BY SUE M. MORGAN
Staff Writer
If the Republicans held all seven seats on the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders, they would never complain about one-party control, says one Democratic freeholder candidate.
New Brunswick City Council Vice President Blanquita Valenti believes that an official’s dedication to constituents, and not party affiliation, makes a good public official.
After serving on the New Brunswick City Council for 14 years, Valenti, 70, wants to go to bat for county residents and ensure that they continue receiving the same level of services for a good price.
“I believe I have a very firm commitment to quality of life issues,” said Valenti, who retired three years ago after teaching foreign language in the Woodbridge Township Public Schools for 33 years.
As she makes her first run for freeholder, aiming to fill the seat being vacated by Freeholder Jane Brady. Valenti dismissed comments by Republican opponents that the Democrats’ control has resulted in rubber-stamping, political corruption and career politicians.
“If the situation was the other way around, [the Republicans] wouldn’t say that,” she said.
“It is more important to have people in office that are dedicated and knowledgeable regardless of their party affiliation,” she said. “To me, good government is good politics.”
Sharing the Democratic ticket with two incumbents, Freeholder Deputy Director Stephen J. “Pete” Dalina and Freeholder Christopher Rafano, Valenti is pleased with the reception she has received as a candidate throughout the county.
County residents are happy with their leaders and the fact that the tax levy has been reduced steadily for at least the past 11 years, Valenti said.
“There have been so many improvements in the county. I see a great degree of satisfaction,” she said.
Brady, a longtime freeholder, chose not to seek re-election. If elected, Valenti hopes to make her proud, particularly in providing services to seniors.
“Jane Brady did a great job [with seniors],” Valenti said. “Everywhere I go, people tell me, ‘I hope you’ll be able to fill her shoes.’ ”
If elected Valenti would like to see one of Brady’s initiatives, a county-sponsored reduced prescription program for residents age 52 and over, expanded to more citizens who could be eligible. The county program offers more benefits than Medicare does, Valenti noted.
A former member of the Middlesex County College Board of Trustees, Valenti wants to see the college and the Middlesex County Vocational and Technical School District enhance their programs. She is proud of the reputation of both schools.
Valenti has served on New Brunswick’s Planning Board and on the board for St. Peter’s University Hospital. She is a founder of the Puerto Rican Action Board of New Brunswick and a trustee for the Visiting Nurses Association (VNA) of Middlesex County.
Along with her husband, Carl, Valenti has three adult children and 10 grandchildren.
If voters have any doubt that the all-Democrat status quo on the board has worked with the best interests of residents in mind, just look at the waterfront communities, said Dalina, the county’s committee of parks and recreation.
Three waterfront parks now grace the shores of the Sewaren section of Woodbridge, South Amboy and Old Bridge, said Dalina, 74, who is running for a sixth consecutive term.
County residents can expect more new and improved recreational facilities, said the deputy director, who has served in that capacity for 12 of his 15 years on the freeholder board.
Dalina is especially proud of the barrier-free, accessible Level Playing Fields inside of Edison’s Roosevelt Park that were put into place during his tenure. A new ice skating rink in the same park was used by 8,000 people last year, he noted.
“Roosevelt Park is one of the most beautiful parks we have,” said Dalina, a lifelong resident of the Fords section of Woodbridge.
Cricket fields are expected to be placed in Old Bridge’s John A. Phillips Preserve, which the freeholders purchased for open space preservation several years ago.
Fenced-in dog parks are located in Thompson Park in Monroe, as well as Donaldson Park in Highland Park, he added.
While purchasing land for open space
and recreation will remain a priority, maintaining stable county taxes will be an even higher item, Dalina said.
“We’ll continue cutting taxes like we’ve been doing,” Dalina said. “We’ve stabilized taxes for the past seven to eight years.”
By downsizing and consolidating certain county jobs, the freeholder board has stabilized taxes while still providing the same level of service, he continued.
“We did downsizing and cut taxes,” Dalina said. “We use what we have and we use it to the best of our ability.”
Retired from his family’s restaurant business, Dalina considers his freeholder post to be a full-time job and promises to remain accessible if re-elected for another three-year term.
“I’m always there for the people,” Dalina said. “People know how to contact me. I feel proud when people call me.”
Married to his wife, Eleanor, for 53 years, Dalina has four adult sons and seven grandchildren. He served as a Woodbridge Township councilman for 12 years before he was elected to the freeholder board. He also serves on the county’s Cultural and Heritage Commission.
Rafano, 43, echoed both of his running mates’ calls for delivery of excellent services at the lowest cost to taxpayers. Taxes have remained stable since 1993, said Rafano, seeking his third consecutive term.
“We work very hard to make sure that we can provide the same level of county services at a reasonable cost to taxpayers,” said Rafano, a South River resident.
“We have the second-lowest cost per capita in the state,” he continued. “Every year, we continually look at how we can provide the same level of service at less of a burden to taxpayers.”
Rafano, an attorney in private practice, has chaired the Law and Public Safety committee during his seven-year tenure on the board. As he continues to seek more Homeland Security funding for the county, he is pleased with enhanced security measures now in place in the wake of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
“We’ve put a [security] plan in place, distributed Homeland Security funds [to municipalities], trained and equipped first-responders to make sure we’re ready, and created a office on terrorism,” Rafano said.
Approximately 6,000 acres of empty land, plus 3,500 acres through the state’s Farmland Preservation Program, have been acquired by through the county’s “aggressive” open space program, he noted.
“It’s extremely important that we preserve that open space for generations to come, for our children and their children,” Rafano said.
A graduate of Villanova University and Dickinson College of Law, both in Pennsylvania, Rafano pointed to the county college for its renowned educational programs. The county’s vocational-technical school and its parks and recreation department have gained respect on the watch of the present freeholder board, he added.
“I’m extremely proud of the level of services that we provide in this county and what we do as a county,” Rafano said.
Prior to his appointment to the freeholder board in 1998, Rafano served on the South River Borough Council. He and his wife, Donna, have two sons, Andrew, 11, and Bryan, 9.