Eric Steeber For the first time in 13 years, Milltown will have a new mayor in 2012. And for the first time in a quarter-century, the mayor will be a Democrat.
“It’s been a long time,” said Eric Steeber, who won the seat on Nov. 8, defeating Republican Ronald Dixon, who is currently a councilman, in a vote of 1,294 to 954. On Jan. 1, Steeber will take over for longtime Republican Mayor Gloria Bradford, who did not seek re-election.
The Democrats also had success in the race for two seats on the Borough Council. Randy Farkas and Joseph Pietanza defeated the GOP’s Jules Dekovics and Stacey Waters. Pietanza led the tallies with 1,379, followed by Farkas with 1,295, Dekovics, 953, andWaters, 853.
Pietanza and Farkas will take over for Councilmen Dixon and Lawrence Citro, giving the Democrats a 4-2 majority.
Steeber, who previously served for nine years on the council, said he wants to get the community involved again with council meetings — and for him, that means returning to the format the borough used to have, with an agendameeting held separately from the action meetings. The current format was adopted years ago to accommodate a former member who had suffered a stroke. Steeber said an agenda meeting would empower the residents. Currently, he said, he sees an environment where residents aren’t able to address issues until council members are already fairly certain of how they plan to vote. Community input is in short supply, he said, and it is important for the council members to know residents’ opinions before they vote.
Joseph Pietanza “I really need the folks in town to speak up,” he said.
Steeber said he has not yet shared this plan with his future council members. But in terms of implementation, “I’m hoping [to do so] right away,” he said. He added that he’s very much looking forward to working with the council and residents alike.
Randy Farkas Farkas, who will return to the council after a two-year absence, called the election outcome “a decisive victory” for the Democrats. He said the new leadership will be a “breath of fresh air for the borough of Milltown,” and added that Steeber will be a great advocate at the state level for the municipality.
“We all have high expectations,” Farkas said.
Farkas ran as a Republican when he was elected to council in 2006, but then made two unsuccessful bids for election as an independent in 2009 and 2010.
“I’m the poster child for persistence,” he said.
Farkas said he felt there was a single issue that determined how many residents voted— the firehouse. He previously told the Sentinel that he felt the administration wasted a great deal of taxpayer money on plans for a new firehouse when officials knew that the borough’s electric substation was sitting in a floodplain and had previously flooded.
“We were on the right side of the issue,” Farkas said, adding that his intent is to put the firehouse construction proposal before the voters through a referendum.
“As soon as possible, we are going to put things in place,” he said.
He said he would look to place the question on either the school election ballot inApril or, more likely, the general election ballot in November.
Pietanza and Steeber said there were three core issues that drove voters to the polls.
“I would agree with Randy that the proposed new firehouse was a core issue. We have the utmost respect for our firemen and what they do for our community and will help them in any way we can,” Pietanza said. “However, at the current time, the electric utility and flooding issues are our priorities.”
Steeber agreed.
Farkas added that the Ford Avenue redevelopment issue was another burgeoning issue— and one he’s committed to seeing Milltown through.
On Oct. 12, Judge James P. Hurley ruled that Milltown would have to amend its redevelopment plan to specify that the Ford Avenue redeveloper present a plan that provides for at least 350 non-age-restricted residential units, with at least 70 set aside as affordable housing units. The borough’s plan originally called for 324 age-restricted housing units for seniors, with only a maximum of 64 being considered affordable housing units.
“Iwill do everything I can do to make sure the outcome is more favorable to the borough of Milltown,” Farkas said.
Steeber agreed that the Ford Avenue issue was going to take a lot of the governing body’s time and effort, but said there are other items on his to-do list, including the municipal budget. He stressed that it’s impossible to know how taxpayers may be affected next year until he’s able to get a look at the books.
“I don’tmake any decision until I have all the facts,” he said, adding that it’s a policy that has served him well as a land surveyor and continues to help him succeed.
He said he’s also looking at possible shared-services agreements.
“I want to put everything on the table,” he said, adding that he is interested to find out what kind of additional services the county could provide that would reduce borough costs. Milltown was an early adopter to the county’s recycling program, which he cited as an example of a previous success story.
Steeber said it would be better for the borough to have some say in how services are combined, which could happen if the town gets ahead of the state in terms of planning. “If you’re not willing to be proactive,” he said, “they’re going to come in and tell you want to do.
“I love Milltown,” he said. “I want it to endure.”