Press Release: CivicStory Forum to Spur New Thinking On Taxes - 4 experts discuss options for workable tax structures


Date: March 20, 2018
For Release on March 21, 2018
For: CivicStory – www.civicstory.org

Contact:  Jessa Henschel, Public Relations, CivicStory
jessahenschel@gmail.com  908-731-2500

CivicStory Forum to Spur New Thinking On Taxes

4 experts discuss options for workable tax structures

Why are our taxes so high? What do we want to pay for, and how much are we willing to pay for it? How do we make policy decisions for the good of the community - and for all citizens?

The public is invited to hear experts in finance, tax policy, and social justice explore these questions in a forum on Wednesday, April 4, at 7 pm at the Summit Public Library. Speakers include tax attorney Claire Toth; economist/investment analyst Jerry Webman; Frank Bolden - retired VP, Global Diversity, Johnson & Johnson; and John Reitmeyer, financial journalist with NJ Spotlight.com.  The forum is presented by CivicStory, a nonprofit solutions-based news site based in Summit.

"We need a constructive dialogue about the how and why of state and local taxes," says Susan Haig, publisher of CivicStory. "We look forward to learning from these dynamic speakers."  Forum responders and co-moderators include Dr. Robert Rubino, former City Councillor, Summit Taxpayers Association President Khurram Dara, and Summit high school students.

The panel discussion will be followed by an audience Q&A.  Admission is free, but reservations are required.  To reserve a seat, register at www.CivicStory.org.

JPG Attachments:

Photos of panelists Frank Bolden; John Reitmeyer; Claire Toth; Jerry Webman

What: Public Forum: Rethinking Taxes: Can we restructure, what’s reasonable, what’s next?
When: Wednesday, April 4, 2018 – 7pm to 8:45pm
Where: Summit Free Public Library, 75 Maple Street, Summit, NJ
To Attend: Register here to reserve a FREE seat.

 About CivicStory
CivicStory is a nonprofit solutions-based news site highlighting sustainability and creative growth in NJ cities and beyond. A 501(c)(3) based in Summit, NJ, its mission is to advance solutions-based news through short videos about citizens and organizations transforming their communities. View videos and forums at www.CivicStory.org  

OUR SPEAKERS:  (alphabetical)

Frank Bolden.jpg

Frank Bolden's thirty-year career with Johnson & Johnson included roles as Assistant General Counsel, Secretary, and Vice President Diversity World Wide.   Currently Chair of the national Board of Directors of the United Church of Christ, he has chaired the boards of the University of Vermont, Union County College, Overlook Hospital, Crossroads Theater, and Christ Church, Summit.   Mr. Bolden received a BA in English from the University of Vermont and an MBA and JD from Columbia University, and served six years in the U.S. Army as an airborne and ranger infantry officer, including tours in Germany and South Vietnam.  A Berkeley Heights resident, he and his wife Penny are grandparents of 9 and new great-grandparents.

John Reitmeyer.jpg

John Reitmeyer currently serves as the public finance writer for NJ Spotlight, a nonprofit politics and public policy news site.  During the past years, he has also worked for the Atlantic City Press, Burlington County Times and Bergen Record.  Reitmeyer recently won first-place honors for online investigative reporting from the New Jersey Society of Professional Journalists for a joint reporting project with WNYC Radio and Bloomberg Businessweek.  A native of Atlantic County and resident of Cranford, John majored in history, with a focus on classical studies, and minored in Journalism at The College of New Jersey.

Claire Toth.jpg

Claire Toth is Vice President of Point View Wealth Management, where she provides financial retirement, education, and estate planning.  Also Of Counsel to Bourne, Noll & Kenyon, she was previously Of Counsel with Herold and Haines in Warren, and formerly worked with the U.S. Treasury Department on tax regulation. Ms. Toth received her A.B. and J.D. degrees from the University of Chicago, and a Masters of Law in Taxation from Georgetown University.  A Summit resident, Claire is Secretary of the Summit Historic Preservation Commission, Treasurer of Summit Downtown, Inc., and a board member of SAGE Eldercare.

Jerry Webman.jpg

Jerry Webman retired as Chief Economist at OppenheimerFunds and formerly served as the firm's Director of Fixed Income Investments.  Before moving to Wall Street, he was an assistant professor of politics and public affairs at Princeton University.  Webman chairs the board of trustees of NJLEEP, a Newark NJ-based college access and success organization, and serves as a trustee of the Community Service Society of New York and of Charity Navigator.   Author of Reviving the Industrial City and MoneyShift: How to Prosper from What You Can't Control, Webman holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Chicago, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa, and a Ph.D. in Political Science from Yale University.