HANNAH SHOSTACK NAMED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF LUARC
Commission Examining Ways To Consolidate & Merge Services Across NJ

TRENTON, N.J. – The Local Unit Alignment, Reorganization and Consolidation Commission (LUARC) today announced the appointment of Hannah Shostack as Executive Director.

“Hannah’s qualifications and experience speak for themselves,” said Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Joseph Doria.  “She will make a fantastic addition to the Commission as we move forward in examining ways to consolidate and more efficiently serve the people of New Jersey.”

Hannah Shostack most recently served as the Assistant State Treasurer for Economic Development.  She has also served as Senior Director of Capital Programs in the Governor’s Office of Economic Growth, the Associate Executive Director for Research for the Assembly Majority Office, and Principal Research Analyst for the New Jersey Office of Legislative Services.  On the local level, Hannah served as a member of the Highland Park Planning Board and Design Review Committee.  Hannah has a B.A. in Urban Geography from the University of Toronto, a Masters in Urban Planning from McGill University and a Ph.D. in Architecture and Urban Planning from Princeton University.

“Hannah has the skills and professional experience needed to help the Commission achieve its objective of assessing the best practices and appropriate cost of local governments,” said LUARC Chairman Jack Fisher.  “Her interaction with the legislature, local officials and familiarity with the governmental processes of New Jersey make her the ideal person for this position.  Her professional approach can be trusted by decision makers at all levels of government.”

“This is a great honor and I thank Governor Corzine and the Commission for this opportunity,” said Shostack.  “I look forward to working with the Commission as well as various officials throughout the state as we seek to determine the best and most efficient ways to provide government and services here in New Jersey.”

LUARC was established under P.L. 207, Chapter 54 as being in but not of the Department of Community Affairs.  The Commission’s responsibilities include studying and reporting on the structure and function of county and municipal government, including local taxing districts, their statutory basis, the fiscal relationship between local governments, and the appropriate allocation of service delivery responsibilities from the standpoint of efficiency.

The  bipartisan commission will fairly examine the allocation of responsibilities among local units in order to determine which unit of local government is best suited to deliver a given local government service and when consolidation will reduce the property tax burden for pairs of groups of local units.  They will then make recommendations to the Legislature for approval by the affected voters in order to make a serious effort to reduce the number of municipalities and other local units in the state.

For more information on LUARC, log on to http://www.state.nj.us/dca/luarc/.