JACKSON — Seven candidates are seeking two four-year terms on the Jackson Township Council in the nonpartisan May 11 municipal election.
The council candidates are Ann Updegrave, Scott Martin, Kimberly Lum, Marvin Krakower, Sean Giblin, Peter Grzelak and Kevin DiGesu.
The terms to which Martin and Updegrave were elected in May 2006 when Jackson switched to a new form of government will end on June 30. The two winners in the May 11 election will begin serving their terms in July.
The approved salary range for a member of the Jackson Township Council is from $8,000 to $18,000. The current salary of a council member is $8,668. The council president is currently paid $9,668.
Each candidate was asked by the Tri-Town News to state why they should be elected to Jackson’s governing body. Their responses are listed in alphabetical order by last name.
Kevin DiGesu, 44, has been a resident of Jackson for 11 years. He is employed as an operations manager for a security firm.
“I learned volunteerism from my parents, who were actively involved in the community of Union,” said DiGesu. “As a Boy Scout, I was active in my church community, volunteering with the church-based food bank.”
DiGesu said that as a teenager he volunteered to care for special-needs children.
“When I moved to Jackson with my new family, we made a commitment that we would get involved with the community because it helps to make you feel like this is your home,” he said.
“We became involved with the Jackson Council for the Arts summer theater program and then moved on to volunteer with the Optimist Club, the Elks, and Project Playground,” said DiGesu. “As I began to attend Township Council meetings, I saw that as the town grew, more houses were built and more people moved in with children who would attend our schools, and I began to worry.”
DiGesu said he saw property taxes rise and at times there did not seem to be logic in the decisions that were being made by the town’s elected officials.
“As I became familiar with the town operations and operators, I saw a need for someone to represent the regular people of Jackson,” he said. “I was appointed to the zoning board in 2006 for a year and then reappointed for a four-year term in 2009. The zoning board members quickly found out that I vote and speak my mind independently.”
DiGesu said he works well with people on all sides of an issue, listening to what is said and voting logically.
“This is what I will do if elected to the council,” he said. “I will not rubber stamp issues.”
Sean Giblin, 43, has lived in Jackson for 41 years. He served on Jackson’s previous Township Committee before the 2006 change of government. He has been employed by the Newark Star-Ledger for more than 25 years and is the plant foreman in the mailroom at the newspaper’s Montville facility.
Giblin said there is no more time for politics as usual under the incumbent politicians running the township.
“People in Jackson deserve real solutions and proven leadership,” he said. “That is why I am teaming up with Mike Kafton [who is running for mayor] and Marvin Krakower [who is running for council]. It is no secret that we have not always agreed with one another. This type of independent-minded thinking is good because it often produces better decisions and a clearer consensus. The current incumbents are anything but independent minded thinkers. One thing is clear: Mike Kafton, Marvin Krakower and I are committed to making Jackson better.
“We share a passion, a love for this township, and are dedicated to improving the lives of every senior, family, child and taxpayer who calls Jackson home. Mike, Marvin and I have a proven record of accomplishments. [As members of the previous Township Committee] we cut taxes, provided the highest level of services and addressed the important issues of the day, such as gypsy moth infestation, open space preservation, and recreational opportunities for our kids. We brought the first park-and-ride facility into Jackson. That was all accomplished while cutting the tax rate and controlling government spending.
“Our opponents’ record of higher taxes, incompetent handling of the gypsy moth fiasco and poor planning for snow removal have wasted our tax dollars and caused our quality of life to decline,” said Giblin. “We know how to manage Jackson. We have done it before and we will do it again. You deserve solutions and not politics.”
Peter Grzelak, 50, has been a Jackson resident for 11 years and has been employed for more than 15 years as a computer technology consultant. Grzelak said that like many residents in Jackson, he has seen property taxes increase over the past 10 years.
“I have tried to distinguish between wants and needs when it comes to spending, and I would apply the same philosophy if elected to the council,” he said. “I have a strong belief that the people of Jackson want leadership in our government that works for all of them and not just for a selected few. We need positive change in our town with new and fresh ideas, and not just when an election is here.
Peter Grzelak (con’t)
“We are all tired of the wasteful spending, lack of leadership and accountability from the majority of the current administration,” Grzelak said. “It is time to separate the wants from the needs for our fellow residents. We need firm, fair and honest leadership in Jackson, and I promise you that is the way I will deal with all issues that come in front of the council, if I am elected.”
Grzelak said residents should look at what the current and past administration have done, not what candidates say when it is time to run for re-election.
“In this time of an economic downturn, we must bring back some common sense as it relates to our spending habits,” he said. “My running mates [Ken Bressi for mayor and Kimberly Lum for council] and I welcome the opportunity to serve residents,” he said. “We will make the necessary changes to stabilize the tax base and get our town going in the right fiscal direction again.”
Marvin Krakower, 62, has lived in Jackson for 26 years. He served on the Township Committee prior to Jackson’s change of government in 2006. Krakower is a current member of the Jackson Board of Education. He is employed as the executive director of a house of worship.
“The common mantra of political campaigns recently has been ‘change.’ Nowhere is change needed more than here in Jackson. Did you know that students in neighboring towns like Brick, Toms River and Howell were back in school following one of the snowstorms this winter on Wednesday, yet our kids could not return until Friday” due to issues with street clearing.
Krakower said the problem with the snow clearing this winter did not come about because the incumbents who are running for re-election were saving money. He said it was because the current government is inefficient and irresponsible.
“When Mike Kafton, Sean Giblin and I were responsible for leading this township’s government, we cut taxes, demanded the highest quality of service for our residents, Mike Kafton preserved open space and dealt with gypsy moths, recreation and the environment,” said Krakower. “Our proven record of fiscal responsibility and leadership is one that residents can trust as we head into the next four years.
“We plan to do what we have done before, while also embracing the green energy initiatives that will ensure a better future,” he said. “From solar panels to more energyefficient lighting, we are going to cut costs and improve our efficiency with green energy technology.”
Krakower said the current economic times demand innovative, cost-cutting ideas, and he said all possible solutions will be explored to increase services and improve residents’ quality of life without increasing taxes.
“Our incumbent opponents will undoubtedly make promises, but check the records,” the candidate said. “They have raised taxes 32 percent. We cut taxes. We did it before and we’ll do it again. Mike, Sean and I are committed to making Jackson better.”
Kimberly Lum, 34, has been a Jackson resident for 11 years. She worked as a staff accountant and manager of finance and then took time off to be with her children before becoming a financial controller with a private company for the past year.
“I began to attend Planning Board and Township Council meetings years ago and continue to do so on a regular basis,” Lum said. “During these meetings, I remained steadfast on the tough issues, with the ability to remain objective. I have been a public advocate and will continue to do so when elected.”
Lum said residents are tired of what she called wasteful spending and a lack of leadership.
“It is time to refocus and do what is right for this town. Being a registered independent and a first-time council candidate, I have no hidden agendas. My promise is to work for the residents of Jackson, for the entire population, and not special interest groups or political party bosses,” Lum said
“Currently, we are in an economic downturn and state aid has been reduced,” she said. “We need to stop spending what we don’t have and do our best to stabilize taxes. These difficult decisions require a strong team to help find and decide what is best for the overall good of this town and the people that reside here. Let us not elect the same past officials who have overspent and placed this town in the red. Offering a fresh face, an open mind and winning solutions, I will help guide this town in the positive direction our residents deserve. Let’s restore our community and provide for what is most important, our residents.”
Scott R. Martin, 42, has lived in Jackson for 35 years. He was elected to the Township Council in 2006 when Jackson changed to a new form of government and is seeking a second four-year term. Martin has been a financial adviser for 12 years and is currently working with Creative Financial Group, a Met Life Affiliate.
Scott R. Martin (con’t)
Martin said he serves on the Board of Trustees for the Jackson High School Scholarship Fund, the Jackson Educational Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ocean County Friends of the Board and is a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Jackson Chamber of Commerce.
“It has been an honor to serve as a councilman for the past four years,” said Martin. “During that time, I have served on the council’s subcommittees for business and finance, recreation and senior services, and the EMS Advisory Committee, as well as being the liaison for the Board of Education.”
Martin said he has worked with people of various political backgrounds to create ordinances that make Jackson a more affordable and safer place to live.
“I co-authored ordinances mandating background checks on all personnel working with children, an ordinance creating our new ethics review board, and an ordinance requiring tougher penalties for code violations,” he said.
Martin said he authored the ordinance creating the no-knock registry.
“We have reined in runaway spending and reduced our debt, bringing fiscal discipline to Jackson for the first time since the 1990s,” he said. “Going forward, we must continue the fiscal discipline we began in 2006 and bring in more clean commercial ratables, which are the keys to maintaining a stable tax rate.”
Ann Updegrave, 56, has lived in Jackson for 23 years. She was elected to the Township Council in 2006 when Jackson changed to a new form of government and is seeking a second four-year term. Updegrave has worked for municipal government entities for nearly 19 years. She has been working as a confidential secretary in Toms River since 2007.
“First and foremost, I wish to thank all the residents and employees of Jackson for sharing their concerns,” Updegrave said. “Their input and hard work helped make my job interesting, inspiring, easier and worthwhile.”
Updegrave said she is a conservativeminded individual and a firm believer in fostering financially sound policies and procedures.
“My main objective for being considered for a council position is to continue serving Jackson residents to the best of my ability,” she said. “I believe an elected official is most effective at their governing duties when they understand and prioritize what is necessary to protect the health, safety and welfare of all residents.”
Updegrave said that should be an elected official’s primary goal.
Focusing on personal achievements and aspirations is not, in her opinion, the definition of an effective elected official.
“I have been criticized for not being vocal enough on some issues,” she said. “The voice of the residents is what needs to be heard, so I always wait until I have something valuable and worth saying on their behalf.”
Updegrave said making no promises, and acknowledging some mistakes along the way, her only hope is to continue implementing conservative legislative initiatives and policies to try and reduce the financial burdens facing Jackson’s residents.