JACKSON — Ken Bressi, Kimberly Lum and Peter Grzelak have announced that they are running as a team in the May 11 Jackson municipal election. Bressi is running for mayor, and Lum and Grzelak are each seeking a seat on the Township Council.
Bressi is a current member of the council. All of the terms that are on the ballot in the nonpartisan May election will be for four years.
In a press release, the candidates said they are united in their effort to provide firm, fair and honest leadership to Jackson.
Bressi said, “Kimberly Lum and Peter Grzelak are an asset to a strong conservative ticket that I am proud to be part of. As Jackson has grown over the years, it has become apparent that Jackson needs a fulltime mayor. If elected, I am the only mayoral candidate who is committed and able to serve as a full-time mayor while accepting the current part-time salary for the position.”
Lum, a first-time independent candidate who has been involved in the community for years by attending Planning Board and Township Council meetings, said, “The enthusiasm from so many residents for the entire ticket is such a great feeling.”
Grzelak, a newcomer to the political arena, is currently serving as a volunteer on the Jackson Environmental Commission and as technical adviser on the Jackson School District Technologies Committee.
He said, “I am proud to run with Ken Bressi. As mayor and deputy mayor in the early 1990s, Ken had many great accomplishments, including stabilizing the municipal tax rate for five years, creating the open public budget workshops (the first in the state to do that), and changing land use ordinances to more fully protect our environment and control growth. His work ethics were and are second to none.
“I am equally proud to have Kimberly Lum on the ticket. She is a staunch public advocate for the people of Jackson. With the hard economic times we are currently facing, Kimberly’s experience as a professional financial controller will be a valuable addition.
“We want to bring back common sense to local government,” Grzelak said. “It is imperative that we distinguish between wants and needs when it comes to our tax dollars. I am tired of the wasteful spending, it is time to refocus and do what is right for our town.”
Lum added, “I have no hidden agenda. My only promise is to work for the residents of Jackson — for the entire population and not special interest groups or political party bosses. Voting for our ticket will allow Jackson residents to trust in those they choose to help make decisions for the overall good of the town. We need firm, fair and honest people to deal with the difficult challenges we all face in this economy.
“With Ken Bressi, the only mayoral candidate who is able to make the full-time commitment at the current part-time salary, as well as my running mate Peter Grzelak, our team will work diligently with an open government, with the residents of Jackson to guide us through these rough economic times and into the future.”
Bressi said, “We hear the voice of our residents. They want common sense back in government. They want government to stop spending what we do not have. They want to see the wasteful spending of hard-earned tax dollars on non-essentials stopped. Most of all, they want firm, fair and honest leadership, and that is just what this trio aims to accomplish.”