Stanley Drwal*(D) Drwal, 52, who has a wife, Helga, is a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, and is a math and physics teacher at Cardinal McCarrick High School, South Amboy. He was born and raised in Sayreville. Drwal has a bachelor of science degree in engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., and masters degrees in international relations, and national security and strategic planning. He has served on the council since 2003, and serves on the Environmental Committee. He is commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4699, and a member of American Legion Post 211, Knights of Columbus Council 2061, and Disabled American Veterans Chapter 67. At stake: Two three-year terms on the Borough Council
* indicates incumbent
What would you like to do to improve Sayreville, and how would you accomplish that?
Stanley Drwal
I will continue to work on the things I began three years ago. My goal has been to make Sayreville a place where families want to remain their entire lives. This can be done with long-term financial planning instead of short-term planning controlled by election cycles. I will also continue to focus on quality-of-life issues like cleanliness of the town, safety, reduction of vandalism and graffiti. I will accomplish this in the same way as I did in improving the Capik Nature Preserve. By working a multi-faceted program involving various borough agencies, we can return the town to the hardworking, law-abiding taxpayer.
Ron Green (R) Green, 65, is a retired police officer who served 35 years with the Sayreville Police Department. He has lived in the borough for 55 years. He graduated from Sayreville High School and attended Rutgers University. Green has served for nearly two years on both the Planning Board and the Environmental Commission. He is also a District 28 Republican county committeeman.
Ron Green
Sayreville is fortunate to have many volunteers who dedicate their time and talent to the borough. In a growing community like ours, we need to attract more volunteers to public service. Regrettably, many people are now being turned off by partisan bickering and politics. I plan to use my office to expose those who play politics and to create an environment to encourage citizens to get involved in our town.
Kathy Makowski (D) Makowski, 47, has a husband, Jim, and a son and two daughters. She is the administrative director of a mid-size service company in New York, and has an associate degree in business. A resident of Sayreville for 20 years, Makowski has volunteered for many years with the PTA, and her work as a Girl Scout leader earned her an Outstanding Girl Scout Leader of the Year award. She has coached recreational softball and is an appointed committee member to the Sayreville Recreation Advisory Board. She is also on the Sayreville Day Committee, Shade Tree Commission, Sayreville High School Choir Parents Association and the Sayreville Domestic Violence Response Team.
Kathy Makowski
We all know that property taxes are out of control. I will work with the council to ensure that we do all that we can to stabilize property taxes by reducing costs through shared services. Thanks to the work of my running mate, Stanley Drwal, Sayreville has already entered into numerous arrangements with other municipalities to share services, and once elected I will work with the council to expand these programs.
Marion Marks (R) Marks, 48, has a husband, Robert, and two grown children, Heather, 25, and Sean, 20. A homemaker, Marks is a native of Long Island, N.Y., and has lived in Sayreville for 28 years. She is a volunteer for the Sayreville Brain-Injured Children organization and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
Marion Marks
We need to reduce high taxes, first by cutting the legal fees in the borough. Far too much of taxpayers’ money is being spent on politically connected lawyers. In one month alone this year, the borough spent in excess of $70,000 on legal fees. So many of our residents don’t earn this amount of money in an entire year.
How do you view the borough’s efforts to redevelop the former National Lead site, and how do you think the town should move forward with that project?
Stanley Drwal
The borough’s efforts to redevelop National Lead have been a key element of our future success. Done properly, this redevelopment could provide the economic stimulus to improve every aspect of our residents’ lives. Despite great progress, this redevelopment has stalled and requires a fresh look at how we can get the project moving forward at a quicker pace without settling for quick fixes that will be detrimental in the future. We must also stop focusing solely on National Lead and begin other redevelopment projects that will also bring economic growth along with improved facilities for residents.
Ron Green
Redevelopment of the National Lead site was making significant progress under the leadership of Mayor Kennedy O’Brien. Unfortunately, when the Democrats took control they removed the mayor and the Republicans from the Sayreville Economic Redevelopment Agency (SERA). We need to get politics out of this process and regain the confidence of the residents. One of the methods I plan to do is to close the loopholes from the pay-to-play ordinance, so SERA is not simply a mechanism for Democratic fundraising.
Kathy Makowski
We need to have a sensible redevelopment plan that preserves open space and limits overdevelopment. I look forward to working with the members of the Sayreville Economic Redevelopment Agency to ensure that National Lead is developed into the treasure for the borough that it can become. Additionally, I will work with the council to advance preservation of open space on other undeveloped parcels in the borough.
Marion Marks
Stanley Drwal has been quoted as saying that the Sayreville Economic Redevelopment Agency should be bipartisan, but he voted to throw every Republican off SERA and fill the seats with partisan Democrats. Now the developer has pulled out of the project and left the agency in a crisis. I believe redevelopment should not be used by politicians to destroy this critical project.
There have been numerous public disputes between Borough Council Democrats and Republican Mayor Kennedy O’Brien over the past year. Do you consider the basis of these differences as partisan politics or issues-based, and why?
Stanley Drwal
3) I consider the majority of the disputes between the council Democrats and Republican Mayor Kennedy O’Brien to be based on partisan politics. I along with my colleagues on the council have moved forward on numerous projects aimed at improving the lives of residents. We have also reacted to problems brought before us by residents and tried to reach reasonable solutions. The mayor has provided little leadership and has not talked to us about issues in order to reach a solution. He has preferred to simply throw up problems without giving ideas on solutions and then absolving himself of responsibility no matter which way the council decides.
Ron Green
I believe most of the public disputes are the result of partisan politics. As an example, Assemblyman John Wisniewski had special legislation passed in Trenton to change the makeup of SERA and seize control of the agency. The Democrats set the tone for partisanship in January 2006 when they refused to appoint many experienced people to boards and commissions, only because of party affiliation.
Kathy Makowski
I do not consider the differences based on partisan politics; perhaps it is frustration that is felt when progress is not made after several attempts to research or resolve matters of considerable importance to the community. In my opinion, there has been an absence of leadership and vision to bring the town of Sayreville to the next level.
Marion Marks
The public disputes must be partisan politics because even the mayor’s proposal to get horses shelter from a hurricane was met with strong Democratic opposition. The mayor was merely responding to many complaints from residents on this subject. It seems that if the mayor were to say the sky is blue, the Borough Council Democrats would oppose him.
Why should people vote for you on Nov. 8?
Stanley Drwal
I am a man of action who works on getting the mission accomplished. I am honest with the residents and I do not make promises I cannot fulfill. Three years ago I said I wanted to improve the cleanliness of the town, improve the nature preserve and concentrate on long-term financial planning. I moved forward on all three, forming the Sayreville Conservation Corps as a cost-effective method of cleaning up the town, and sought and received grants and donations to improve the preserve. I led the way in long-term budget planning and was the only one to speak up against poor budget planning last year.
Ron Green
I have served the residents of Sayreville for 35 years with a distinguished career as a police officer, retiring with the rank of lieutenant. In addition, I have served as a volunteer on the Planning Board and on the Environmental Commission. Now I want to use that experience in leadership roles to bring some order to the partisan chaos that the Democrats have created in our town.
Kathy Makowski
For the past 20 years, I have been an active member of the community. I have raised my children here, and my husband and I continue to contribute our time to the town. I feel that I have a good perspective of what our town needs to become a better place to live. With regard to financial issues, I know that my professional background will be of value in reviewing budgets and prioritizing projects. Most importantly, I should be elected because I truly care about Sayreville and the residents. I am a person of quality and substance who will look at the issues objectively so that a logical solution can be achieved.
Why should people vote for you on Nov. 8?
Marion Marks
I feel people should vote for me because I am not another politician, but a concerned citizen. As a homeowner, I have seen rising property taxes affect my family and all others, especially the seniors. I want to use my experience and common sense in balancing a household budget to bring fiscal responsibility to our borough.