots and a strong will can grow again from the ground up.

Much of what makes Salem special comes from the people who call it home. Many of our committees and boards, including the Land Bank Advisory Board, Library Board and Historic Commission, are led by residents who care deeply about the community.

We also work closely with local nonprofits such as St. John’s Pentecostal Outreach, which runs the Community Ambassador Program, and Stand Up for Salem, our Main Street organization that rallies volunteers to host festivals and block parties and keep our downtown looking its best.

When we celebrated our 350th anniversary, residents planned every detail and made it unforgettable. Sororities mentor young women, and neighborhood groups step up to prevent violence and create hope. The heart of Salem is, and always has been, its people.

Salem has always known struggle, but it is also a place where neighbors take care of one another with whatever they have to give.

On one of our most challenged streets, a new resident who lost her son to gun violence stepped up to organize a community garden, turning pain into purpose. When recent interruptions in SNAP benefits left many families uncertain about their next meal, residents once again came together, pooling resources to provide holiday dinners for those in need.

That same spirit of generosity shines through in moments both big and small. One of the largest community efforts during my time as mayor began with something as simple as broken bleachers at the Junior Rams football field. The old wooden stands had become unsafe, but residents refused to let their children go without them. They launched a grassroots campaign, selling plaques engraved with donors’ names to raise money for new bleachers. Together, residents raised more than $30,000, and the city secured additional funds to complete the project.

That is the spirit of Salem: resilient, hopeful and rooted in community.

The city of Salem is a place filled with both history and hope. Anyone who passes through can feel the deep sense of potential within our community.

Serving as mayor is not always easy, but every challenge is outweighed by the spirit of our residents, the people who truly love this city and refuse to give up on it. They deserve peace and prosperity, safety and good health, and the opportunity to live in quality homes without being priced out of the community they cherish.

It is my greatest honor to serve them and to work each day, no matter how difficult, toward the brighter future they deserve.