BALWIERCZAK: THE TIME TO LOWER TAXES AND SPENDING IS NOW! DAN PRONTI WON’T. I WILL!
Democrat offers Real Solutions to the issue of Taxes & Spending, Overdevelopment, Rolling Reassessments, Crime & Safety, and retaining North Arlington’s suburban character.
Five Ways North Arlington Can Reduce Spending Before Asking Homeowners for Another Dollar!
NORTH ARLINGTON – While Dan Pronti runs away from his record that has property taxes climbing and residents exhausted, 37-year-old challenger John Balwierczak is focusing on the hard issues that Pronti conveniently avoids.
“He refuses to debate or engage me. He thinks sitting for a friendly interview with a Kearny newspaper with a series of softball questions is sufficient to placate an angry electorate. The central question in this campaign is what has Dan Pronti truly accomplished, and the answer is not much,” offered the lifelong resident and graduate of North Arlington High School.
Balwierczak believes he has the independence to make tough decisions that will make government leaner and more effective.
“I’m not beholden to anyone. Not to developers. Not to builders or other special interests that fuel his campaign. I will objectively look at spending and how to reduce it, and look at property taxes and how to reduce this burden on homeowners,”
Balwierczak said he will start with current budget spending:
“Looking at North Arlington’s 2026 municipal budget, I would focus on five areas where cuts could produce actual taxpayer relief without cutting essential police, fire or DPW services. The 2026 budget is about $31.9 million, with $19.97 million raised through the municipal property tax levy.”
Employee health insurance — Target: $300,000–$500,000.
“This is probably the single biggest recurring opportunity,” noted the candidate.
North Arlington’s 2026 budget puts approximately $4.11 million into employee group insurance, after employees’ contributions. The budget also identifies 24 employees who elected health-benefit waivers.
“The borough should aggressively rebid its health plans, examine competing carriers, and scrutinize high-cost plans. We need to do the work and not just accept increases without looking at the potential alternatives.”
Public Works contracts Target: $150,000–$250,000
There are several sizable contractual accounts:
Solid-waste collection: $704,000
Recycling: $318,000
Buildings and grounds: $425,000
Streets/roads other expenses: $285,000
Other services: $200,000
“That’s a substantial pool of negotiable spending, the borough could competitively bid out these contracts, consolidate these services and negotiate longer-term pricing.”
Capital/Property purchases Target: $500,000–$1 million
“This is where I see an especially important short-term tax-relief opportunity. The 2026 budget contains $1.5 million for “Purchase of Property.” That acquisition was not an emergency appropriation, and postponing it or financing it through a more appealing capital mechanism rather than current taxation would substantially reduce the immediate burden on taxpayers while creating real tax relief of $500K–$1.5 million, depending on the specific project.”
Municipal professional services target: $100,000–$200,000
“North Arlington must conduct a competitive bidding process of legal, engineering, auditing, consulting and other professional-service contracts. This is particularly necessary because the borough’s 2024 audit shows substantial spending in these categories and in some cases, sizeable unspent balances. For example, the 2024 audit showed $123,870 unspent in financial-administration other expenses and $44,058 unspent in engineering. A formal competitive procurement review could identify savings without eliminating essential services.”
“Is it any wonder that most of Pronti’s biggest political contributors happen to be vendors like Alpha Dog Solutions operated by ex-Belleville Mayor Michael Melham, one of his political confidantes or Robert Ceberio, the ex-state bureaucrat and EnCap enthusiast? Should I win, I will call for the termination of those contracts.”
Based on current figures, A realistic initial target would be roughly:
Area
Potential savings
Health Insurance
$300K–$500K
Public Works contracts
$150K–$250K
Property/Capital spending
$500K–$1.0M
Professional Services
$100K–$200K
Discretionary/Administrative
$100K–$200K
Potential Total
$1.15M–$2.15M
“I cannot promise that the entire $2 million could immediately become a tax cut. Some savings would have to be balanced against contractual obligations, reserves, debt requirements, and state budget rules. But there is a legitimate argument that North Arlington should be looking for $1 million or more in structural savings, rather than simply relying on reserves to hold down the tax increase,” offered the challenger.
One red flag is that the borough is already using $4.3M of surplus in the 2026 budget, down from $5.2 million in 2025. That means these reserves have been depleted by nearly $9.7 million in just two budget cycles. Future spending must be addressed. Pronti has ignored it and an example is his obsession of awarding himself raises as if he was an employee. He is a part-time elected official.”
Meet the next Mayor: 
John Balwierczak. Keeping North Arlington small, safe, suburban, and most of all, affordable!
Call the candidate at (201) 655-8497 or e-mail him at [email protected]
Dennis Papile & Jim Sever for Borough Council.
Let’s bring back responsible two-party government for North Arlington.