MONTGOMERY: Caliguire seeks county freeholder seat

By Kristine Snodgrass, Staff Writer
   MONTGOMERY — Committeeman Mark Caliguire launched his candidacy for the Somerset County Board of Freeholders on Thursday, asking members of the county Republican Committee to support his bid to replace retiring Freeholder Director Rick Fontana.
   ”The current financial crisis requires leaders with innovative solutions that lower taxes. I’ve been on the front line of the effort to do that in Montgomery and I’m eager to add my energy, ideas and business experience to the considerable talents already assembled on our Freeholder board,” he said in a statement.
   Mr. Fontana announced earlier this month that he would not seek reelection in November, citing personal reasons. Mr. Caliguire, who is completing his second full term on the township committee, said cutting taxes by consolidating services would be his top priority.
   ”We need to go beyond talk of shared services by identifying which services truly must be performed by local government and which can be more efficiently performed through regionalization or by county government. In Montgomery, we’re about to shift police and EMS dispatching responsibilities over to the county and save our taxpayers about $600,000 a year,” the statement reads. “This is a great example of delivering a quality service more efficiently and I applaud the Freeholders for this initiative. But, we can and must do more. I’ll work with local officials to help them lower their tax bills by expanding this effort to other areas.”A former state deputy attorney general, Mr. Caliguire cited his business experience as qualification for the job.
   ”I run a small business, so I know what it’s like to meet a payroll, motivate and hold employees accountable, and make tough choices,” he said. “In government, I’ve cut budgets, provided innovative thinking, found efficiencies, and never once voted for a tax increase. This economy has put a strain on every family in Somerset County and government has to do its part to help reduce that stress. I’m running to be the voice of the taxpayers who’s committed to creating efficiencies, reducing costs and lowering taxes.”