Bringing our city together
By Michael D. Cohen
COUNCIL MEMBER, 2ND WARD
In recent weeks the City of Englewood
has clearly seen a dramatic increase in pub-
lic dialogue about one of its long standing
questions – that of the feasibility of a com-
munity center.
As we embark on such conversations, I
think one of the immediate outcomes will
revolve around both the beauty and definite
challenges of our municipalities extraordi-
narily diverse population composition. This
however, I hope to presume, would mean
that we must recognize collectively the
inherent value within the process of deter-
mining what exactly and specifically the
desires of our 27,000 or so residents are, and
what is envisioned as the future aspirations
we all have for the city that ourselves and
our families so dearly cherish.
In my private capacity, I have been bless-
ed in representing one of the most impactful
human and civil rights organizations around
the globe – the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
This incredible position has allowed me to
dedicate so much to not only combating all
avenues of discrimination, bigotry,
anti-Semitism and bias, but on a much more
positive note, it has allowed me to be in a
privileged position to help bring people
together for the purposes of reaching collec-
tive goals.
While the community center conversation
continues, I believe it is of significant impor-
tance to at the same time run a parallel track
of teaching our various populations about
each other, about their cultures, their way of
thinking, their needs, and most of all their
reasons for committing their lives in Engle-
wood.
I have always been one to put my prover-
bial money where my mouth is, and it is for
the reasons stated that I was proud to have,
on 11/29, the fourth installment of the
Simon Wiesenthal Center sponsored lecture
series at the Englewood Public Library.
Each quarter we have successfully endeav-
ored to find either a published writer or oth-
er distinguished personage to come to our
city and create a space for learning and dia-
logue open to all city residents to share.
At this point in time the city’s library rep-
resents a perfect neutral ground meeting
space for all, allowing for a comfort level
among every wards residents to meet and
see hear and learn about each other.
I am in no way suggesting that the library
is a substitute for any other ideas being dis-
cussed, rather simply that if we are to truly
be a community, to be a united Englewood,
we should be collectively taking advantage
of all existing opportunities as well to better
develop the necessary inter-communal rela-
tionships necessary to move any city wide
project forward appropriately. I hope that in
these efforts I am continuing to do my part
in moving our city forward - together.
I hope that all residents, from all wards
will join me in these sentiments and contin-
ue alongside me the arduous work of suc-
cessful community building.
The City of Englewood is now officially
designated as an “Age-Friendly City.”
During a program on November 27 at ber-
genPAC, Englewood was accepted as a
member of the AARP-World Health Organi-
zation’s Global Network of Age-Friendly
Cities and Communities.
This designation is the result of an appli-
cation submitted to AARP by the
Age-Friendly Englewood initiative, in part-
nership with Mayor Frank Huttle and by
resolution of the City Council. The applica-
tion outlined in detail the steps that
Age-Friendly Englewood is taking — in part-
nership with elected officials, nonprofit
organizations, houses of worship, civic orga-
nizations, agencies of City government and
interested residents — to make it easier for
older adults to age in place in Englewood
with dignity and independence. The ulti-
mate goal is for Englewood to be a great
place for people of all ages.
Age-Friendly Englewood was launched in
2016 when a coalition was formed with the
intention of helping older adults age in
place. The first task was to assess the needs
of older adults. The next task was to develop
a comprehensive plan that would meet the
identified needs over the next three to five
years. The plan is now being implemented
with continued funding from The Henry
and Marilyn Taub Foundation.
2
DECEMBER 2018
MyEnglewood
Graphic depiction of the World
Health Organization’s “Eight
Domains of Livability” on which Age
Friendly Englewood’s plan is based.
The framework for the Age-Friendly
Englewood initiative is the “Eight Domains
of Livability,” broad categories identified by
the World Health Organization as essential
for cities to be considered age-friendly.
These categories include housing, transpor-
tation, outdoor spaces and buildings, access
to health care and social services, social/civ-
ic participation and inclusion, and commu-
nications and information.
The official certificate, which was present-
ed by Stephanie Hunsinger, state director for
AARP-New Jersey, to Mayor Frank Huttle
and Council Member Charles Cobb on
November 27, declares that the City of Engle-
wood, New Jersey, has committed to becom-
ing more age-friendly under the criteria estab-
lished by AARP and the World Health Orga-
nization and has been accepted as a member
of the Network of Age-Friendly Communi-
ties.
Mayor-Elect Michael Wildes was unable
to attend. However, his wife, Amy, attended
on his behalf.
“We are thrilled that Englewood has been
accepted into this select global network,”
says Janet Sharma, coordinator of
Age-Friendly Englewood. “We look for-
ward to continuing to work closely with
Mayor Huttle, Mayor-Elect Wildes, the City
Council and the City of Englewood to
ensure that the initiatives in the comprehen-
sive age-friendly plan are brought to fruition
in the months and years ahead.”
The Global Age-Friendly Network was
developed to encourage communities to pre-
pare for the rapid aging of the U.S. popula-
tion.
The network encourages communities to
take action and pay increased attention to
the environmental, economic and social fea-
tures that encourage greater age integration
and diversity and create a community that
supports residents from the cradle through
retirement.
Age-Friendly status makes it easier for adults to age in place