The Sayreville Candidates ...

The Sayreville Candidates ...

Thomas Marcinczyk (D) Marcinczyk is the owner of Floralscapes, T. Marcinczyk and Son Inc., and Deerfield Landscaping, Bordentown Avenue. He previously served as a police communications officer. The life­long borough resident is currently serving a term on the Borough Council, and has been an active volunteer in numerous fund-raising and athletic activities in Sayreville. He is married with two children.

Their views

Q.

What do you believe are the successes and/or failures of the current governing body and administration?

Thomas Marcinczyk

Kennedy O’Brien*(R) O’Brien, 50, is a resident of Marcia Street, Parlin. He has a wife, Janice, and six children and step-children. Now a businessman, he is a 1971 graduate of Metuchen High School. He served on the Borough Council from 1995-1999, and has served as mayor since. He is a member of the board of gover­nors of Raritan Bay Medical Center, Perth Amboy. He was ap­pointed in 2000 to the New Jersey Redevelopment Authority. He is a former member of the Sayreville Housing Authority, the Recreation Advisory Committee, the Zoning Board of Adjustment and the Recycling Committee.

The lack of honesty and candor is a major problem. Residents justifiably complain of the lack of services, such as road resurfacing and sufficient police coverage. I have set forth the slogan "Tough enough to make the hard decisions for Sayreville." A leader can’t just be a smiling listener.

In terms of budget decisions and seeing projects through to completion, the community is being short-changed. The leadership deficit includes excessive reliance on high-priced consultants who are major campaign contributors to my opponent. I support a more open administration rather than a backroom decision-making approach.

Kennedy O’Brien

I’m proud to say we have been successful in preserving more open space from residential development than any previous administration in the borough’s history. We tightened our belts and passed a local budget with no tax rate increase to ease the burden on local homeowners this year; and we have been successful in aggressively pursuing economic redevelopment projects in Sayreville that will create jobs and reduce the property tax burden on residents.

Phyllis Batko

The current lack of leadership and the inability to take a stand on important issues has prevented much-needed progress in Sayreville. Our mayor-appointed Planning Board continues to sell out to big developers. Housing is still out of control, clogging our roadways and crowding our schools. I supported the successful rezoning of 500 acres of open space during my first year in office. However, since then the open space issue has continually been put on hold. Lost time will result in lost opportunities. We also need to so­licit more public input on crucial issues and stop the closed-door meetings.

Hector DeFino

Attendance at council meet­ings reveals a council majority in­terested in just getting through the evening. There is no effective dia­logue. When neighbors complain about tavern owners, they’re told to contact the prosecutor. When resi­dents complain about overdevel­opment, it is not mentioned that 765 homes were approved over the past four years, and that over 400 more are awaiting approval. When resi­dents complain about taxes, the 33-percent increase over four years is not acknowledged. It is the lack of business sense, planning and cre­ativity that I observe in the current administration, leading me to con­clude that a change is needed.

Stanley Drwal

I’m running with Mayor Kennedy O’Brien and Councilman John Melillo because I believe they have done a solid job, as mayor and councilman, of stabiliz­ing the local tax rate in the face of rising school taxes, going after sen­sible, revenue-generating, eco­nomic redevelopment opportuni­ties, and making Sayreville’s first real progress in slowing residential development through open space preservation.

John Melillo

Together with Mayor O’Brien, we passed a budget this year that included no increase in the local purpose portion of the property tax bill. This will provide some relief to local homeowners in the face of a poor economy and local school taxes going up. We are continuing to go after economic redevelop­ment opportunities that would pro­vide more revenue for the borough, thereby being able to give more di­rect tax relief to homeowners. Finally, I am proud to have been part of administration that has pre­served more open space from resi­dential development than any ad­ministration in the history of Sayreville.

Q.

Do you support the borough’s recent redevelopment efforts, such as possibly allowing a stadium/arena, hotel and retail complex on the 400-acre National Lead site?

Thomas Marcinczyk

I don’t see how anyone can be satisfied with the lack of progress with the National Lead site. Some $5 million in spent consultant fees finds us no closer to making the site usable. My proposal would include a direct meeting with National Lead executives to set specific time goals for the cleanup. We have got to move forward and end the morass. The so-called efforts at redevelopment on River Road are still only concepts. I believe a take-charge leader will be able to marshal the diverse forces to revitalize the National Lead site, enhance the Route 35 corridor and bring about economic development.

Kennedy O’Brien

I have spearheaded the borough’s redevelopment efforts, like the power conversion plant, which will provide more than $400,000 in property tax relief to Sayreville homeowners, and I am very interested in exploring the possibility of a baseball stadium, hotel and retail stores along the Raritan Bay waterfront at the former site of National Lead. This venue would provide Sayreville with millions of dollars in added revenue that could be applied to lowering taxes, give Sayreville families an enjoyable place to visit and generate thousands of new jobs.

Council candidates:

Phyllis Batko

Recent redevelopment efforts are lacking in fiscal strength and foresight. The power conversion plant will bring the borough much-needed revenue and will be clean industry; however, the redevelopment agency fell short on negotiating an optimum price. Also, the redevelopment plan for the site was bundled to include more housing, which will increase traffic. The progress on the National Lead site over the past four years has been nonexistent. The redevelopment agency has tangled the taxpayers into another lengthy, expensive lawsuit. We need to work with the owners of National Lead and work out a plan that will not include $32 million of taxpayer money.

Hector DeFino

For Sayreville to attract the desired growth, a change in leadership is required. Haphazard growth has brought us an unacceptable level of congestion. At a recent meeting, the important subject of developer fees was quickly dismissed by the mayor. I support planned growth by ordinance, and creative efforts such as a new ferry service. To stabilize our tax base, the development we desire must be targeted. The administration’s failure to gain movement on the National Lead cleanup is an example of why our tax base has eroded. Our location, along with a planned-growth program, should be attractive to industry, helping to offset the burden on the taxpayer.

Stanley Drwal

As a councilman, I would be hopeful that the proposed baseball stadium, hotel and retail stores along the Raritan Bay waterfront would be as great as they look on paper. I think it would be a great thing for Sayreville to have such an attraction, especially since it will not adversely affect our traffic situation due to its proposed location. The bottom line is that we can no longer let the National Lead sit there and remain the greatest untapped potential for lower property taxes in the entire area. We need to be smart about it, but we need action.

John Melillo

I wholeheartedly support, and have been a driving force behind, the borough’s recent plans to pursue economic redevelopment as a means to reducing the property tax burden on homeowners. As someone who loves sports and has a long history of coaching youth sports in Sayreville, I am eager to find out more about the possibility of a baseball stadium, hotel and retail stores along the Raritan Bay waterfront at the former site of National Lead. It would help reduce local property taxes, and be a great place to go watch a game with your kids. That’s a great combination.

Q.

What is the most important challenge facing Sayreville today and how will you approach it?

Thomas Marcinczyk

In terms of congestion, I support the state’s anti-sprawl initiative. Locally, I believe a better planned road resurfacing program is necessary. I also pledge to institute ferry service to spur growth and fight congestion. In terms of the police, I will seek greater diversity in new recruits to better reflect the ethnic changes in our community. As to smart growth, while the incumbent is a victim of paralysis by analysis, I will support and move to have implemented timed-growth building ordinances to ensure that sufficient infrastructure exists for any new development. Assessing builders’ impact fees directly related to a project also has my support.

Kennedy O’Brien

We must stop residential overdevelopment. When I took office there were already hundreds of new homes approved by past administrations. These new homes are now being built, causing higher school taxes, traffic and strained services. That is why I am proud of my record of never voting to approve any new residential housing that would put an added burden on our schools, and for successfully preserving more than 500 acres of open space from future development. I will continue this fight if I am honored enough to be re-elected mayor.

Council candidates:

Phyllis Batko

Quality-of-life issues are still at the forefront. Traffic congestion is still on the rise. I recently spoke to a traffic engineer who made many recommendations to alleviate some of the traffic problems. There are many federal and state programs available to ease any financial burden that will be put on the taxpayers. Housing developments need to be avoided everywhere possible. We need a Planning Board that will be held accountable to the people and not the developers. The governing body needs to work with the Board of Education to ensure that our children are getting the best education within the financial constraints of the taxpayers.

Hector DeFino

The council faces many servicing challenges including sprawl, the neglect of our road rehabilitation program and the need to stabilize taxes. I am concerned with the lack of encouragement by the administration in regards to citizen participation. I would support better utilization of volunteer services and promote an improved dialogue between the administration and residents. An immediate concern is our infrastructure. Part of the legacy of the runaway growth our town has experienced has been the failure to maintain older sections of the community. This neglect of curbs, sidewalks and roads is indefensible. We need new leadership willing to face these challenges.

Stanley Drwal

There are many important challenges we face as a borough. As someone with a military background, I would lay out a plan and then execute it. Through good fiscal sense and the leveraging of economic redevelopment projects, we can hold the line on taxes. By continuing to stand up to big developers, and preserving open space before they can build on it, we will protect the quality of life and keep taxes low. Those are the two areas I would concentrate on first.

John Melillo

Traffic congestion. As chairman of the Sayreville Commuter Advisory Board, I wrestle with this issue every day and get input from residents who must contend with a daily commute. One way to alleviate traffic congestion is to stop runaway development. That’s why the open space preservation efforts I mentioned earlier are so crucial to the future quality of life in our borough. I am currently in the process, with the help of the Commuter Advisory Board, of finding areas within the borough for our commuters to use as Park-n-Rides as an alternative to parking in residential areas. This will encourage public transportation and also lessen traffic congestion.

Q.

What, if anything, can be done to stabilize or reduce property taxes?

Thomas Marcinczyk

This year’s budget was a good example. My opponent was content to move forward with another budget increase. I held tough with Councilwoman Phyllis Batko to keep a zero municipal tax increase. It wasn’t easy, but it was necessary. The budget battles over the coming years will require tough leadership. Also, the two of us went to Trenton and fought successfully when our share of discretionary aid was threatened. I am concerned with the aging infrastructure such as the MCIA sewerage plant. The growth in Sayreville must not only be targeted, it must occur only when we have the ability to absorb the growth.

Kennedy O’Brien

We can stabilize property taxes three ways: 1) Cutting wasteful spending and tightening our belts at the local level. 2) Aggressively pursuing economic redevelopment projects that will generate additional revenue we can plow back into property tax relief for homeowners. 3) Preserving open space from residential development, which will keep enrollment at our schools under control, thereby helping slow the growth of school taxes.

Council candidates:

Phyllis Batko

While the Republicans were content with another property tax increase this year, Councilman Thomas Marcinczyk and I went to Trenton to fight for the aid that was due to Sayreville. While we were successful and we forced the hands of the majority in delivering a zero municipal increase, there is much more work ahead of us. Councilman Marcinczyk and I also visited the managers at AES Red Oak to ensure they were put on the tax rolls. Our success in this fight will put another $800,000 in revenue in next year’s and future budgets. It is hard work like this that will help stabilize property taxes.

Hector DeFino

I would support the sharing of services. Beyond zero-based budgeting, the challenge is the need to be candid with the voters that lower taxes bring a reduction in services. The obvious alternative is the pursuit of economic development to offset the burden on the taxpayer. By spreading the burden among a greater base, the impact is lessened on the individual taxpayer. There is a great deal of difference between talking about a problem and taking action to correct it. A clear plan of business growth needs a focused effort. Leadership is what is lacking in the fight to lower taxes while maintaining quality of life.

Stanley Drwal

There needs to be fiscal restraint in borough hall, which Mayor O’Brien and Councilman Melillo have started to implement. We can never lose sight of the direct correlation between stopping runaway development and taxes. Slowing development will eliminate the need for new services, which can keep taxes down. Slowing development will mean fewer kids in our schools and, therefore, a better learning environment for children, and lower school taxes for us. And, of course, a dogged but sensible pursuit of increased tax revenue through economic redevelopment started by Mayor O’Brien and Councilman Melillo.

John Melillo

The only way to stabilize or reduce property taxes that I can see as feasible would be a combination of cutting wasteful spending in government, preserving our remaining open space from uncontrolled development, and aggressively pursuing worthwhile economic redevelopment projects that would pump much-needed revenue into our budget.