By KATHY CHANG
Staff Writer
METUCHEN — Four candidates are vying for the two available seats on the Borough Council in the upcoming election.
Incumbent Dorothy Rasmussen and newcomer Linda Koskoski are running on the Democratic ticket and face Republican challengers Daniel Lebar and Joseph Furmato III in the race.
Councilman James Wallace is not seeking another term.
Joe Furmato III, who is seeking his first term, is a 10-year resident. He is married with a 2-year-old son.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in finance with a minor in political science from Ramapo College. He works in investment management.
Furmato said he is running because he wants to help Metuchen try to maintain its historic reputation of being a great small town where residents feel safe and can provide their children with a high-quality education.
“I can do this by contributing my core qualities of being highly organized and my exceptional ability to find value and save money where possible,” he said.
Furmato noted that in 2012, he reached out to Amtrak to pave the deteriorating road at the south end of Central Avenue, which is adjacent to the Amtrak/New Jersey Transit line. He said he also did this again earlier this year in order to escalate the painting for the Main Street Bridge.
“In 2017, I would like to have all public meetings conducted interactively via web and teleconference,” he said. “By doing this, the borough will allow more residents and committee members to be involved that otherwise cannot physically make meetings. It will offer the ability for everyone to contribute their ideas and concerns directly.”
Daniel Lebar, who is seeking his first term on the council, is a 44-year resident of the borough.
He earned his Juris Doctorate degree from Seton Hall Law School. He is a semi-retired attorney, municipal lien and real estate investor.
Lebar, who ran for mayor last year, is currently a representative for state Sen. Patrick Diegnan (D-Middlesex) on the Middlesex County Transportation Coordinating Committee, a member of the JFK Hospital Institutional Review Board and chairman and executive director of the Metuchen Republican Municipal Committee.
In previous years, Lebar has served as incorporator, president, volunteer legal counsel to secure IRS tax-exempt recognition, a member of the Friends of the Metuchen Library, founding appointee, later chairman of the Metuchen Cable TV Advisory Committee (now known as TV and Technology Committee), founding video coordinator of METV (the Borough’s Public-Educational-Governmental A/V channel) and a member, initially secretary and later chair, of the Metuchen Traffic & Transportation Advisory Committee.
Lebar said he is running for council to offer an alternative voice as the downtown area is witnessing a transformational build-out.
“Unease is felt throughout Metuchen in face of relentless teardowns of seemingly functional dwellings replaced by maximally sized ‘cookie cutter’ design ‘mini mansions,’” he said.
He said they are working to rebuild the local GOP organization and making sure the borough operates as the “Brainy Boro” in which the borough is known as.
Lebar said if elected he would reinstitute hiring sole practitioners and/or small firms within Metuchen whenever possible and make sure the borough is the “principal client” and “highest priority” when entering into a contract.
“In engineering especially [borough officials have to] seek to achieve long-term institutional knowledge, consistent high-quality specifications and oversight of all road projects and policies,” he said.
Linda Koskoski, who is seeking her first term, is a 26-year resident of the borough. She is married to Pete Fairclough and has a 19-year-old son and a 17-year-old daughter, who is a senior at Metuchen High School.
She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Montclair State University and is the co-owner of Marafiki Fair Trade.
Koskoski has volunteered in many different ways in the community.
“I am currently the president of the Library Board and have been a member of the board since 2010,” she said. “During my time there, I oversaw the renovation of the Children’s Room, served on the Search Committee for the current director and participated in developing the Strategic Plan.”
Koskoski has also operated a successful downtown business for more than four years called Marafiki Fair Trade.
“In addition to being committed to Fair Trade practices for artisans around the world, Marafiki also served as a hub for community activities such as being a collection site for charitable donations, a showcase for local artisans, providing educational opportunities for scouting groups and hosting several events designed to raise local awareness of global issues.”
Koskoski has volunteered with the Parent Teacher Organizations on different activities, including the Spring Extravaganza and Project Graduation.
“I have also volunteered with the Girl Scouts as a leader and with the Boy Scouts as a Cub Scout leader and climbing instructor,” she said.
Koskoski said her decision to run for the Metuchen Borough Council is borne out of her commitment to making Metuchen the best town it can be.
“I have always been an active volunteer in town and running for council seems to be a natural extension of my desire to make a contribution,” she said. “I feel that my unique position of being not only a resident, but also a small business owner gives me a well-rounded perspective on how to maintain our wonderful residential neighborhoods as well as insight into how to create a vibrant downtown.”
Koskoski said she is excited about the prospect of working with the Metuchen Downtown Alliance on realizing downtown Metuchen’s potential.
She said she has been vocal as both a resident and business owner about issues in town including bike/walk safety, the Downtown Alliance, the Pearl Street Development and ordinances pertaining to operating a business.
“I would like to continue working on the efforts that are focused on creating a more vibrant and prosperous downtown district,” she said. “I think there are many parts that will contribute to this including strong support for the Metuchen Downtown Alliance, implementation of a Complete Streets policy to improve walk/bike safety and finding ways to tie our section of the Middlesex Greenway to all the wonderful things our downtown has to offer.”
Dorothy Rasmussen, who is seeking her third term, is a 26-year resident of the borough. She has two adult children, who are graduates of Metuchen High School.
She has a Bachelor of Science degree in medical technology from the College of Staten Island (CUNY) and is a clinical laboratory technologist.
Rasmussen said community involvement has always been in her blood.
“It was instilled in me by my parents who were active in our community in Brooklyn (New York),” she said. “I started as a soccer mom for my son, Roman, as a team parent, and also assisted on photo day.”
There she became involved in the uniform exchange program at St. Francis Cathedral School when her son, James, attended the school.
Rasmussen has assisted the Metuchen Grapplers Wrestling program as a team coordinator for about seven years and continues to assist them in their annual Novice Tournament fundraiser.
“Keeping our children safe during graduation festivities was important to me, so I worked on the Project Graduation committee for my son James’ Class of 2010,” she said.
Rasmussen said she also served on the Shade Tree Commission from 2008 until being elected to the Borough Council in 2010.
The councilwoman said having spent the last six years serving the residents of Metuchen, she believes she has served them well in many areas such as pedestrian safety, downtown revitalization and environmental sustainability.
“With the development projects at Pearl Street, Whole Foods and the inception of the Metuchen Downtown Alliance, I believe Metuchen will take its rightful place among the great downtowns of New Jersey, and I want to continue to be a part of it,” she said.
Rasmussen said pedestrian safety is of the utmost importance in Metuchen.
“But it is not just a Metuchen problem,” she said. “To improve pedestrian safety here, we must go outside our town and collaborate with surrounding towns and county officials to initiate programs that will change people’s behaviors.”
Rasmussen said pedestrians, motorists and bicyclists must learn their respective responsibilities to keep everyone safe while traversing our roads.
Polls are open from 6 a.m.-8 p.m. on Nov. 8.