BY TALI ISRAELI
Staff Writer
MARLBORO — Six Democrats are running in the June 7 primary seeking three positions on November’s general election ballot and the right to face off against a trio of Republicans in a bid for four-year seats on the Township Council.
Three candidates are representing the Reform Democratic Club of Marlboro, which was founded earlier this year in a break from what its organizers called the “old guard” of the Marlboro Democratic Party. Jeff Rosen, David Strickler and Jean Cocchiara-Goldberg are the first slate of candidates picked to represent the organization.
Councilman James Mione and Isabel Jacob are running with the endorsement of Martin Siskel, the Democratic municipal leader.
The sixth candidate, Paul Schlaflin, is running on his own line “A force for change.”
Cocchiara-Goldberg and her family have been residents of Marlboro for five years. She is an active parishioner at St. Gabriel’s Church and is involved in numerous charitable activities and causes. Cocchiara-Goldberg graduated from Pace University with a master’s degree in business administration and has 20 years of accounting, management and business experience.
Jacob said she is running for council as a long-time resident of Marlboro who would like to see the expansion stop and would like to lower property taxes. Her primary issues are limiting residential development by preserving open space, providing a better affordable housing plan and rooting out corruption. Jacob said she does not want to see the former Marlboro State Psychiatric Hospital property developed, but rather left as open space. The town put up with the hospital for years, she said, and at this point Marlboro should get the 400-acre Route 520 parcel and keep it green.
The state closed the hospital in 1998 after about 60 years of operation. Marlboro officials have been pursuing the purchase of the land since that time.
Jacob said she is an independent-minded person with a business background who has seen Marlboro develop over a period of decades and wants to maintain control of the township. She said residents are her first priority and she wants to keep Marlboro a desirable place to live.
Mione said he believes he has served his community well for four years. He said that as a councilman he has reached across party lines to get the job done and has portrayed a strong commitment to serve the township. Mione said his philosophy has always been to put residents first and to ensure that their quality of life is being improved.
Acquiring the hospital property is something Mione believes is important. His plan for the property, which he dubbed the “Jewel of Marlboro,” would consist of a park-like atmosphere with light development.
An appropriate affordable housing plan is another issue Mione wants to take on as a councilman. He said he is an objector to the current plan the council has put forth to the state Council on Affordable Housing (COAH). Mione believes an affordable housing plan that fits the character of the community is necessary. He said Marlboro does not need a high-rise development with high density, which is one of the elements of the proposed plan.
“I’m all for [affordable housing], but it’s got to be done right,” he said.
Mione said reducing property taxes by controlling municipal spending and looking for alternative ways to fund schools are also important issues to be addressed. He said high property taxes are going to drive away people who have lived in Marlboro for years.
Rosen, who is a member of the Zoning Board of Adjustment, said although he cares about lowering taxes and putting an end to corruption, his biggest concern as a councilman would be the families of Marlboro. Rosen has three children and said he wants what is best for them and other families.
Rosen, a lifelong resident, said when Marlboro was being developed 30 years ago its leaders had a plan; they knew where to put schools, playing fields and houses. He said that over the past 15 to 20 years he has watched the town’s leaders lose that vision. Rosen wants to bring in new recreation facilities and teen centers, repair the town’s roads and attract more commercial development.
“We need to go back to making our infrastructure strong,” Rosen said.
The candidate said he will fight any attempt to run a passenger rail line through Marlboro.
Rosen said that due to poor planning in the past, not every commercial zone in Marlboro is appropriate for commercial development because residences were built nearby. However, in the proper location, Rosen’s plan for commercial development would include upscale shops, restaurants with outdoor seating, and activities for children, such as an ice skating rink or ball fields. He described this plan as a “quaint village center that is family oriented,” something similar to Red Bank or Freehold Borough but on a smaller scale.
Schlaflin said he is running for council because he does not like the direction Marlboro is taking. His interest in the town and politics started with his concern for affordable housing. Schlaflin said that when he got involved with the affordable housing issue he saw nothing but mismanagement in the local political scene.
“I can get the job done. I’m involved in this because I want to see the town better off. I want to make a positive impact on the town,” he said.
Schlaflin said if he is elected to the council, implementing a new affordable housing plan would be his first priority. He said he is absolutely in favor of affordable housing in Marlboro, especially for seniors. He is an objector to the current affordable housing plan that is before COAH.
Another issue Schlaflin plans to tackle is lowering property taxes by reducing costs. He said the biggest waste of money is going to engineering firms, which are telling municipal officials things that he believes should be obvious to them. Other issues Schlaflin believes are important are preserving open space and implementing an organization for teenagers.
Strickler said he is running for council because he wants to make a difference in the community. He said that after all of the corruption that has recently been exposed in Marlboro, it is time for ordinary citizens to step up and represent the town.
One issue that Strickler believes is important is putting an end to the residential development that has occurred because of corruption. He said once that is brought under control, officials need to figure out how Marlboro can grow in a way that stabilizes taxes. Strickler believes the reliance on new home construction needs to stop because it places too much of a burden on the town’s infrastructure, especially on Marlboro’s schools.
Strickler said high-end retail and light industrial development, such as a town center, could be just what Marlboro needs. He said such a development would be good for taxes, property values and the quality of life in town.
He said that as a commercial attorney and a trained economist, he would bring a perspective to the council table that other candidates might not have. Strickler said he believes in honesty, trust and dedication in politicians, three attributes which he said have not been shown in the past because people who were elected to serve residents were more interested in improving their personal situation rather than improving Marlboro.