First in a series on the 2010 election
By Davy James, Staff Writer
Candidates running for a four-year term on the Township Council in November’s upcoming general election said South Brunswick needs to think outside the box and consider every possible avenue for budgetary savings to deal with a brutal economic climate.
Three candidates are running for one council seat: independent Jean Dvorak, incumbent Democrat Chris Killmurray and Republican Steven Walrond. The election will be Nov. 2.
Running for mayor, a four-year seat, are incumbent Democrat Frank Gambatese, independent Debra Johnson and Republican Michael Kushwara.
The Township Council recently adopted a $47.03 million spending plan, reduced from last year’s $48 million budget. The budget carried a 5-cent tax rate increase due to a loss of state aid, a decrease in new construction fees and a drop in ratables.
Independent
Jean Dvorak, 61, a retired schoolteacher who lives in the Eastern Villages section, said she would like to see the township explore more green energy options.
”One of the first things I’d like to see the township do is move towards alternative energy supplies,” Ms. Dvorak said. “We need to explore the various ways of developing solar energy systems, for sure. There are a number of ways to do this without spending a fortune and, if I’m elected, I will certainly take the lead in this effort.”
Ms. Dvorak believes the township also needs to be run more efficiently.
”The state finalizes its budget by the end of June,” she said. “How can we expect them to realistically assess our needs if our budget isn’t ready until nearly September? I think South Brunswick loses a lot of credibility with state officials when we’re not ready with concrete financial details about what we have and what we need while they are making crucial decisions about state aid to municipalities. Would being on time help? It’s hard to say, but it would certainly strengthen any arguments about how important state aid can be.”
Ms. Dvorak also favors the creation of a citizen advisory board on budgetary issues.
”South Brunswick needs to do a line by line assessment of every department and every expense in the budget,” she said. “And we need the help and input of the public to do it. There are probably many people out there with expertise and insight we could tap into. I think the township is on the right track by creating a public budget advisory board, but we also need to listen to that board and take its advice. Hopefully it will be as successful as the Citizens Budget Advisory Board that was implemented by former mayor and my current running mate, Debra Johnson.”
Ms. Dvorak said she questions recent council decisions on garbage pickup contracts, as well as the current water and sewer agreements, saying the Township Council too often speculates on future possibilities instead of focusing on current-day practicalities.
”I know I’ve learned to count the cash in my wallet before making a purchase and I think it’s time for government to start thinking that way too,” she said. “Instead of saying here’s what we want, how much money do we need, we need to say here’s how much money we have, now what do we really need?”
Chris Killmurray
Democrat
Chris Killmurray, 47, of Dayton, an attorney who has served two terms on the Township Council, said the council constantly looks for savings through shared services while exploring every avenue for other potential savings.
”Over the last two years we have cut the budget by almost $3 million and we’ve reduced the township work force by about 50 positions,” Mr. Killmurray said. “We’ve made difficult decisions and we recognize the difficult times we’re in. We have tried to balance our decisions while still providing the services our residents need.”
Mr. Killmurray pointed to a $1.1 million reduction in state aid as one of the obstacles the council had to overcome, while still facing the possibility of less aid in the future. He said the council went over each and every line item in the budget to explore which areas could be cut for further savings.
”You have to look at what money our township professionals tell us is available and weigh the cost of each service,” he said. “There were a total of 80 line items that were cut in this year’s budget and we’ll keep making difficult decisions and cut wherever we can and look at where we can allocate our resources better. We’ve done that even though we’re down 50 employees, and that’s not ideal but we have to recognize the times we’re in and reduce the burden on our taxpayers.”
Mr. Killmurray pointed to discounted water and sewer rates for seniors living on fixed incomes as one example of how the council has worked to minimize the impact of increases for residents.
”This is why we looked to tiered rates for all of our residents in terms of usage to try and decrease the costs for our residents as much as possible,” Mr. Killmurray.
Mr. Killmurray said the township is focusing on new streams of revenue, such as a future café to be built in the South Brunswick Public Library and the recent purchase of a township dog park, which the council is considering operating. He also said the council is focused on attracting new businesses into town.
”When you bring in a good ratable that generates revenue you also have to balance it with quality of life issues for our residents,” he said. “You have to look at every proposal from a planning perspective, what the proposal is and where it’s located. It’s important to balance the needs of the neighborhoods of South Brunswick with commercial development and our record shows we’ve done an excellent job of doing that. Our ratable base is the envy of other towns in Middlesex County.”
Republican
Steven Walrond, 43, of Kendall Park, a retired police officer who served for six years with the South Brunswick Police Department, said the council needs to make South Brunswick more business friendly and favors creating an advisory board of residents with expertise in accounting and business to make recommendations to the township manager and council on budgetary issues.
”After the manager proposes the budget, we can send it for review by this advisory board, which would be comprised of business professionals with different areas of expertise,” Mr. Walrond said. “There are many people in this township who can offer good opinions and ideas that can be brought back to the council to see if the manager can implement them for cost-saving changes.”
Mr. Walrond said he would like to see the township increase its shared-service agreements with the local school district and surrounding towns to maximize efficiency and benefit each separate entity.
”We need to utilize the concept of mutual aid to reduce costs for ourselves and surrounding townships who might be able to utilize our services and pay us for them, which could be more cost efficient for both us and them,” he said. “This would help to bring down our operating expenses with shared services. We wouldn’t have to cut staff and we would save money.”
Mr. Walrond also said he would like to reach out to residents and encourage more volunteer work, saying there are many retirees who would like to volunteer but don’t know where to go. He said reaching out to more volunteers would help reduce the workload on township employees.
As the Township Council considers an ordinance that would require new businesses to install security cameras to cover their parking areas, Mr. Walrond said he favors moving away from such ideas as they hamper business growth in the township.
”We need to review many of our policies and ordinances to make sure we’re not burdening businesses with unfunded mandates,” he said. “We want to make South Brunswick more inviting for business to make sure we keep the ones we have and invite new ones, because this would bring in more ratables and reduce taxes on our homeowners.”
Mr. Walrond said every contract the township has needs to be reviewed to find the best rates. He said there is a delicate balance between providing the services residents need while also keeping expenses down.
”Sometimes there are decisions made for the township where you have to say no depending on the cost,” he said. “I’m not going to be a person who says yes to everything because the cost may outweigh the need. Sometimes you have to say no because we just can’t afford it.”

