Talkin’ Baseball with the Mayor of Elizabeth, NJ

00:00:00:01 – 00:00:03:15
David Martin
This is the good government show.

00:00:03:20 – 00:00:15:17
Chris Bollwage
They played baseball and that’s a good way to develop relationships. And therefore, if you develop solid relationships in your community, it works towards good government.

00:00:15:21 – 00:00:25:26
Chris Bollwage
If your city does not get young people involved in recreational aspects, it hurts the good government of your community.

00:00:25:30 – 00:00:41:20
Chris Bollwage
Good government is showing up every day. Good government is answer to your constituents. In my city, whether you’re the CEO of a company or the janitor, you get a return call from the mayor. If you call and ask comments.

00:00:41:25 – 00:00:49:34
Chris Bollwage
One of the most important things that mayors can do is to be responsive to their constituents.

00:00:49:39 – 00:01:02:45
Chris Bollwage
Listen, everybody’s not going to like your answer all the time. You have to understand that, right? You have to let it roll off your back. But you get to make the decisions. And when you make them, you got to make them for the majority of the people of your community.

00:01:02:50 – 00:01:23:39
David Martin
It’s the baseball playoffs. The World Series will be here soon. Then it’s about 19 weeks till pitchers and catchers report for the 2027 baseball season. I mean, baseball still is America’s pastime. Yeah, I know other sports sometimes takes the spotlight, but summer means baseball, hot dogs, fireworks, and catching the sun. Think about what makes America bet there’s a baseball field in there somewhere.

00:01:23:46 – 00:01:41:31
David Martin
Welcome to the good government show. I’m Dave Martin. First, help us share the message of good government by liking us and sharing us on your favorite social media. Make sure to leave a comment and join our good Government show community. Check our website for the link. Established 11 years ago, Play Ball is a national program with Major League Baseball and the Conference of Mayors.

00:01:41:38 – 00:02:04:00
David Martin
The goal is simple get kids out playing baseball. So why is this good government? First, it is any program any city can establish that get kids outside off their screens, exercising, and more importantly, meeting other kids in their community. As you’ll hear, that’s good government. And what’s not to like about playing baseball? Chris Bull is the mayor of Elizabeth, new Jersey, and he joined the program when it started.

00:02:04:05 – 00:02:19:04
David Martin
He’s seen the difference. Its main in his city. One of his teams made it to the Little League World Series. It’s a very big deal. He’ll tell you about it. He’s been described as a baseball fanatic, which, by the way, is where the word fan comes from, and he freely admits to being a fan. Elizabeth, I was surprised to.

00:02:19:04 – 00:02:35:06
David Martin
Here is the fourth largest city in new Jersey. It’s not one of those cities that springs to mind in the Garden State, but he manages the city. That’s about a lot more than baseball. He’s been married for 34 years, so he’s seen a lot of good government and not so good government. Liz now helps residents during a snowstorm.

00:02:35:08 – 00:02:44:00
David Martin
So coming up, the mayor of Elizabeth to talk about baseball and his city. Play ball. That’s coming up.

00:02:44:05 – 00:03:07:45
David Martin
The good Government show is sponsored by our. That’s. Oh, you are for our community. Get involved. We hear that all the time from government leaders, our coach brands with your government’s name and logo, your staff and the people you serve are connected and part of your community. From any device. Your members provide reliable data and meaningful feedback. Ask a question like do we want more parkland or better homeless services?

00:03:07:52 – 00:03:18:54
David Martin
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00:03:18:58 – 00:03:37:21
David Martin
Once you wrap up this episode of The Good Government Show, give a listen to our friends over at Good News for lefties. This daily podcast highlights news stories that show there’s more good news out there. Other people in government are really trying to do the right thing. That’s good news for lefties. Listen where you’re listening now.

00:03:37:26 – 00:03:44:59
David Martin
Welcome to the Good Government show. I’m happy to have with me. Chris, you are the mayor of Elizabeth, new Jersey. I’m from Brooklyn. I pass by regularly.

00:03:45:02 – 00:03:50:30
Chris Bollwage
I know, I’m glad to hear that you passed by. Elizabeth and I go to Peter Luger’s, so we should know each other.

00:03:50:30 – 00:04:06:24
David Martin
Well, we should, we gotta, we gotta. We’ll be on Staten Island sometime. How’s that? Now we’re going to talk a little bit about an organization I’ve heard about for a long time, and I’d like you to tell everybody about it. It’s called play ball. Tell me what this is. You know, it sounds like the basic idea is to get more people to play baseball.

00:04:06:29 – 00:04:26:57
Chris Bollwage
Well, that’s a basic idea. And especially getting young people to play the game. It’s a partnership that was formed between the United States Conference of Mayors and Major League Baseball about ten years ago. I was one of the earliest mayors to sign up. I’m a big baseball guy. I love the game. I umpired for kids, played baseball not very well, but I played in coach.

00:04:26:57 – 00:04:43:51
Chris Bollwage
I formed a little league in my town, a girls softball league. We started. So Baseball is America’s pastime is probably my favorite sport. So when Major League Baseball and Play Ball joined the partnership, I was one of the mayors to sign up and make that help happen and work in our city.

00:04:43:58 – 00:04:45:03
David Martin
Is this good government?

00:04:45:05 – 00:05:02:59
Chris Bollwage
Absolutely. You get a lot of young kids. We get some boys and girls, never held a baseball bat, never threw a baseball. And they’ll stand together. They’ll talk to one another, they’ll meet friends, they play baseball. And that’s a good way to develop relationships. And therefore, if you develop solid relationships in your community, it works towards good government.

00:05:03:11 – 00:05:19:13
David Martin
Is a baseball on the whole, you know, is it adding players? Is it losing players? You know, football is probably America’s pastime now. You know, but lots of little kids are getting into soccer and other sports. Where does baseball ring?

00:05:19:15 – 00:05:37:36
Chris Bollwage
I think that’s a really good question, Dave, because I think that’s one of the reasons Major League Baseball, as well as the U.S. Conference of Mayors partnered, is to get more young people involved and understand the game and understand that, you know, with hard work and talent, you can make this. I mean, we have a group of kids in Elizabeth who started with the play ball.

00:05:37:43 – 00:05:53:56
Chris Bollwage
And eventually those kids, some of them wound up in the major league, the Little League World Series in Williamsport in 2019. We won two games. We lost two. But I got to tell you, it was a great experience for those kids to play for games in Williamsport World Series.

00:05:53:59 – 00:06:02:27
David Martin
Sure. So how is this good government? You know, you touched on a little bit, but I mean, you’re spending money just for for sport, for games.

00:06:02:27 – 00:06:21:14
Chris Bollwage
For fun. But but it’s recreation, right. And if your town does not have a solid recreation program, if your city does not get young people involved in recreational aspects, it hurts the good government of your community. The more and more kids that hang out on street corners, or the more and more kids that can cause problems and not have an outlet.

00:06:21:21 – 00:06:36:08
Chris Bollwage
That’s bad government. But if you construct your young people into an area, whether it be recreation, whether it be reading, whether it be the library, whether it be computers, whatever, the more young people you structure, the better your government will be.

00:06:36:15 – 00:06:38:13
David Martin
And what’s the reaction been from parents?

00:06:38:25 – 00:07:00:45
Chris Bollwage
Well, I got to tell you, the parents love it because they get their kids out of the house for a couple of hours and then frankly, they sit in a ball field and they work with me. I go there, they work with me, they learn the fundamentals of baseball, and then the parents will pick them up. In our city, we actually have a meeting location in different parts that will bus them to the Little League field so they can play in a play ball event.

00:07:00:47 – 00:07:02:43
David Martin
Have you build more fields? We build.

00:07:02:43 – 00:07:13:51
Chris Bollwage
Two new baseball fields, yes, but we’ve as you said earlier, we’ve also built a football field and soccer, especially with the World Cup coming and the final being in new Jersey this year, it’s really popular.

00:07:13:54 – 00:07:16:42
David Martin
And how long has Elizabeth been a Play Ball City.

00:07:16:46 – 00:07:36:02
Chris Bollwage
Since it started? Ken, years ago we’ve been at Play Ball City, but even before then we’ve had hundreds of kids and major leaguers as well, played Little League baseball in the city of Elizabeth and then go on to the major leagues one one. The last one is a guy named Alex Reyes, played for the Saint Louis Cardinals from Elizabeth, played in our little leagues.

00:07:36:12 – 00:07:38:09
Chris Bollwage
Was signed by the Dodgers two years ago.

00:07:38:21 – 00:07:40:28
David Martin
Are there other Elizabeth residents in the majors?

00:07:40:35 – 00:07:51:47
Chris Bollwage
Don Newcomb, who’s now deceased, but he played for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Yes. In all the fame. He’s he’s from the city of Elizabeth. Guy. All right. Played played baseball for our high school team way back in the 50s.

00:07:51:54 – 00:08:00:01
David Martin
Okay. So there is a of baseball in Elizabeth. There is. What have you seen over the ten years that you’ve been working with play ball?

00:08:00:03 – 00:08:20:19
Chris Bollwage
Well, I told you about the experience with the kids going to the Little League World Series, right. Also, some of these young people are now helping coach other kids, or they’re umpiring or they’re involved in running the league and operating the Little League. We had three different little leagues in town that now merged into one solid big one called the Elmore Youth League.

00:08:20:26 – 00:08:34:20
Chris Bollwage
It’s the Elmore Troopers. The reason they took the name troopers was it was after a state trooper in our city who was killed on a investigation out on route 78. So therefore we named literally field after him.

00:08:34:23 – 00:08:42:56
David Martin
Okay. So you’ve built two new baseball fields as a result of your incorporation with with play ball. What does play ball do for the city of Elizabeth?

00:08:42:58 – 00:08:58:09
Chris Bollwage
Well, when you when you get to the Little League World Series, it purely put your city on the map. We created with the help of the major. With the help of US Conference of Mayors. We’ve done a documentary called The City Behind Us. It’s on YouTube. Is that hundreds of thousands of views?

00:08:58:12 – 00:09:12:25
David Martin
Okay. Well, we’ll we’ll put a show, link it. I know, but what so but my question is like, you know, tell other mayors like why having the play ball organization behind you. What does that do for your city? How do they help you? You know what? What’s the growth like?

00:09:12:28 – 00:09:36:00
Chris Bollwage
The growth of boys and girls in baseball contributes to their overall success by getting involved in recreational aspects. I encourage all mayors, even if it’s not baseball, if some type of recreation sports is important for young people, too many kids sit around playing on the video games or machines or phones. They do, and they don’t get out anymore.

00:09:36:07 – 00:09:54:39
Chris Bollwage
Even even parents. Nobody flips hamburgers in the backyard with their neighbors anymore. You know, everybody is sheltered inside, and the more we get out, the more we meet people. That’s good government because people are now going to understand their neighbors. And frankly, if you disagree with them politically, at least you can chat with them. And literally baseball does that.

00:09:54:42 – 00:10:01:10
David Martin
Does play ball, provide gloves, equipment, structure, you know, any kind of governance, anything like that.

00:10:01:20 – 00:10:01:58
Chris Bollwage
In Elizabeth.

00:10:02:11 – 00:10:02:46
David Martin
Will.

00:10:02:51 – 00:10:21:55
Chris Bollwage
If a kid needs a glove or a kid needs baseball or we’ll provide that for him, okay. And Elizabeth will provide the mentorship, we’ll provide the training we’ll provide. The Little League will provide coaches, and we do all of that from the ground level up. Not everybody wants to play baseball. Not everybody likes it. But then again, those that do have a place to grow in the city of Elizabeth.

00:10:21:55 – 00:10:24:21
David Martin
Why did you decide to go all in with play ball?

00:10:24:26 – 00:10:44:17
Chris Bollwage
I’m a big baseball fan. Number one. Number two. When I was young, I coached kids in baseball. Okay? There were no girls leagues when I was young, so I started a girls league. I dragged three of my friends. Each friend coached a girls team, and we played during the summer. And even today, I’ll run into some of those girls who are now grown women.

00:10:44:24 – 00:10:48:55
Chris Bollwage
Who was. I remember you used to be an umpire. Maybe they vote too. Who knows?

00:10:48:58 – 00:10:49:46
David Martin
Right? Who knows?

00:10:49:48 – 00:10:51:05
Chris Bollwage
This is great, Dave. Thank you.

00:10:51:07 – 00:10:53:48
David Martin
All right, all right. Good. Do you still don’t have a catch?

00:10:53:53 – 00:11:15:33
Chris Bollwage
I still go out and play catch. I have a daughter who has no use for baseball. But then again, she had the good fortune of providing her summer internship one year in college. Was working for Major League Baseball. Really? And it was a great experience for her. And she helped run tournament’s in Chicago, Paterson, new Jersey, down at Vero Beach in the Miami complex.

00:11:15:38 – 00:11:22:44
Chris Bollwage
You know, the Euro Beach complex north of Miami. She helped run a tournament there as well. And she had a great experience working for Major League Baseball.

00:11:22:44 – 00:11:23:32
David Martin
What is she doing now?

00:11:23:41 – 00:11:26:00
Chris Bollwage
Now she’s in pharmaceutical marketing in New York City.

00:11:26:15 – 00:11:30:40
David Martin
Completely different. Totally different. What else is going on? Elizabeth, tell me about some good government that’s happening there.

00:11:30:41 – 00:11:34:41
Chris Bollwage
So we’re the fourth largest city, 140,000 people in new Jersey.

00:11:34:43 – 00:11:35:41
David Martin
You’re the fourth largest city in.

00:11:35:41 – 00:11:36:26
Chris Bollwage
Jersey, in new Jersey.

00:11:36:29 – 00:11:38:00
David Martin
I did not know that. We also.

00:11:38:02 – 00:11:43:02
Chris Bollwage
Are the largest seaport on the East coast, half of Newark airports in the city of Elizabeth.

00:11:43:04 – 00:11:43:33
David Martin
Okay.

00:11:43:42 – 00:11:47:18
Chris Bollwage
We’re on 11mi². So we’re very dense community.

00:11:47:25 – 00:11:52:41
David Martin
What I mean, when I’m sitting in Bayonne and I’m looking across at all the ships. Yes, that’s that’s that’s Elizabeth. Okay.

00:11:52:44 – 00:11:58:16
Chris Bollwage
If you’re in Bayonne, looking across the what’s called the Arthur kill, you’re looking at the city of Elizabeth and all those cranes.

00:11:58:18 – 00:11:59:15
David Martin
I’ve done that many times.

00:11:59:18 – 00:12:00:51
Chris Bollwage
That’s of jobs.

00:12:00:53 – 00:12:01:13
David Martin
Yep.

00:12:01:16 – 00:12:11:34
Chris Bollwage
It’s drives the economy. And the city of Elizabeth is the seaport. Clearly, there’s a seaport and small terminal in Staten Island as well. There’s some in Bayonne and some in Jersey city.

00:12:11:36 – 00:12:14:24
David Martin
What is the big challenge that you’re that you’re dealing with in Elizabeth.

00:12:14:26 – 00:12:17:26
Chris Bollwage
At the moment? It’s no.

00:12:17:31 – 00:12:22:33
David Martin
That’s everywhere. I know, big picture. I know big picture. Yes, yes big picture.

00:12:22:38 – 00:12:23:30
Chris Bollwage
I had to throw that in there.

00:12:23:42 – 00:12:27:23
David Martin
That’s fine. Yes. We’re recording the show in January and we had some snow.

00:12:27:25 – 00:12:47:24
Chris Bollwage
And the big the big picture is our transportation issues. I mean, we’re geographically located where a lot of people come through our city to get to the airport, to get to the seaport, two exits on the turnpike. Our big issue is education. And we have 30,000 students in our city, with the second largest school districts building a new school.

00:12:47:27 – 00:13:08:30
Chris Bollwage
That’s about $75 million in the state to build a new school. Another big issue for good government in our city. And clearly dealing with the immigration issue, because the city of Elizabeth is a melting pot of immigrants, right? We have people from all walks of life. You can dine in any ethnic food you want around the world, in the city of Elizabeth.

00:13:08:45 – 00:13:21:01
David Martin
I mean, you can tie it around the world, Elizabeth. You can. Let’s just talk about stone removal. I mean, this is this is January recording this. How does a mayor prepare for an event that is maybe happens once a winner?

00:13:21:03 – 00:13:43:16
Chris Bollwage
Since I’ve been the mayor for 34 years, we’ve had tremendous snowfalls in every year that ended in six. Okay, 96. We had 33in. 2006. It was 23in 2016 it was 19in. And then I just had another one a foot of snow. The difference with this storm compared to others is a temperature hasn’t exceeded 30 degrees. So there’s no melt.

00:13:43:19 – 00:14:07:22
Chris Bollwage
No. And it’s solid ice. And that’s a real difficult problem in removing snow. We’re getting tons of people complaining about the removal process because the weather’s not helping us. However, what we’ve done, every road in the city of Elizabeth is open. Every road is passable. Parking is a big problem. So we open up all our parking garages free of charge for the week so the residents can park there.

00:14:07:24 – 00:14:10:02
David Martin
Could you call them? Could you call the mayor of New York and explain?

00:14:10:05 – 00:14:10:36
Chris Bollwage
Tell them to.

00:14:10:38 – 00:14:10:55
David Martin
Right.

00:14:11:07 – 00:14:16:38
Chris Bollwage
Open the parking garage is free so that people can park there. That’d be helpful. And then. And then if people get.

00:14:16:43 – 00:14:30:49
David Martin
How do you you know, you have something coming up. You’re the mayor. You know, the buck stops with you in your city, right? And can you prepare for a snowstorm like we’ve recently had here, where, you know, a foot of snow fell in less than 24 hours?

00:14:30:49 – 00:14:47:43
Chris Bollwage
You can make sure your salt domes are filled, which we have. That’s important. We have plenty of tons of salt. In order to salt the roads, you can make sure all the machines. You’re in a working order. We have 50 plows that are going out through the city of Elizabeth, plus dump trucks that haul the snow away.

00:14:47:51 – 00:14:53:29
Chris Bollwage
However, it is never quick enough for the neighbor that did not get their corner or their snow removed.

00:14:53:36 – 00:14:54:24
David Martin
What do you tell them?

00:14:54:29 – 00:15:12:13
Chris Bollwage
It’s difficult. You tell them we’re working on it. You tell them it’s in the middle of the night. We’re going to come by when to pick up the snow. And then you do that neighbor. And then the block behind him wants to know why their block wasn’t done. To struggle all the time. The best thing you can do is make sure that people see the trucks are out there working, and they know that we’re going around the clock.

00:15:12:16 – 00:15:23:51
David Martin
All right. That’s not easy. Know a lot of conversation here at the Conference of Mayors. It’s January, as I said, about, you know, immigration and Ice. What’s the vibe that you’re getting from other mayors.

00:15:23:56 – 00:15:56:20
Chris Bollwage
On the immigration issue? People are really frustrated. Yeah. As mayors, it’s difficult in order to see what’s happening in Minneapolis, when two Americans were brutally shot and killed because of tactics. Our police departments, our local police departments would never behave this way. Our local police departments are trained. They understand the need to not engage at times, but immigration and Ice officers are not trained in local policing efforts and it’s not making our city safer.

00:15:56:23 – 00:15:57:15
David Martin
So what do you do?

00:15:57:20 – 00:16:26:21
Chris Bollwage
Well, the president of the United States is hell bent on declaring war on certain cities in order to remove people that he feels are illegal. I believe that when the message was targeting criminals that it was a solid message and it was extremely important. Some of these people are being picked up and their five year old kid is in daycare, or they’re in school, and then they leave school and there’s no parent to pick them up.

00:16:26:26 – 00:16:49:29
Chris Bollwage
These stories are real. Yeah. Some of these people go to the supermarket and then they’re picked up coming out of the supermarket. These stories are real. I’m not so sure that’s what the United States of America is all about. I understand that people that are here undocumented need a process, and that’s where the failures of the Congress come in, in adopting a process for legalization.

00:16:49:31 – 00:16:52:22
Chris Bollwage
And if you don’t fill out that process, then you need to go.

00:16:52:24 – 00:16:56:38
David Martin
And as a mayor, talking with other mayors, what, if anything, can you do about it? Well.

00:16:56:38 – 00:17:18:25
Chris Bollwage
We can push to Congress for for a process, for a legalization process. This Congress is just. Yeah, this Congress is dysfunctional. It’s not going anywhere. I don’t believe Donald Trump’s running the country. I believe Stephen Miller is running the country. And if that’s the case and you have a shadow president, how do you really get something done when you can’t approach the person that’s making the decisions?

00:17:18:32 – 00:17:20:22
David Martin
Okay. Thanks.

00:17:20:22 – 00:17:20:49
Chris Bollwage
For having.

00:17:20:49 – 00:17:29:39
David Martin
Me, dude. No no no no thanks. Thanks for answering. We’re going to come back. We’re going to ask you the easy questions. Okay. All right.

00:17:29:43 – 00:17:54:59
Narrator
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00:17:55:03 – 00:17:59:44
Narrator
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00:17:59:49 – 00:18:17:33
David Martin
Want to hear more about good government? Check out another show I host leading Iowa good government in Iowa cities. I host the show with Brad Cavanaugh, mayor of Dubuque, Iowa, and the immediate past president of the Iowa League of Cities. Together, we talk to leaders in Iowa cities. We talk about what works and what good government looks like in Iowa.

00:18:17:43 – 00:18:24:30
David Martin
Join us right here. We’re listening. Now that’s leading Iowa. Good government in Iowa cities.

00:18:24:35 – 00:18:30:52
David Martin
So we have a questionnaire I’d like to ask all the mayors. I start with the hardest question first though. Define good government. What is it?

00:18:31:01 – 00:18:43:41
Chris Bollwage
Good government is showing up every day. Good government is answering your constituents. In my city, whether you’re the CEO of a company or the janitor, you get a return call from the mayor. If you call and ask comments.

00:18:43:46 – 00:18:44:39
David Martin
Can you do that?

00:18:44:41 – 00:18:45:56
Chris Bollwage
I do it every day.

00:18:46:00 – 00:18:46:51
David Martin
35 years.

00:18:46:53 – 00:18:47:36
Chris Bollwage
35 years.

00:18:47:39 – 00:18:53:10
David Martin
34. 34. Is it a full time job? It is a full time mayor. You’re a full time man. Do you have a city manager?

00:18:53:12 – 00:18:56:02
Chris Bollwage
I do that. She’s called the business administrator. But. Yes.

00:18:56:05 – 00:19:01:14
David Martin
Okay. If people are frustrated with government, if they’ve been frustrated, if they’re frustrated and annoyed with you. What should they do?

00:19:01:23 – 00:19:15:03
Chris Bollwage
Our social media accounts are read by me. Then not only read by me, they read by the public relations people. They should contact us. They should call me. And as I said, if you call the mayor’s office in Elizabeth, you get a return call from me sometime that day.

00:19:15:08 – 00:19:19:13
David Martin
What drew you to public service? What made you want to run for mayor? 35 years ago.

00:19:19:18 – 00:19:25:00
Chris Bollwage
So I was on the city council for ten years before that. So I’ve been elected now for 44 straight years.

00:19:25:03 – 00:19:25:27
David Martin
Okay.

00:19:25:29 – 00:19:49:23
Chris Bollwage
And when I first got involved, I was 12 normally. Kidding. So when I, when I first got involved, it was it was getting involved in supporting a friend of mine who was running for mayor. And he lost that campaign. I got bit by the bug, stayed involved, ran for city council one, became the president of city council, and the person that was the mayor before me was here for 28 years.

00:19:49:33 – 00:19:56:49
Chris Bollwage
Wow. So I can tell you this. In 62 years, we’ve had two mayors in the city of Elizabeth. That’s wild. That’s pretty phenomenal.

00:19:56:51 – 00:19:59:06
David Martin
Yes. Did you always see yourself running for office?

00:19:59:08 – 00:20:05:01
Chris Bollwage
I did not. I was a bartender. I did not at all. I went to college and I.

00:20:05:03 – 00:20:06:15
David Martin
Had to study bartending.

00:20:06:17 – 00:20:22:45
Chris Bollwage
To study. Bartender was a bartender. I worked nightclubs in North Jersey. I worked at Jersey shore. I had a lot of fun tending bar. But I got to be honest with you, you know, you can’t stand on your feet your whole life. And on the city council, I was standing bar. I was also working in the shipping industry.

00:20:22:57 – 00:20:26:52
Chris Bollwage
Yeah, at the seaport. And here I am now, the mayor.

00:20:26:57 – 00:20:28:25
David Martin
And you’re still ten bar.

00:20:28:30 – 00:20:31:04
Chris Bollwage
I do tend bar for celebrity bartending nights. Yes.

00:20:31:06 – 00:20:32:49
David Martin
Okay. All right. So you still keep your head?

00:20:33:04 – 00:20:34:27
Chris Bollwage
I can still make a good martini.

00:20:34:30 – 00:20:34:54
David Martin
I was going.

00:20:34:54 – 00:20:36:20
Chris Bollwage
To ask. All right.

00:20:36:25 – 00:20:40:27
David Martin
All right. Wow. So 35 years as mayor and 34.

00:20:40:41 – 00:20:41:44
Chris Bollwage
Starting my 34th.

00:20:41:46 – 00:20:44:10
David Martin
34 years as mayor, and then ten years in.

00:20:44:15 – 00:20:44:44
Chris Bollwage
City council.

00:20:44:46 – 00:20:48:46
David Martin
Before you’re a government insider, what should people know about government? They don’t know.

00:20:48:48 – 00:21:04:45
Chris Bollwage
That it works. Provide it. And you have to understand sometimes when it doesn’t work, how you get it to work for you. And that’s important. And the only way you know that is if you get involved and you ask questions and you call now there’s the gadfly out there who will just come to every single meeting for whatever purpose.

00:21:04:52 – 00:21:14:25
Chris Bollwage
But then there are people and students. One of my favorite opportunities is going to the history class at some of the local high schools, and talking to them about civic responsibility.

00:21:14:27 – 00:21:18:54
David Martin
What are you doing to restore people’s faith in government? To let them know that government works?

00:21:19:01 – 00:21:39:07
Chris Bollwage
As I said earlier, showing up. I mean, one of the most important things that mayors can do is to be responsive to their constituents. And whether it’s the proverbial cat or dog stuck in a tree or it’s major snow removal or it’s crime. Mayors have to be present. They got to say, here’s what we’re doing. Listen, everybody’s not going to like your answer all the time.

00:21:39:12 – 00:21:47:18
Chris Bollwage
You have to understand that, right? You have to let it roll off your back. Right. But you get to make the decisions. And when you make them, you got to make them for the majority of the people of your community.

00:21:47:25 – 00:21:48:37
David Martin
What’s the best part of the job?

00:21:48:49 – 00:22:05:34
Chris Bollwage
The best part of the job is dealing with the students. I really enjoy interaction with the students at the high school. That’s the best part of the job. The best part of the job is I learn from them. I’m also on the faculty at Cain University, a state university in new Jersey, which is in the neighboring community union.

00:22:05:36 – 00:22:13:07
Chris Bollwage
Okay, so as I teach introduction of public instruction, I learned from them as well. And that’s probably the most important part of the job.

00:22:13:10 – 00:22:17:16
David Martin
You teach public administration I do. Okay. What do you say? What’s the what’s the.

00:22:17:24 – 00:22:36:27
Chris Bollwage
So you have to do the theory. Yeah. And you have to use a book and you have to teach. I like to focus on case studies, and we I coach each with the chancellor of the university, who used to work for me when she first got out of college, she went to be a lawyer. Yeah. Her name is Phyllis Vasquez, and she’s now the chancellor at Cain University.

00:22:36:30 – 00:22:39:42
Chris Bollwage
Handles a lot of the foreign students. And her and I co-teaching.

00:22:39:54 – 00:22:42:49
David Martin
So what keeps you up at night? Yeah.

00:22:42:53 – 00:22:58:40
Chris Bollwage
That’s a really good question, because I think I think what keeps me up at night is understanding the issues of crime and understanding the issues of hazards. You’re trying to minimize that as much as possible and really keeps me up as night as the safety of the community.

00:22:58:45 – 00:23:06:23
David Martin
You said you could eat around the world in Elizabeth, right? You can. All right. What’s your favorite dish? What’s the place? That. What is this? Stand out in? Elizabeth.

00:23:06:35 – 00:23:10:40
Chris Bollwage
Stand out. Elizabeth currently is a restaurant. I’m going to get in trouble. You know that, don’t you?

00:23:10:48 – 00:23:11:59
David Martin
I’m fine with that.

00:23:12:01 – 00:23:20:27
Chris Bollwage
Okay. Yeah. This was a restaurant called Sorrento. And they. They closed after 35 years. They just closed. It was Italian food.

00:23:20:29 – 00:23:22:13
David Martin
You probably weren’t eating them.

00:23:22:17 – 00:23:44:54
Chris Bollwage
I ate there a lot. And I tend to bar their nights with the sheriff. We would tend bar there on Friday nights. The one of the favorite restaurants now is a place called Del Porto or Valencia. There are two famous restaurants. Europa. They serve ethnic food. It’s. You know, you can. Republic has Haitian food. It’s it’s a classic place if you want to dine.

00:23:44:57 – 00:23:47:01
David Martin
Which is your favorite place to go and what’s your favorite dish?

00:23:47:04 – 00:23:59:58
Chris Bollwage
My favorite dish has always been Italian. I can say that and probably insult a lot of my ethnic friends, but yeah, del Puerto has good old American and Italian food, and Bellanca has a good old Spanish Portuguese food. I go there as well.

00:24:00:01 – 00:24:02:15
David Martin
All right. So you do you do eat around the world.

00:24:02:17 – 00:24:03:20
Chris Bollwage
I do eat around the world.

00:24:03:22 – 00:24:09:48
David Martin
This is a good government show. We always bring it back to good government. Tell me about a good government project that you’ve started that you are excited about.

00:24:09:51 – 00:24:32:11
Chris Bollwage
So a good government project that we have in the city of Elizabeth is one that engages kids in the history of our community. Celebrating the 250th. We have an awful lot of young people who are doing research projects on how Elizabeth functioned during the Revolutionary War. How Elizabeth functioned in the elimination of slavery. How Elizabeth functioned during the Civil War.

00:24:32:16 – 00:24:40:39
Chris Bollwage
What did Elizabeth do during World War One? So this good government project encourages students to see how Elizabeth affected world affairs.

00:24:40:46 – 00:24:42:58
David Martin
Okay. Last time you played ball golf?

00:24:42:58 – 00:24:45:15
Chris Bollwage
I play a lot golf. Yeah. Baseball.

00:24:45:17 – 00:24:46:21
David Martin
Is there a golf course? Elizabeth.

00:24:46:22 – 00:24:47:19
Chris Bollwage
There’s not a golf course in.

00:24:47:19 – 00:24:48:12
David Martin
Elizabeth, but.

00:24:48:17 – 00:24:51:00
Chris Bollwage
American and get invited a lot, so it’s fine. Dave.

00:24:51:02 – 00:25:01:43
David Martin
Oh, no. Hey, listen. Thank you. Chris. The mayor of Elizabeth, new Jersey, a play ball city. Good to talk. Based baseball. Before I let you go. Who’s your baseball team?

00:25:01:45 – 00:25:07:54
Chris Bollwage
I’m. I’m a Los Angeles Dodgers fan. My dad was a Brooklyn Dodgers fan. You being for Brooklyn can appreciate that.

00:25:07:59 – 00:25:08:47
David Martin
I’ll give you a pass.

00:25:08:49 – 00:25:16:54
Chris Bollwage
He was a Brooklyn Dodgers fan, so I growing up, he used to watch Don Drysdale. Sandy Koufax, right. I’d be a little boy. I’d watch the games with him.

00:25:16:56 – 00:25:22:44
David Martin
So you’re still. You’re still a Dodger. Dodger fan. All right. Good enough. Chris, thank you very much for coming. Good luck. Elizabeth. Thank you.

00:25:22:46 – 00:25:26:32
Chris Bollwage
Dave, thanks for having me.

00:25:26:36 – 00:25:48:01
David Martin
The Good Government Institute has a new partner, the Charles F Kettering Foundation. I really like their podcast, The Context, and I bet you will too. They have a new series called Democracy Under Construction. The show is hosted by historian Alex Lovett, and he looks back at the first 250 years of U.S. history. Alex digs into the moments that have pushed us towards an inclusive democracy.

00:25:48:06 – 00:25:55:08
David Martin
You can find it where you’re listening right now, or visit Kettering and give them a follow.

00:25:55:13 – 00:26:15:09
David Martin
What if Lincoln hadn’t been shot? What if World War One hadn’t happened? Jim Ludlow could. Government show executive producer, explores both those ideas in two books in Lincoln Beyond the Bullet. He imagines that Lincoln lives in while cousins, he imagines what would have happened if three kings, all cousins, hadn’t blundered their way into war. What if. Think about it.

00:26:15:12 – 00:26:22:35
David Martin
Go to Good Institute books and order a copy.

00:26:22:40 – 00:26:41:49
David Martin
Kids of different ages, backgrounds, families all playing together. As Elizabeth Mayor, Chris says they get to know each other, and that helps develop a stronger sense of community that can only lead to good government. The mayor says the more we get out, the more we meet people, and that helps us understand our neighbors. Works for me. Government works, the mayor said.

00:26:41:49 – 00:26:58:09
David Martin
But if it doesn’t work, you can get it works for you. You just have to know what’s going on in government, understand the issues and figure out how to make it work well, not just for you, but for everyone. Good advice from a mayor who served 34 years in office. Now, I just got to find him behind the bar in one of those celebrity bartending jobs.

00:26:58:14 – 00:27:19:42
David Martin
You know, martinis. Well, that’s our show. Thanks for listening. Please like us and share with your friends. Review us right here where you’re listening, and check out our website. Good government show.com for extras. Help us keep telling stories of good government and action everywhere. Join us again for another episode right here. I’m Dave Martin and this is the Good Government show.

00:27:19:46 – 00:27:57:34
David Martin
The Good Government Show is produced by the Good Government Institute, a nonprofit organization promoting civic engagement and civic education. All donations to the show help promote trust in government. You can donate at good Gov institute.org. That’s good govt institute.org. Executive producers are Jim Ludlow, Dave Martin that’s me and David Snyder. Jason Stershic is our editor and producer. Join us again to hear good stories about our government right here on The Good Government Show.

00:27:57:39 – 00:28:00:34
Narrator
This podcast is part of the democracy Group.

**This transcription was created using digital tools and has not been edited by a live person. We apologize for any discrepancies or errors.