Budai, Johnson pursue seats on governing body

BY KATHY BARATTA Staff Writer

MANALAPAN – There will be a Republican primary in Manalapan in June now that Kalman “Butch” Budai Jr. and Steven Johnson are also vying for two seats on the Township Committee.

Budai and Johnson, the two Republicans who are mounting a primary challenge against the candidates who have been nominated by the Manalapan Republican Party to run for a pair of seats on the Township Committee, say they believe they would be the better candidates to represent their party.

The Manalapan Republican County Committee has nominated Ryan Green and William Garcia to run for three-year terms on the local governing body.

In June, Republicans in Manalapan will go to the polls and decide which two men will go on the November general election ballot to run for the committee.

Manalapan Democrats have nominated Michelle Roth and Donald Holland to run for the committee. They will not be challenged in a Democratic primary.

The decision by Budai and Johnson to run for the committee confirmed behindthe scenes maneuvers that had been taking place in Manalapan over the course of several weeks and brought the split in the pary to the attention of the public.

Budai, 50, has been a resident of Manalapan for 12 years. He is the owner of a ceramic tile company. Before that he was a dispatcher for the Suburban Transit Bus Company.

Budai said that if he is elected to the Township Committee, he would focus on commuter issues since his experience at Suburban Transit gave him an understanding of the problems faced by commuters, and also a professional’s perspective as it relates to buses and the scheduling of routes.

As for what, if any, improvements he would work to promote within the township, Budai said he would conduct an audit of each municipal department to see how employees are being used in each one.

He also said he would work to encourage the continuing spirit of cooperation that has begun between the municipality and the local school district by looking for further ways for the two entities to share services.

Budai presently serves on the Manalapan Transportation Board and the Summer Recreation Committee. His past volunteer service includes having served on theManalapan Economic Development Committee, the Recreation Advisory Board and the Manalapan Arts Council.

Budai has been the president of the Manalapan Republican Club, a social organization, for the past three years.

Budai said the reason he believes he did not garner the necessary votes to be selected as a candidate over Green or Garcia was because 12 new Republican County Committee people were brought in to vote over the Easter weekend when the party’s convention was scheduled on a day when several old-guard Republicans would not be able to attend due to religious observances.

The county committee members – who are male and female residents from each voting district in Manalapan – and the Republican municipal chairman select the candidates for local office.

Budai said another problem was that the convention was scheduled by Republican Chairman StephenMcEnery while he (Budai) was out of town, thereby putting him at a disadvantage.

He also blamed McEnery for his low vote total because McEnery toured the township with Green and Garcia prior to the county committee convention, introducing them to the county committee members in each voting district in the municipality, and thereby implicitly touting their candidacy over his and Johnson’s, according to Budai.

“If there had been a level playing field I don’t believe I would have come in last place. I feel like I’m the best candidate, no doubt about it,” he said.

Johnson, 54, said he is employed in the office automation business and has been a Manalapan resident for 11 years. He said that in the past he has been responsible for managing a staff of 50 people and a business operating budget of $30 million.

When asked what areas of improvement he thought were called for in town, he said, “Specific areas is tough because there is so much that needs to be addressed.”

Johnson said if he is elected to the Township Committee his first priority would be to turn his attention to the matter of the development of The Village at Manalapan, a commercial project that has been approved at the intersection of Route 33 and Millhurst Road.

Johnson said that since a rezoning in 2000 allowed for the development of a commercial center at that location, the entire project has become a political “pingpong game.”

“We have entertained too many things outside the zone.We need to only consider those things within the zone,” he said. “The Township Committee did their part by creating the Village Commercial zone. Now they should stay out of it and let the Planning Board do their part. The Planning Board has no direction and the direction should come from the people.”

Johnson said there should be a four- to six-month period during which the pulse of the community should be taken to determine what will ultimately be developed at the Route 33 and Millhurst Road site. The property encompasses about 135 acres and 500,000 square feet of development have been approved.

In order to accomplish that, Johnson said, questionnaires should be mailed to Manalapan residents and public hearings should be held to discuss the project.

“I think the biggest problem is that no one in government wants it (The Village at Manalapan) done; it’s the public that does,” he said, adding that the commercial complex would serve residents on the southern side of Manalapan and would be “a ratable that will keep our taxes low.”

Johnson is a current member of the Manalapan Zoning Board of Adjustment and a past president of the Manalapan Republican Club.

Finally, Johnson said, “One of my major concerns is the safety of any project inManalapan and we need to look at making things more safe and not less safe.”

Budai and Johnson have filed a slate of candidates who will be seeking seats on the Manalapan Republican County Committee. The majority members of the county committee will eventually select a party chairman.