Meryl Frank

Meryl Frank was sworn in as Mayor of the Borough of Highland Park in January of 2000. As mayor, she forges a council and staff commitment to the principles of strong, ethical and inclusive government, looking for creative methods of delivering municipal services while cutting costs. In 2004, she created the Task Force on Ethics and Good Government, which is instituting wide-ranging rules and guidelines to assure clean government in Highland Park. The editors of the Star Ledger called "the Highland Park Model" for ethics and good government, one that should be replicated by communities statewide.

Mayor Frank, working with the Borough Council and other community leaders, has developed a forward-thinking, long-term vision for the Borough, Highland Park 2020, which has been described by the Editorial Board of the Home News Tribune as High goals. The bottom line? "2020" is one of the most ambitious experiments in "smart growth" planning ever attempted in this part of New Jersey, if not anywhere in the state... if Frank's vision, perseverance and luck hold out, she will have authored a legacy for herself and an impressive future for her community. The opportunity is enormous (THNT 04/02/03 ) The HP 2020 plan focuses on creating a community that is economically, environmentally and socially sustainable. The plan highlights affordability, conservation and strong community relations. Mayor Frank was awarded the League of Municipalities' prestigious Innovation in Governance Award for her HP2020 plan in 2003 and was named the 2005 Environmental Leader of the year by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

In addition to her long-term vision for Highland Park, the Mayor has established public-private working committees to address pressing community issues, such as high property taxes, municipal budgeting, emergency response, community outreach, quality of life, community and race relations, recreation, senior and youth issues and education. She has founded both the Highland Park Community Food Pantry and The Fund for Highland Park, a not-for-profit foundation to fund development and community building projects.

The Mayor has focused much of her energy on the redevelopment of Highland Park 's business corridors. With the Council's Economic Development Committee, she applied for and was awarded a Main Street New Jersey designation for Highland Park. In addition, the Mayor and Council initiated the Borough's first redevelopment Plan, an aggressive program that includes green design, infrastructure improvements, and business recruitment and retention.

The Mayor has secured federal, state, county grants, as well as corporate and private funding, for municipal projects. More than $14 million in grants have been secured, to date, through the Mayor 's efforts.

In a direct response to high property taxes, she had created budget efficiencies through the reduction of redundancies, with across-the-board cuts in professional expenses. The Mayor has aggressively sought shared service opportunities with neighboring municipalities and obtained professional pro bono services and donations for a myriad of community projects.

Mayor Frank is a graduate of Livingston College - Rutgers University and holds graduate degrees in Public Health, International Relations and Political Science from Yale University. She is an author of the federal Family and Medical Leave Act signed into law by President Clinton in January of 1993 and the New Jersey Family Leave Act signed by Governor Kean in 1989. She is the Co-Editor with Edward Zigler, of the Parental Leave Crisis: Toward a National Policy Yale University Press.

Mayor Frank serves on the National Board of the Democratic National Committee's (DNC) Women's Leadership Forum. She is a National Co-chair of the Jewish Leadership Council of Hillary Clinton for President campaign. She also serves as a Co-Chair of the NJ Hillary Clinton for President NJ Finance Committee. She was a national trustee on the Kerry for President Campaign 2004 and she presently serves as the Democratic Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Commission on the Appointment of Women.  Mayor Frank is the President of the Women's Division of the American Jewish Congress.  She was a member of the Highland Park Board of Education and served as President of the Irving School PTO in Highland Park.

Mayor Frank is the recipient of Johnson and Johnson's 2003 H.O.N.O.R Community Service Award, and the 2000 Myrtle Wreath Award from the Southern New Jersey Chapter of Hadassah.
Mayor Frank is married to Steven Gabel, President of Gabel Associates, an energy and public utilities consulting firm in Highland Park . They are the parents of four children, Isaac, Eli, Eve and Belle.

2008 MAYOR & BOROUGH COUNCIL MEMBERS