Gerard Porter Says Goodbye to Council After 20 Years

When Gerard Porter was first got involved in town politics, computers used punch cards, town hall was located in the Mountain View section of the town and there was a lot more farmland in the area.

Porter has represented Wayne’s Third Ward for approximately 20 years. But he is not seeking re-election this year. The Third Ward contains approximately 9,600 residents, most of who live around Packanack Lake.

“I love it here. It is a unique community,” Porter said with a smile. “When we first moved here, there were 450 families and we knew everybody. We had our own basketball and baseball leagues there were so many kids in this area.”

Porter has a simple philosophy when it comes to his role on the council.

“You can’t have your own agenda. You can have some good arguments and good thoughts on certain things, especially the budget,” Porter said. “But you have to be good with people. You are there to represent their interests.”

Local politicians have often said that representatives on the municipal level of government should not be concerned with political parties. Porter agrees.

“When someone calls me for help, I never ask them which political party they belong to,” Porter said. “As long as they are a taxpayer and the live in the Third Ward, it doesn’t matter. It is rewarding to help people do things that they can’t do for themselves.”

He soundly defeated the only two opponents who challenged him for his council seat, receiving more than 75 percent of the votes each time.

Porter has also served on the library board of trustees. He currently serves on the planning board, which he also served on in the 1980s when a lot of the development that made Wayne what it is today occurred.

“We were busy at that time,” Porter said. “Almost all of the growth that occurred in the township during that time came through the planning board.”

Porter gets calls everyday from residents wanting his help. Some don’t even live in the Third Ward, but call him anyway. Listening to residents’ concerns is a requirement of the position, Porter said.

“I always listen to what they have to say. If someone calls me from another part of town I just tell them who their councilmember is,” Porter said. “Taxes in Wayne are high and you should expect the best service you can get.”

Porter not only donates his time to helping his neighbors, but he also helps out at Eva’s Village in Paterson. He is also on the board of directors of Straight and Narrow, which is also based in Paterson.

Eva’s is a shelter that provides homeless people and drug addicts a place to stay, food and medical care. Straight and Narrow is a faith-based organization that provides childcare and vocational and educational services to those who need it.

Porter and his wife bring clothes and food down to Eva’s once a week.

“They both have tremendous programs,” Porter said. “A lot of time you see people making donations to places like that around the holidays and that’s great. Holidays aren’t the only time that people are in need of help and kindness from others.”