Message from Mayor Josh Losardo | May 17, 2022

My colleagues join me in sharing our horror and frustration about the shooting in Buffalo, New York over the weekend.

Learning the victims’ names and ages, and more about their productive lives, which were so violently cut short, has only compounded our sorrow.

Learning that intolerance, bias and racism played a part in why this crime occurred, coupled with obvious mental health issues, angers each of us to our core.

Hate has no home in Scotch Plains… and each of us is proud to serve as colleagues on the governing body of a community where residents support one another, where we respect each other.

We are also so fortunate to have many selfless volunteers serving our community in efforts to bridge the gap between peoples of different backgrounds, different colors, different religions.

Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation is a committee that meets monthly to discuss ways to make our community better for all of us. Next week will feature their next Racial Healing Circle, and in June the Committee will be meeting to discuss more ways we can outreach to serve those in need.

The Scotch Plains Fanwood Ministerium meets monthly as well. Clergy with diverse faiths, along with community leaders, regularly gather so that we can tackle our communities’ challenges by peacefully working together.

Just last week, I participated in meetings related to extending the lease of town property to Resolve Community Counseling Center on Front Street.

Resolve has provided mental health counseling in our community for decades. I am proud that our predecessors recognized the great need for counseling in our community, so that we are there for those in need.

Resolve’s President shared in our meeting that Resolve regularly saw 400 people a month prior to Covid. These days, Resolve is counseling more than 1,200 people per month… from teenagers to seniors, and this town is stronger because of the services Resolves provides.

We will leave to our State and Federal legislators on what new steps may be taken to prevent those individuals suffering from mental illness from having access to guns and military style weapons.

We hope those people suffering from severe mental illness could be helped before they make horrific decisions that adversely affects all of us.

If you are listening and think you may be in need of mental help, you may contact Resolve right here in town. 908-322-9180.

You may also contact Union County Mental Health Services. 908-527-4846.

Those who need immediate assistance are urged to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK, which will transition to a simple three digit number, 988, on July 16th.

We will be promoting the services provided by these great organizations on the town website as well.

Our sincere condolences go out to the families of every American who is the victim of senseless violence.

And we aspire for a world where each of us sees the other as a fellow American, worthy of respect.