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MILLTOWN — Two Republicans have filed to run for the Borough Council seats currently held by Randy Farkas and John Collins. Farkas is running as an independent candidate, while Collins is not seeking re-election.
No Democratic candidates filed to run in the primary, but can still be added to the November general election ballot.
The council is currently made up of five Republicans, including Farkas and Collins. Its only Democrat, Ronald Dixon, is in his first year as a councilman.
Republican candidates Gary Holsten and Robert Owens are both making their first bids for office.
Holsten, 58, is married with two grown children and is a retired police lieutenant.
He said that after working for 31 years and raising two children, he now has the time needed to devote to running for office.
"The main reason I decided to run now is to make a difference. It’s becoming more and more evident how bad things have gotten and how much worse they can possibly get," he said. "You do not have to look far or hard to see the condition our country is currently in. I believe it will take some hard decisions, and responsibility, but we can turn things around and take back America, one town at a time."
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One of the most important issues facing Milltown is the rising cost to residents, many of whom are seniors on fixed incomes, he said.
"These people would like to stay a part of our community, but with the rising costs it makes it harder and harder for them to stay," he said. Other important issues in Holsten’s view are the redevelopment of Ford Avenue and keeping Milltown a safe community. His first priority, if elected, would be maximizing the use of tax dollars, and making sure the borough is fiscally responsible, he said.
Owens, 41, is married with two children, and has a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and a Master of Mechanical Engineering degree from Duke University. He is vice president of sales for North American Machine Works, Folcroft, Penn.
Owens said there are several crucial issues facing Milltown right now, chief among them being the Ford Avenue redevelopment plans, a situation that he termed a debacle. He said the current plans for Ford Avenue, including those from the owner of the property and from the borough’s chosen developer have the potential to be economically disastrous for the taxpayers of Milltown.
A second important issue, he said, is the aging infrastructure in town.
"After we finish relining the water lines along Main Street, we then need to continue this work in other areas of the town which require it," he said. "Our electrical infrastructure is in need of a serious evaluation. We have a transformer station located in a flood plain and a distribution system which has become unreliable."
Owens also cited property taxes as a major issue. He said that with all that is going on with the state budget, he feels everyone is going to see property taxes increase, due in part to the reduction of the property tax rebate and the property tax deduction for personal income tax.
"I also believe that in order to bring the state budget closer to balanced, the governor is going to be forced to reduce state municipal aid. Lower municipal aid means higher taxes for homeowners," Owens said.
"Property taxes are a large burden on every family in town. I know of several families that have lost at least one salary to this current recession, so property taxes have become an even bigger issue in those households. It is incumbent upon our Borough Council to examine every reasonable way to keep our property taxes flat," he said.
If elected, Owens said, his first priority would be to learn all he can about how the borough came to be in its current situation with regards to those issues, and then to help the council formulate practical solutions to the problems.
Owens said his family loves living in Milltown, and he is determined to preserve that which makes it special.
"I decided to run for council because I feel that I can provide a common sense approach to the issues outlined above," he said. "When approaching problems, my engineering education and background have taught me to be analytical and to filter out variables that have little influence."