By JACQUELINE DURETT
Correspondent
SAYREVILLE — Election Day could have quite an impact on the Sayreville Borough Council.
Currently, the council has a 4-2 Democrat majority, but with two seats open, that majority is at risk.
Democrat and current Council President Daniel Buchanan is running with previous Councilmember Ricci Melendez. On the Republican side is incumbent Art Rittenhouse and newcomer Christian Hibinski.
Buchanan said he is the council candidate with the most experience, making him the best choice for a seat.
Buchanan, a fifth-generation resident and father to a sixth-generation one, said if he is re-elected, he will “continue to fight for the taxpayers of Sayreville. I have a proven record of working across party lines for the benefit of Sayreville.”
He said he has voted against raising water rates, voted for ordinances that protect children, helped get first responders a radio system, sought funding to help improve borough parks and looked for ways to cut costs without compromising services.
“I stand behind my record and believe that I have made those decisions that are in the best interest of our residents,” he said.
He said the borough’s roads are congested and in need of repair, and the borough’s buildings and parks also need to be addressed. He also said the borough is still suffering tax-wise from the loss of homes following superstorm Sandy four years ago.
He said it is important for the borough to have the right leadership in place to see the National Lead site project through.
“We need a governing body that will work to make sure that our investment, Sayreville, is protected and that we make Sayreville more desirable to live,” he said. “The time for political games needs to end, and we need to work in a bipartisan manner to protect our residents.”
Melendez said he is the son of Latino immigrants who believed in the American dream.
“I want to do my part and help Sayreville and our residents live that dream,” he said.
He is a youth sports coach and a father of three; his wife owns a Montessori school in the borough. He said they both value education.
“I have a deep commitment to Sayreville. I want to continue to raise my children in a Sayreville that I can contribute and believe in,” he said.
Melendez agrees that there are many issues in the borough that need to be addressed; foremost among them, he said, is traffic.
“During peak hours of the day and on weekends the areas near our schools are a constant complaint among the residents,” he said.
Additionally, he said, he wants to take on the issues of security and safety in the borough.
“Our public spaces such as parks, municipal buildings and, most important, our schools have vulnerabilities that I feel are of major concern,” he said.
He said those vulnerabilities are both physical as well as virtual.
He said he wants to leverage his more than 20 years in the technology field on both the traffic and security issues. He pointed to his creation of the borough’s first information technology department during his first term on the council as an example of how he has used his technology background to help the borough.
He also said he wants to address a “lack of communication between the governing body, the residents, our business and other boards and commissions of the town.”
“In this day and age, people expect instant information and technology can be an enabler for communication. I feel people want to be aware, involved and want to be a part of the present and the future of this community. However, I believe it needs to start with communication, and there is a lack of it in Sayreville,” he said.
On the Republican side of the ticket, the Republicans say they are fighting against a political machine in the borough.
Rittenhouse said that machine “has been trying to ram down our throats the purchase of a police radio system, which is costing taxpayers millions of dollars. It makes no sense. The police don’t want it. The firefighters don’t want it. Our emergency response teams should have the ability to select what is best for them, rather than have the political machine reward their friends by forcing our bravest to use inferior equipment.”
He said during his tenure on council, “I have demanded that we treat the municipal budget like it is our household budget.
“You don’t pay $1,000 to get your lawn mowed just because someone tells you that is how it is done. We need to get rid of all the silly expenditures. If we are going to spend money, let’s spend it on investing in Sayreville and building our neighborhoods — not on handing out jobs and special perks to our friends.”
He said he wants to see Sayreville move to a zero-based budgeting model.
“Every year, the political machine takes the municipal budget and blindly adds to it,” he said. “If we don’t need something, we don’t buy it. Pure and simple. It is the only way to control costs and take Borough Hall back from the political machine that costs you money.”
Rittenhouse’s runningmate, Hibinski, said his independent mindset and commitment to residents make him an ideal candidate to fight the political machine the Republicans say exists.
“My goal is to create the best service at the cheapest price for the people of Sayreville,” he said.
According to Hibinksi, the top issue facing the borough right now is property taxes, and he said the issue is made worse by what happens inside Borough Hall.
“Sayreville is run by a political machine that dictates who is hired, what contracts are handed out and how much money is spent. There is widespread cronyism in Borough Hall and that costs our taxpayers money. Our mayor, Kennedy O’Brien, has been fighting against the political machine. But until we take control of the Borough Council and eliminate all the patronage, taxes will continue to spiral,” he said.
Hibinski said he wants to see a “top-down review of municipal finances” to find out how money is being spent. He said he wants to understand why Woodbridge is able to afford so many amenities while Sayreville cannot.
“Where is the political machine wasting our tax dollars? We need to find out,” he said.