A tale of two Boontons
One resident’s suggestion that Boonton Township change its name has ignited a social-media tsunami of pride and protest from his neighbors who think their little corner of the world is perfect just the way it is.
The furor began early last month when Edward Daspin, 78, went before the township committee with his belief that property values there were lagging behind similar wealthy communities in Morris County and North Jersey.
Daspin wondered if sharing a name with the Town of Boonton, which he described as “more blue collar,” might be the cause. His solution: changing the name to Mountain Lakes Township — reflective of its geographic and demographic relationship to the upscale borough of Mountain Lakes — might help.
He also floated a few more possible names out there, including Powerville (a historic reference and namesake of a major township road), but focused on Mountain Lakes, where township teens attend the highly rated Mountain Lakes High School.
“There is no question that home buyers get a $350,000 edge per home compared with Mountain Lakes, Bernardsville,” Daspin told the Daily Record. “And compared to Summit and Madison, where the homes are half the size and 20 percent of the size, but cost 40 percent more.”
When a local weekly publication wrote about Daspin’s proposal, the reaction was swift — and overwhelmingly negative.
“I was shocked, as most people were, at the suggestion,” said Mark Berman, a Denver native who married a Boonton Township girl and moved into the community.
Berman responded on the evening of July 15 by creating a “Keep Boonton Township Boonton Township” Facebook page.
“By the time I woke up, we had over 300 members,” said Berman, who works for the Boonton Post Office.
The page — dedicated to a township with about 4,200 residents — quickly swelled to more than 800 members, with the overwhelming majority of commenters giving Daspin’s suggestion an emphatic thumbs-down.
“We love every aspect of Boonton Township; its name, beauty, and wonderful people,” posted Charles Maraziti. “This is a strong community and we will unite to defend our name and history.”
“As a person who moved to BT in 1992 then moved out in 2005 and back in 2012, I’m disturbed and disgusted by the concept of changing our towns name for the sake of value,” posted Lauren Bardach. “If you don’t value your town and its history; it’s time you move.”
“This is wholly ridiculous,” posted Chuck Pazar. “Have we gotten so bad that we are trying to brand towns now? And since when was Boonton — a mecca of great shops, art, and food — something to be ashamed of?”
The online conversation did not escape the notice of Mayor Paul Allieri and the township committee, which quickly issued a response letter to the public.
“We must make it abundantly clear that we do not support a change of the name from Township of Boonton to Mountain Lakes Township or any other name,” the letter read. “We are very proud of Boonton Township’ history and name, which has been in use since the Township’s incorporation on April 11, 1867. ... We listened respectfully when Mr. Daspin spoke to the committee. However, your governing body does not support such a change. The name Township of Boonton has served this Township well for nearly 150 years. It is our intention that it will continue to do so for many more years to come.”
Allieri said that by procedure, a petitioner to change the name would have to produce a petition signed by at least 30 percent of residents who voted in the last election. That would make it eligible for a referendum vote the next year.
The letter, though, failed to calm the storm. Allieri said the committee heard from enough residents that it decided to move its next meeting — scheduled for 8 p.m. on Aug. 10 — to Rockaway Valley School in anticipation of an overflow crowd coming out to sound off on the controversy.
“We looked it up and during Hurricane Sandy, we had about 400 looks on our township Facebook page,” Allieri said. “Since this came up, we’ve had over 10,000.”
At this point, even Daspin agrees that a name change is not in the cards, at least for now.
“I got about 200 emails before all the adverse publicity, some for, some against,” he said. “But I’ve come to a decision that the time is not right for people to take an unbiased look (at the issue). The majority of the citizens are the ones that count, not me. If they want Boonton Township to be kept a secret, and they don’t want to change the name, who am I to try and disagree?”
He did vow to keep his promise to the committee, which he said asked him to research any and all means that could be used to increase property values in the township.
“At my stage of life, all I want to do is if I can help someone, I want to do it,” Daspin said.
Precedent in Morris
Should Daspin win over his neighbors and township government, Boonton Township would not be the first Morris County municipality to take on a new name.
Passaic Township voters, by a close count of 1,901 to 1,821, approved a name change to Long Hill Township in 1992. According to a New York Times article, the stated reason was to avoid “confusion” with the city of Passaic. But the association with the increasingly poor and crime-ridden city in Passaic County — and its larger, equally troubled Paterson neighbor — was undoubtedly a motivating factor for the change as well.
East Paterson made a similar move, rebadging itself as Elmwood Park in 1972, while West Paterson became Woodland Park in 2009.
Daspin said he knows about 50 people who support his idea, and has formed an informal committee to continue researching the merits of a name change. He also compiled statistical evidence that Woodland Park property values benefited from disassociating itself from Paterson.
But absorbing the reaction from the community — including a few who posted attempts to disparage his character — he realizes that further support for his cause is unlikely at best.
“I’m too old to handle anything like this,” Daspin said. “I shouldn’t have to defend myself, I haven’t done anything wrong.”
Staff Writer William Westhoven: 973-917-9242; wwesthoven@GannettNJ.com.