Daniel Buchanan (D) Buchanan, 29, has a wife Michelle and a child on the way. He is employed as an insurance investigator, and has lived in Sayreville his entire life. A 1999 graduate of Rutgers University, Buchanan currently serves on the Sayreville Planning Board and the Cable Advisory Board. He is also a member of the Sayreville Athletic Association, the Morgan Lions Club, president of the Sayreville Young Democrats, and an umpire in the youth baseball leagues. He also has organized and plays in the Sayreville men’s softball league. What are your thoughts on the work of Sayreville’s current governing body?
Daniel Buchanan
John Gluchowski (R) Gluchowski, 61, has a wife Carol and three grown sons. He is retired, having served as safety and environmental manager at Hercules. He has lived in Sayreville 38 years. Gluchowski received a bachelor’s degree in management from Rutgers University. He is co-chairman of the Local Emergency Management Council, of which he has been a member for the past 21 years, and he also serves on the Cable Television Advisory Committee. He has been involved with American Legion Post 211; youth sports organizations; the American Society of Safety Engineers; and the Safety Committee of the state Department of Labor. In the past, I have attended most of the Sayreville Borough Council meetings. I fully understand the pertinent issues and how, once elected, I can better serve the people of Sayreville. Sayreville needs more recreational opportunities to keep our children safe and our community secure. We need to preserve open space for future generations. I would also bring new energy to the Borough Council in its decision making process. I believe we can do better and I would work to make this borough the best it can be.
Christopher Koszalka (L) Koszalka, 20, has been a Sayreville resident for 16 years. A junior at Villanova University’s College of Commerce and Finance in Pennsylvania, his studies include marketing, international business relations and political science. He is a graduate of Saint Joseph High School, Metuchen. He is co-founder and president of the Villanova University Polish Cultural Society; a staff writer at Villanova Times; and programming director at Villanova Inter-hall Council. He is also a peer counselor at Villanova and resident assistant in the college Office of Residence Life. He served as a delegate at National Youth Leadership Forum on Law, Washington D.C.
Jeffrey Pawlowski (L) Pawlowski, 45, has a wife Carol and daughters Alexis, 6, and Nicola, 3. He is owner of Pawlowski Inc. DBA Pride Landscape Supply, South Amboy, and previously worked at Lofts Seed Inc., and at the Middlesex Vocational and Technical High School. He has masters degrees in business administration from Seton Hall University and in educational administration from Kean College, and a bachelor’s degree from Montclair University. Pawlowski was councilman from 1991-2001 and Planning Board member from 1997-2001. An Eagle Scout, he is a member of the Old Bridge-Sayreville Rotary Club and the Lion’s Club, and formerly was a first aid volunteer. John Gluchowski
Tom Pollando* (D) Pollando, 55, has a wife Rosemarie and three grown children. A resident of Sayreville for 35 years, he is vice president of Adco Scholes Electric Co. He is a graduate of Kingsborough Community College. Pollando has served on the Sayreville Borough Council for three years, the last two as its president. He served on the borough’s Recreation Committee for 22 years. He is president anda founding member of the Sayreville Athletic Association, and is a member and former president of the Morgan Lions Club. He is also a member of the Sayreville Planning Board. I think Mayor O’Brien has done a great job keeping the council focused on the needs of the community. Every group of elected officials has the potential for clashing personalities, but the mayor handles every issue calmly and gently moves the council in the direction that best serves the people of Sayreville.
Martin Rooney (R) Rooney, 60, has a wife Jeanne and two grown children. A borough resident of 36 years, he is founder and president of Themis Inc., a software training company. He holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from St. Peter’s College in Jersey City. Rooney has been involved with American Legion Post 211 and the local Republican Committee, and is a former member of the parish council at Our Lady of Victories.
Christopher Koszalka
Sayreville’s governing body has made every effort so far to shield itself from the public eye. Sayrevillians have limited, and sometimes no access to their government. Council meetings need to be broadcast on television; the budget and ordinances published on the Sayreville Web site; and the Web site needs to be updated in general. Making these changes ensures that every attempt has been made to inform residents as to how their money is spent, and how their town operates. Also, the health benefits and salary for council and mayor should be eliminated. No other part-time borough employee receives health benefits.
Jeffrey Pawlowski
The current governing body lacks both the vision and the desire to deal with the hard issues in Sayreville. While our streets fall apart, our schools rank on the bottom, and redevelopment takes place in surrounding communities, our leaders opened a skateboard park. A murder had to take place before Club Krome was closed for violations that could have prevented this tragedy. This lack of leadership in dealing with hard issues is of great concern. As the old proverb goes, “Without vision, people will perish.”
Tom Pollando
As council president, I have worked to do what is best for the people of Sayreville during my first term. However, I believe the Sayreville Borough Council needs to start working together to increase the safety of our neighborhoods by supporting the police, fire and first aid departments, purchase more open space, stabilize taxes and increase the recreational opportunities for the residents of Sayreville. We should also seek to establish a tax savings interlocal agreement with the Board of Education.
Martin Rooney
By and large, I think the Borough Council stays focused on the issues that are important to the people of Sayreville. Unfortunately, from time to time there is unnecessary bickering that breaks out between different factions of Democrats. This detracts from the image of our community and keeps the council from addressing the real issues.
Do you think enough has been done to control development and work toward appropriate redevelopment projects?
Daniel Buchanan
No. There are efforts going on to control development throughout the borough. As a member of the Planning Board, I am helping to amend our master plan to limit future development. However, I would like to see the borough finally use its open space fund to preserve land, which might otherwise be developed, as open space. Additionally, we need to move to have the National Lead site redeveloped.
John Gluchowski
The big problem Sayreville has is that the Towne Lake and LaMer residential developments were granted preliminary approval before Mayor O’Brien took office, and now we are stuck with absorbing all this extra population. Our last best hope for real property tax relief is redevelopment of the National Lead site. The mayor has wisely avoided the redevelopment approach taken by Perth Amboy and Carteret, which encourages residential construction in favor of concentrating on office and commercial uses.
Christopher Koszalka
I do not think that enough has been done to control development and work towards appropriate redevelopment projects. Sayreville has perhaps the most promising pieces of land in New Jersey — among others, the former National Lead site. Instead of redeveloping this site, creating additional income for the town and reducing the burden on the taxpayer, SERA would rather keep wasting time and squandering township money.
Jeffrey Pawlowski
The sad truth is that government cannot control development. Several years ago, the borough and county established open space funds with taxpayer money to buy property. To this day, no property in Sayreville has been preserved from developers. This was a scam to line the pockets of those “in control” of development. Our redevelopment agency has spent six years and millions of dollars on legal and engineering fees with nothing to show at the National Lead site. Their phone number is not listed in the phone book nor does it have a Web site. How’s that for attracting potential ratables?
Tom Pollando
No. More must be done to ensure that there is open land for our children and grandchildren. I have worked with state officials to help preserve the Dieker Farm, the last farm in Sayreville. I am also working with the Planning Board to update the master plan, which would reduce housing densities and limit growth. If elected, I will continue to work with the Borough Council, Middlesex County and the state to maintain open space and create redevelopment that is in the best interest of the residents of Sayreville.
Martin Rooney
We have made a lot of progress in the last four years, but much more needs to be done. Mayor O’Brien has made a conscious effort to move the town away from residential development that adds to overcrowding in the school system and results in higher school taxes, and we support that. The Neptune electric plant holds the promise of more tax revenue for Sayreville and the redevelopment of Club Krome will hopefully eliminate the crime that has torments residents in that neighborhood. We need to move these projects along at a quicker pace.