BY MICHELLE ROSENBERG
Staff Writer
Bea Duffy Taxes and redevelopment are a couple of the major issues to the candidates in this year’s race for the Matawan mayor’s seat.
Two candidates, Beatrice Duffy and Mary Aufseeser, are running to complete the remaining year of former Mayor Robert D. Clifton’s four-year term.
Republican Beatrice Duffy, 68, of Ravine Drive, was appointed mayor in January. She has been the director of the Monmouth County Department of Economic Development and Tourism since 1988. She is a 50-year borough resident, and has previously served nine nonconsecutive years as a borough councilwoman. This is her first time running for the mayor’s seat.
Mary Aufseeser Duffy said she is running because she feels she still has more to offer to the community.
“I would like to continue to do whatever I can for the residents of Matawan,” she said.
She said that she is happy with the direction of the current council, particularly with the transit village project, and would like to continue being a part of the hard work and effort they put in.
“It’s my town, and I only want to see good things happen to it,” Duffy said.
Duffy said that if she is elected, she would continue to work on stabilizing taxes.
“That’s the most important thing we have to do. Granted, it’s not an easy job,” she said.
She said that this year the borough was able to consolidate various departments, which helped keep the tax rate down. She also said that the borough received $200,000 in state aid, and is always actively pursuing grant money to help keep the municipal tax rate under control.
Duffy said that she feels the fact that the borough was able to get state aid says a lot about the council and their efforts to provide tax relief to residents.
Duffy also said that if she if elected, she will focus on improving recreation throughout the borough for all residents. She said one way might be to place a portable ice skating rink by Gravelly Brook that can stay up in the winter months and come down in the spring. She said that this would, hopefully, keep kids off Lake Lefferts. The rink would be funded through the borough’s recreation department and would be free for residents.
Maintaining the borough’s infrastructure is another one of Duffy’s focal points.
“We’re trying very hard to satisfy the residents in their complaints about their sidewalks and curbs within the realm of our budget,” she said.
Duffy said she is proud of the road program, which puts $200,000 a year into the borough’s roads. She said she wants to continue working on projects such as this one, which will improve the quality of life in Matawan.
Duffy said that she would like to revitalize the borough’s downtown business district, and that she feels the proposed transit village project will help.
“What we have to do is more cosmetics, I think, and establish more parking for people that want to go into stores,” she said.
Duffy said she is pleased that almost all the stores on Main Street are currently occupied.
Duffy also said that she would like to continue working on improving the police department and municipal court facilities. She said she is aware of all the complaints regarding the building that houses both departments, and that the current administration is working on it.
“We certainly don’t disagree with the complaints, but in reality, it takes time,” she said.
Duffy also said that residents should be aware that the current council scratched the plan to bond $900,000 for the lake front project. Instead, the council is spending $200,000 to improve the sidewalks and lighting at the lakefront for security purposes.
Duffy takes great pride in the borough of Matawan, which is why she wants to serve the community.
“I think I’ve proven myself through the years I’ve been on council, and I think I still have more to offer my community,” she said.
Her opponent is Mary Aufseeser, 54, of Broad Street. Aufseeser is a 29-year borough resident. She is married with two adult children. She is a medical biller for St. Barnabas Health System in Oceanport. This is her first time running for the mayor’s seat.
Aufseeser said that one of the reasons she decided to run was the status of the downtown business district. She said when she moved here, Main Street was always packed with people, and the business district was blooming. She said that has changed, and she would like to see it like that again. Aufseeser said that stores coming to Main Street, rather than the highways, will help bring back the feeling of a small town.
Aufseeser said that she does not feel that the current administration does enough to help small businesses survive, and that if she is elected, she will work on attracting businesses and helping them run successfully. She said that she is against putting retail stores near the train station, because it will hurt the downtown business area.
Another reason Aufseeser is running is because of her opposition to eminent domain. She said that under the proposed redevelopment plan by the current administration many local residents and businesses will have their property taken from them.
“I don’t understand how the current administration can choose to take their constituents homes and businesses. Who’s benefiting from this?” Aufseeser asked. “Eminent domain is coming down the tracks right here in Matawan, and we all need to know about it.”
Aufseeser also said she is uneasy that the current council has not gone public with their choice of a redevelopment plan.
“I’m very concerned that the current administration hasn’t completely revealed its choice of a redevelopment plan,” she said.
Aufseeser also said that if elected, she will work on improving and maintaining the borough’s infrastructure and quality of life. She said the building that houses the police station and court is “a disgrace.” She said it is subject to mold and floods.
She feels the council should do a better job providing for the police and court employees.
“We should be keeping them safe, they keep us safe,” she said. “If they become ill because of this, we’re going to end up with some serious workman’s’ comp issues.”
The condition of Lake Matawan is also a concern for Aufseeser.
“I know for a fact that raw sewage has been going into Lake Matawan for 20 years,” she said. “It’s a safety and health issue.”
Aufseeser said that these are problems that could easily be avoided if they were properly maintained.
She said she believes in open government, and will encourage and welcome residents to share questions, comments or concerns if she is put in office.
“I have complete faith in my team. We have great ideas to restore our town, and we’re going to work very hard to do it,” she said.
Duffy and Aufseeser will square off in the Nov. 8 election. The winner will go on to finish out the one remaining year of former Mayor Clifton’s term, and will have to run against next year for the right to serve a full four-year term.