| Day
in the Life of the Mayor
Day
in the Life of the Mayor Part I
Day
in the Life of the Mayor Part II
Reproduced from The Northern Valley
Suburbanite
Wednesday, February
16, 2005
by Michael J. Wildes, Mayor, City
of Englewood
2-10 N. Van Brunt Street
Englewood , NJ 07631
201.871.6666
Mayor
Wildes Is Always Busy
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
By MELISSA L. MAGYAR
OF SUBURBANITE
The saying "busy as a bee" should be changed to "busy as
Michael Wildes."
The man does not stop. Most people take a few minutes to pause and relax,
not Wildes. He does not let a second pass him by. He embraces the different
aspects of his life and has a strong foundation to keep him going, his
family.
He is married and the father of four children. You all know him as the
mayor of Englewood. In his life in New York City, he has a very different
role. He is a "high-profile" immigration attorney and a partner
in the law firm Wildes, Weinberg, Grunblatt and Wildes. His father, Leon
Wildes, started the firm.
To accomplish all of his tasks as a husband, father, lawyer, mayor and
EMT, he begins his day bright and early. Wildes leaves his home in Englewood
by 6 a.m. Before he leaves he checks his e-mail account and the numerous
voice mails he has between his law office, mayor's office, political office
and two cell phones. He then says goodbye to his wife and children and
is out the door in a flash. The day that staff photographer Mike Karas
and I spent with him, he left for work a little later, 7 a.m.
"If you're not happy in the morning to get up and do what you have
to do, you won't be good at it," Wildes said on the way to work.
As he zips through the traffic and across the bridge into mid-town Manhattan,
he is already taking care of business for his clients, responding to voicemails
and planning for upcoming events or appearances. On the day we spent with
him, he was expecting a visit from 21 children that were terminally ill.
The children were visiting from Isreal through a program called Larger
than Life. The children traveled to America to visit Disney World and
they stopped in New York for a few days before they left. They wanted
to meet a mayor from America, so Wildes volunteered and was planning for
the visit in his office.
Before he even reached his office, he called his secretary and had her
go out and buy soda and donuts for the children and adults traveling with
them.This was before 8 a.m. by the way.
Once he reached his law office around 8:30 a.m., he went back to checking
e-mails and voicemails. He had received more since the time he checked
them at home.
Over the course of a day, he receives approximately 100 phone calls from
clients, constituents, senators and prime ministers. While checking one
set of voicemails he was checking e-mails and talking to people in his
office about cases they were working on. At any give time he has two or
three people running in and out of his office showing him paperwork, helping
him with a client or responding to his call for them. With all this going
on, he has phones ringing, e-mails coming in, clients in front of him,
a television tuned to a cable news network and his EMT radio next to him
listening for calls he may need to respond to.
Wildes is a volunteer EMT for Hatzoloh, an ambulance corp. in New York
City that includes Jewish doctors, lawyers and other professionals. If
he is in the vicinity of a call he responds. He said his father sits in
with him when he meets with clients and if he needs to respond to a call,
he is out the door and his father takes over the appointment.
In his office an EMT kit sits on a shelf in a bookcase filled with Tom
Clancy, Hebrew, medical and law books. In his car, he has a stethoscope
hanging from the rearview mirror, lights and sirens hooked up and a medical
bag and oxygen tank in his trunk in case he needs to use his car to respond
to a call. He also keeps a spare suit in his car in case he is on calls
or something arises in Englewood and cannot get home before work to change.
Throughout his office you will find pictures of his wife and childrenand
trinkets that his children have given him. They call him each morning
and let him know they have gotten on the bus safely and are on their way
to school. His youngest child, four-year old Jaclyn, called him at one
Point during the day to tell him about her trip to the dentist. "She
calls me allday so she can hear my voice," Wildes said.
During his career as a federal prosecutor and immigration attorney he
met many people and developed friendships with them. Through his short
political career, which started as a councilman for the Second Ward, he
has developed a desire to run for Congress, possibly state office in the
future.
He is already fundraising for his campaign.
His bold, frank and outgoing personality lead him to develop contacts
with so many people in so many different areas. Just one quick glance
at the walls in his office and you can see what I mean. He has pictures
with President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary, President George H.
W.
Bush, numerous senators and congressman and actors covering the deep red
walls of his office. He has articles all over his office about cases he
has handled and moments in his political career.
Wildes has had his fair share of high profile cases. Two recent cases
that brought him media attention were those involving Kwame James, the
hero in the shoe bomber case, and Mohammed Khilewi, a Saudi defector.
He remains in contact with both clients. Both men complimented Wildes
for the work he did for them during phone interviews.
"He's definitely genuine in my eyes," James said. "He's
got my vote."
"He was great handling all of the issues," Khilewi said during
an interview. "During the most difficult time you feel comfortable
working with him."
On the day we spent with him, Wildes had five appointments and never stopped
between them. During the first one, he dealt with his clients while tracking
down a number for the Disney Store on Madison Avenue so his secretary
could purchase souvenirs for the children visiting from
Israel. He told his first client he would be able to help him get permanent
status in the country and eventually become a citizen. Another client
came in and within minutes he discussed with her how he would file for
her to become a citizen. He previously helped her get a green card. His
third appointment came in and he just spoke to the client, who had been
recommended by a former New Jersey governor, and told him different options
he had.
In between his next appointment the children from Larger than Life arrived
at the office. They were a perfect example of the diversity he always
speaks about in Englewood. The children were Jewish, Arab and Druze. Employees
in the firm came to see the children who, despite their medical conditions,
were smiling and full of life. "For every child in this country life
should be like Disney World, for every child in the world life should
be like Disney World," Wildes said to the children. "If I had
a magic wand from Disney World, I would make that so."
After the children left, Wildes got down to business again and met with
clients. His last two appointments were not as positive as the morning
ones. In both cases, each client had their own issues and Wildes gave
them advice on what could be done, but the outcome was uncertain.
Before he left for the day, he checked in with some of his employees and
the status of their cases. He discussed laws that were recently changed
with his colleagues and how some of their clients may be affected by the
changes.
He also checked his voicemails and e-mails one last time before heading
home to one of his other jobs as mayor.
"It's in my blood not to stay in one place," Wildes said, "
I'm like my mother that way."
Reproduced from The Northern Valley
Suburbanite
Wednesday, February
16, 2005
by Michael J. Wildes, Mayor, City
of Englewood
2-10 N. Van Brunt Street
Englewood , NJ 07631
201.871.6666
Wildes
Talks, Meets People, Talk More
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
By MELISSA L. MAGYAR
OF SUBURBANITE
If you were tired after reading about what Michael Wildes does at his
law firm in New York City, in the first part of this story last week,
just wait until you see what he does during the rest of the day as mayor.
On the way home a drive through scenic Central Park would offer a period
of relaxation to most people, but not Wildes. It is then that he changes
roles from immigration attorney to mayor. He returns phone calls from
constituents and other leaders in the city as he listens to his EMT radio,
which is now tuned to the channel used by the Englewood police and fire
departments.
He makes himself available to constituents and freely hands out his e-mail
address and cell phone number. On any given night, the mayor has numerous
appointments with people who want to voice their concerns or are looking
for help. He tries to keep the meetings short, about 15 minutes each,
but with enough time to listen to his constituents. Wildes meets with
people to discuss anything from political issues to community projects
to concerns about the schools and city government. He listens to the residents
and gives them his full attention. People are not running in and out of
his office and phones are not ringing off the hook like they do during
the day at his office.
After his mini-meetings, he is on his way to a city meeting or a community
event. Or sometimes he is heading to two meetings and different community
events all in one evening.
Wildes has no problem stopping by events throughout the city that people
have asked him to attend. In fact, on his web site he has a page that
people can request a visit from the mayor at a community event or a ribbon
cutting ceremony for a new business.
Beyond the meetings and other events, Wildes spends Friday afternoons
in Englewood. During this time, he visits schools, senior citizen centers
and any other events, meetings or interviews he has scheduled. On a few
different occasions, I covered stories when the mayor visited schools
in the city. He tells the children that as mayor, he is always available
for them and their families. He also stresses the importance of education
and tells the students that they are future mayors, presidents, doctors,
lawyers and teachers and it all begins "behind the desk you are sitting
in."
As a mayor, Wildes has the authority to marry people. He said many of
the couples he marries at city hall show up in gowns and tuxedos complete
with bridal parties.
When visiting the schools, he always mentions that marrying people is
one of the best parts about being mayor.
One of the roles of the mayor of Englewood is to sit on the planning board
and vote on the developments that will impact the city. He also appoints
the board members.
The day Michael Karas, staff photographer, and I spent with him, Wildes
came back in to Englewood and had a list of events and meetings he needed
to attend. To him it was just another part of the job he has as mayor.
"I've always been involved in something," Wildes said about
his on-the-go lifestyle.
We arrived in Englewood at 4:30 p.m., which was early for Wildes to be
back from work. At 5:30 p.m. he headed off to interview a candidate for
the position of municipal judge. From there he stopped at a fundraiser
at the Englewood Field Club for tsunami relief efforts. Between the fundraiser
and the planning board meeting that night, he attended appointments he
had with residents who wanted to discuss their concerns.
His last scheduled task for the day was the planning board meeting. As
it got under Wildes ate his dinner from Panera's Bread out of a brown
paper bag as he listened to the applications before the board.
When the planning board meeting ended residents approached Wildes as he
tried to exit the courtroom talking to him about issues they have or events
they would like him to be at or something they need help with, just as
they do at council meetings and other events. He listens to them as he
makes his way out of the building and offers them help or tells them to
get in touch with him to continue the discussion.
Once he has made his way through the crowd, Wildes heads home to continue
his day as a husband and father.
He said he makes it a point to spend time with his children either before
he leaves for work or when he comes home. At different events throughout
the city, it is not unusual to see his wife, Amy, and their four children
to show their support.
A constant factor throughout his day is his family. His office in the
city and his political office in Englewood are filled with photos and
memorabilia of his family. In his political office you can find photos
of his wife, children and parents throughout the room. He keeps in touch
with them throughout the day and makes sure he remains a strong presence
in their lives.
Wildes is the only Orthodox-Jewish mayor of a municipality in the United
States. That is a fact he is always proud to share with people. He is
observant of his religion and it is not unusual to see him walking through
Englewood or along Route 4 with a police escort to attend events on
Saturday.
He is a man constantly moving with a support system - his wife and others
who offered their help. Anita Sniderman, his executive assistant, and
R.J. Clemor, his constituent liaison, help him keep on task and take care
of issues that arise in the city when he is not around.
Paid
for by Friends of Michael J. Wildes, Claudia Colbert, Treasurer
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