By Geoffrey Wertime, Staff Writer
FIELDSBORO The borough has a contested mayoral race this year, thanks to a Republican write-in campaign in the spring.
Republican Stephanie Berry will face off against longtime incumbent Edward “Buddy” Tyler in the Nov. 3 election.
Ms. Berry, 30, of River Court, works in a state agency’s human resources department and has lived in Fieldsboro since 2003. Though she has never held elected office, she is the chairwoman for the municipal Republican club and the borough coordinator for Chris Christie’s gubernatorial campaign.
”I’ve lived in the town for quite a few years now and I see a lot of potential,” she said. While she noted that “the town and people are great,” she said “it’s time for a change” in municipal politics.
If elected, she said, she would address the tax rate and the cost of services in the borough.
”Unfortunately our taxes are not really in sync with our house prices,” she said, noting in particular fees from the regional school district as well as sewer and water bills. “I think we really need to look at costs and get taxes back down to where they need to be.”
She also said she would examine the borough’s Police Department, which she said is frequently off-duty.
”Our town is so small; it’s like three streets long,” she said. “Why do we have a (dedicated) police force?”
Ms. Berry also said she would like to focus on the physical town itself. She said while the borough “has a beautiful park, it’s not maintained.” In general, she said, the town and its facilities are “not kept up at all.”
Lastly, she said she would focus on “bringing back the small town feeling” to Fieldsboro. While she said she appreciates events like the annual Field Day, she would push for “more things like that, really where the town is coming together.”
Possibilities she named included a townwide barbecue or craft show.
Mr. Tyler, 65, of Second Street, has been the borough’s mayor for 27 years and was on the council for a few years before that. He said his accomplishments have included getting sewer and water lines in the borough, installing new streets, sidewalks, curbs, and creating a recreation field.
He said he is running again “because I have nobody else I feel comfortable in giving (the town) up to.
”I think I’ve accomplished most of the things I want” at the local level in his previous terms, he added.
He said the issue of consolidation “has certainly topped the list,” be it forced or through local agreements. “I see sooner or later (state legislators) will have to have a scapegoat for their incompetence, and the scapegoat is going to be (to) save money by consolidating towns,” instead of looking at the cost of education statewide, he said.
Development in other nearby towns, such as Bordentown Township, also affects Fieldsboro, he said. He criticized both current developments there like Bradford Pointe apartments, whose residents he said come to the borough for recreation, and upcoming projects like the Bordentown Waterfront Development, which he said will put a strain on the Bordentown Regional School District.
”These things are not in my control,” he noted. “I can argue against them but it seems like they just continue on.”
Mr. Tyler said he is looking into the possibility of merging services with nearby municipalities.
”On the surface I don’t see it would benefit Fieldsboro, but I still am open to looking into it.”
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