Hello Hawthorne! It’s been a while since I’ve addressed the town at large. I know that a few people have been wondering if I was going to be making any statements or announcements regarding the upcoming election in November. 

Since the last campaign for town council a lot of things have changed for me personally. 

My mother succumbed and is now at peace after battling against several cancers for over a decade. I realized that even though it has been seven and a half months since her passing that I’m still grieving. There was a lot going on last year around the holidays, with my other roles and responsibilities to some of my organizations so I did not give myself the time to process this profound loss. I appreciate family, friends, loved ones and the people of Hawthorne who offered their support. Her passing left a void and I continue to go through my healing process. My mother was a major catalyst and the inspiration for me to first run for office..

My father was also diagnosed with throat cancer last year. Thankfully, he is in remission now, but has had other health issues in the past. Both he and my stepmother reside in Hawaii. Despite the long distance between us, I am trying to find ways to provide support and, if needed, to be there for him. 

I have been a Hawthorne resident for 21 years now, but I think change is needed for me as well. So I’ve decided to not run for Hawthorne town council this year. I am also leaving Hawthorne shortly as well..

I will always appreciate the relationships and friendships I made while residing here. I want to thank everyone for supporting my campaigns.. I loved my time on the Hawthorne Green Team and my contribution in helping to move some ideas forward.

Hawthorne became one of the first Passaic County towns to collect and recycle Polystyrene. Now we have our own full time bin at the recycling center. Just a few weeks ago we also started collecting thin plastics there as well! The administration has made positive steps securing grant money through the Neighborhood Preservation Program. They’ve done great work updating streetscapes and revitalizing the gateway district. The next phase with refacing some of the facades on the Diamond Bridge storefronts which will help the overall town aesthetic has just started. 

I have been proud to be a member of the Passaic County SPCA since 2018. It has been great to see how the organization has grown and fulfills its current mission. It has played a major role in ensuring families can still feed their pets that are in need. Our community and county has continued to support their efforts. I personally love seeing families each year at Howl-o-ween Dog Costume Contest or at Pet Pics with Santa. 

We made it through the pandemic but mutual aid is still necessary even today! Food pantries are seeing more attendees than ever. I’m proud of what Mutual Passaic County accomplished during that time. I wish we could have continued helping families who are still in need but we made a difference during a difficult time.

We were an ally in the fight for the Pride flag to be flown and in the formation of the Hawthorne Pride Alliance. We unified as a community to March for Black Lives. We were proud to see Hispanic Heritage finally be acknowledged and celebrated. I am proud to have been part of those initiatives because inclusion and equity is essential as Hawthorne becomes even more diverse.

I still have concerns about flooding, development, empty storefronts and affordable housing amongst many others. I hope someone will take on this work by offering new perspectives and with a forward-minded vision which others running for office seemed reluctant to address.. I’m proud to have run as an independent! My focus was to share the community-first planks of the Green Party platform. Our last race earned 33.20% of the vote in Ward 3. I raised issues of concern and importance to Hawthorne residents so I hope whoever is elected this cycle truly enacts a plan to address these issues, not just lead reactively to what occurs in Trenton.

I won’t be too far away since I will still be working at Park Ave BMW. I’m relocating back to Bergen County and am excited for this new chapter. I’ll still be involved in the community as a board member of the Passaic County SPCA. I’ll also be busy by serving out my term as a Steering Committee Co-Chair for the Green Party of the United States.. I’m our GPNJ State Communications Chair and will be working to support our Gubernatorial Candidate Stephen Zielinski along with our State Assembly candidates this year. Anyone interested in learning more about the Green Party we can grab a coffee anytime!

I look forward to seeing all of you at upcoming Hawthorne events or out and about in town. 

Thank you all!

Craig Cayetano

Former Hawthorne Council Candidate Ward 3 & At Large