By Joanne Degnan, Staff Writer
PLUMSTED — Ronald S. Dancer was selected mayor for the 21st straight year at the recent Township Committee reorganization meeting, but the honor is bittersweet, he says, because this is his last year serving in elected municipal office.
Mr. Dancer, a Republican dual officeholder whose terms on the Plumsted Township Committee and the state Assembly both expire Dec. 31, says he only intends to run for re-election to the Legislature. Gov. Chris Christie has been critical of the practice of holding two elected offices at the same time, even when one job carries no salary or benefits, such as Mr. Dancer’s Plumsted position.
”Gov. Christie prefers that officials serve in only one elected capacity, so I am not planning on running for local office again, but I am hopeful that I will continue to represent Plumsted in the state Legislature,” Mr. Dancer said Friday. “I won’t be mayor anymore in 2012, but my heart always remains with Plumsted.”
The Plumsted Township Committee’s annual reorganization was held Jan. 4 and also included the swearing-in of three newly elected committeemen. Jack Trotta took the oath of office for a two-year unexpired term; and Steven Reed and David Leutwyler were sworn in to full three-year terms. The members of the all-Republican Township Committee also re-elected Mr. Leutwyler as the deputy mayor and approved a temporary $808,346 municipal operating budget.
As a state assemblyman, Mr. Dancer represents the 30th Legislative District, which now comprises Plumsted and 14 other municipalities in four different counties, including Robbinsville, Allentown, Upper Freehold and Roosevelt. Legislative redistricting is occurring this year, however, to reflect population shifts found in 2010 U.S. Census data and this could redraw the 40 districts’ boundaries.
”As of January 2012, I hope to be still serving Plumsted and whatever other municipalities are placed in the district,” said Mr. Dancer, who has been an assemblyman since 2002. “But first I’d have to be lucky enough to win the primary in June and the general election in November.”
The 30th Legislative District is one of the fastest growing in the state, and with an estimated 242,000 residents as of 2006, it’s already 18 percent larger than the statewide average for legislative districts, according to a study by Dr. Ernest Reock Jr., of Rutgers University’s Center for Government Services. This makes it likely that the district’s lines will be redrawn to account for population gains.
If Plumsted is no longer in the same district as Lakewood and Bordentown after redistricting, Mr. Dancer, 61, would be seeking re-election without one or both his of his longstanding running mates: state Sen. Robert Singer, who lives in Lakewood, and Assemblyman Joseph Malone, who lives in Bordentown.
Mr. Dancer said his priorities as Plumsted mayor in 2011 are taxes, land preservation and the revitalization of the downtown New Egypt business district.
The Plumsted municipal tax rate is 11 cents per $100 in assessed valuation, which means a resident with a home assessed at the township average of $383,000 pays $421 in municipal taxes — the lowest in the county, Mr. Dancer said.
”To put that $421 in perspective, the average municipal tax bill for all 33 Ocean County municipalities is $1,592,” Mr. Dancer said.
Municipalities send out property tax bills — comprising municipal, school, county and fire taxes — but keep only the municipal tax portion of the revenue.
”My No. 1 priority remains the stabilization of taxes because people in Plumsted cannot afford to pay more taxes,” Mr. Dancer said.
Farmland preservation also is high on the agenda, Mr. Dancer said. To date, Plumsted, which has 20 square miles of farmland and the downtown New Egypt business district, has preserved 44 farms and wants to build on that success.
”Keeping Plumsted rural and affordable is a high priority,” Mr. Dancer said.
As for the struggling New Egypt business district, Mr. Dancer said the Township Committee would continue its downtown revitalization efforts, and providing sewer service to that area is key. Sanitary sewers also would help prevent the degradation of Oakford Lake and Crosswicks Creek, which are being polluted by inadequate or failing septic systems and cesspools.
Local officials had hoped a proposed senior citizen retirement community off Province Line Road would have provided the public-private mechanism for bringing sewers to the downtown area, but the project fell through due to the economy and the collapse of the active senior housing market, Mr. Dancer said.
Now, the township is investigating the feasibility of running sanitary sewer lines the 6.2 miles from the business district along Route 537 to the Jackson Township Municipal Utilities Authority facility by Great Adventure, Mr. Dancer said. Preliminary cost estimates are still being developed for the plan, which would need approvals from a variety of government agencies before it could proceed.
If feasible, the Great Adventure proposal would be a good solution for Plumsted because it would mean the township would not have to incur the expense of purchasing land and constructing a treatment facility, Mr. Dancer said.

