Community Corner

Union Beach Mayor Wins $1K for RAINE, Firefighters' Mutual Benevolent Association

Mayor Smith wins two donations, thanks to generosity of Upper Saddle Brook mayor.

Union Beach Mayor Paul Smith won two $1,000 donations through separate New Jersey American Water competitions, the NJAW announced on Patch.

The "Charity of Choice" prizes will be awarded to the RAINE Foundation and the Firefighters' Mutual Benevolent Association in Smith's name. 

The first donation was luck-of-the-draw for Smith, who dropped his business card in a bowl at the New Jersey Conference of Mayors in April. The second donation was won after Smith received the most votes for his photo standing on the NJAW's 3D artistic floor display.

NJAW has offered mayors at the conference for years the chance to drop their business cards in a bucket to be randomly chosen for one of three $1,000 prizes to be donated to the winning mayor’s charity of choice. This year, an additional $1,000 donation was also offered to the mayor who got the most Facebook “likes” of him or her pictured with New Jersey American Water’s virtual main break.

Smith was one of 19 mayors to participate in the month-long Facebook contest and regularly traded the lead with Upper Saddle River Mayor Joanne Minichetti. According to NJAW, mid-way through the voting, with Union Beach still rebounding from the impact of Sandy, Mayor Minichetti ceded the contest and encouraged her supporters to vote for Mayor Smith. 

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“I realize all projects are important and that all mayors try their best to help their towns. But right now Union Beach needs all the help they can get. So I asked everyone to vote for Mayor Smith and the $1,000 will be put to good use in Union Beach,” said Mayor Minichetti in the release.

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