August 20, 2024

AIA NJ Mayor’s Exchange: Catalyst for Civic Engagement

By: Ronald C. Weston, AIA, LEED AP, AIA New Jersey, 2023 President

Last year, during my term as 2023 AIA NJ Chapter President, we launched a new Mayor’s Exchange program to serve as a catalyst for AIA-member architects to meet with mayors across the state. This initiative reinvented and rebranded our prior Mayors Symposium, hosted by AIA NJ Past-President Verity Frizzell, FAIA, in 2019. Instead of inviting mayors to a single symposium event the idea was to have an outward grassroots civic engagement campaign to meet mayors in their communities.

Ron Weston, AIA, with West Orange Mayor Susan McCartney

The Mayor’s Exchange program provided resources to architects to set them up to have engaging conversations with elected officials. We identified the four core Advocacy Topics listed below and provided written briefs for members to reference in the discussion they
deemed most relevant in their towns and cities.

 Climate – Climate action is a foremost strategic goal for the AIA, and the Institute calls on architects to lead collective action through a commitment to sustainable and resilient design. Nationally AIA has partnered with the US Conference of Mayors to address local sustainability and resiliency initiatives. New Jersey is a leader in climate action with several strong carbon-reducing laws and regulations enacted in recent years.
 Resilience – A decade ago, Superstorm Sandy was a destructive wake-up call for New Jersey residents about the impacts severe weather can have across our state, especially in coastal and river riparian zones. Architects can help our mayors and civic leaders more fully understand and mitigate risks from shocks and stresses to the built environment by demonstrating ways to make communities more resilient.
 Housing – New Jersey is a state with high demand for affordable housing due to its demographics, limited buildable land, and very expensive property values. The topic of affordable housing can be controversial and divisive in our state, especially in the suburbs. Architects can help stakeholders develop appropriately scaled affordable housing that fits into the fabric of specific communities.
 Community – The more architects connect with civic leaders, the more opportunities we will have to positively influence outcomes, demonstrate value, gain trust, and become trusted advisors earning a seat at the table for future conversations about the shape of the communities where we live and work.

Christy DiBartolo, AIA, & Bill Brown III, FAIA, with Verona Mayor Chris Tamburro

I applaud those AIA NJ members who met with mayors over the past year and reported the outcomes of their meetings as part of our formal Mayor’s Exchange program. I encourage all members to continue to look for opportunities to engage with mayors, council members, or other elected and appointed leaders in the municipalities where they live and work. The formal Mayor’s Exchange program created a framework and set of resources that members can continue to reference informally when talking to civic leaders.

Simone Tsigounis, AIA, with Cresskill Mayor Benedict Romeo and Planning Board members

AIA NJ President-Elect, Andrew Thompson, AIA, was invited by Paul Muir, the current president of the New Jersey Conference of Mayors, to attend their annual conference held this past May 2024. Andrew met with several mayors from Dunellen, Highland Park, and Mount Arlington, who were all very interested in hearing about AIA NJ and why architects are important partners for towns working on issues such as housing, sustainability, etc.

Andrew has indicated that he intends to have our members continue to engage with mayors and elected officials in 2025 when he takes the helm as AIA NJ President.

Andrew Thompson, AIA, with Bethlehem Township Mayor Paul Muir At New Jersey Conference of Mayors

Members should look out for future AIA NJ civic engagement programs and information. In the meantime don’t hesitate to strike up a conversation with your local leaders, and seek ways to promote the value of architects in the communities that you work in.

By Stacey Ruhle Kliesch, AIA, AIA NJ Advocacy Consultant | Posted in Legislative & Government Affairs | Tagged: #andrewthompsonaianomac, #ChristyDiBartoloAIA, #mayorsexchange, #RonWestonAIA, #SimoneTsigounisAIA, #WilliamMBrownIIIFAIANOMAC | Comments (0)