JACKSON – Michael Reina, who has served as Jackson’s mayor since he was appointed in December 2008 and elected in a special election in November 2009, will face a challenge on Election Day, Nov. 6, from Tracie Yostpille, who is seeking to win the municipality’s top elected office.
The winner will begin serving a four-year term as mayor on Jan. 1. In 2010, Jackson was home to about 54,850 residents. The township’s estimated population in 2017 was 57,073 residents. Jackson has a nonpartisan form of municipal government and candidates do not run for office under the banner of a political party.
Reina has lived in Jackson for 31 years. He is the Ocean County superintendent of bridges. The mayor said that after his family, his faith in God and his faith in his country, he is most proud of the faith he said residents have in him.
“The faith residents have had in me for the last 10 years as their mayor. Our police department, volunteer fire departments and first aid squads. How all our residents come together in support of our veterans, our elderly, those in need and most of all those who are ill, especially our children. My time as a volunteer in Jackson.
“Jackson has been acknowledged as one of the 10 best places to live, work and play in America on a nationwide television show. Jackson has been ranked the 14th safest city in America by the National Council for Home and Safety and Security. Jackson has been ranked 26th in Safewise’s 30 Safest Cities to raise a child. Jackson has been ranked 29th in Safewise’s 50 Safest Cities in New Jersey. I am so very proud of my town and I will be even prouder to represent them for another four years,” Reina said.
Reina said he is looking forward to seeing the Jackson Crossing 2/Adventure Crossing project on Route 537 completed. Phase one of the project has broken ground and is expected to result in the construction of an indoor sports and entertainment venue and an outdoor athletic complex.
This is the first phase of a project that is eventually planned to bring athletic fields, a recreation facility and two hotels to a 75-acre parcel on Route 537 between Interstate 195 and the Six Flags Great Adventure theme park in Jackson.
“My goal has always been to enhance the quality of life through public safety and the public’s opportunity to live, work and play in Jackson. The latest and largest commercial project coming to Jackson has broken ground and will bring jobs, which means revenue, and tax ratables.
“So my goal of taking some of the tax burden off the residential side of the scale and placing it on the commercial side is coming to fruition. This project will be a positive impact for decades to come and for all to enjoy,” Reina said.
Yostpille has lived in Jackson for 30 years. She is a seventh grade social studies teacher in the Freehold Township K-8 School District, where she has taught for 31 years.
“My husband, his father and my three sisters-in-law have lived in Jackson for 57 years. My mom and step-dad and my step-brother and his family live in Jackson, so do my nieces and nephews. I even have two grandnephews at the Holman School,” she said.
Yostpille said her concern about the town’s future inspired her to run for mayor.
“I am very concerned about the future of Jackson. I do not agree with Mayor Reina’s housing plan to build 4,960 high-density family units by 2025. Our schools, our infrastructure and our tax base will be burdened by this high-density housing,” Yostpille said.
Yostpille said she got the number 4,960 housing units from Jackson’s affordable housing commitment. She said Reina signed off on that number on June 27, 2017.
“If Mayor Reina is elected, then yes, he has committed Jackson to build 4,960 high-density housing units, 50 percent of them with three, four, five or more bedrooms. It’s in his plan. If I am elected, the first thing I will do is hire a land use attorney and file litigation to stop the building.
“State Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin is working on new legislation for affordable housing that favors towns and residents while helping families in need, rather than builders and developers. So there is hope our team can stop what Mayor Reina has committed our town to build in the guise of affordable housing,” Yostpille said.
Reina responded to Yostpille’s assertion that he signed off to build 4,960 high-density family units by 2025.
“The table (Yostpille) portrays in her campaign mailer and what she presented (to the Tri-Town News) in her explanation is not an exhibit to any document that has been authorized by the Township Council or signed by me. It is fraudulent and leads the public to believe I have engaged in nefarious acts to harm my township.
“A few key points of interest that will exonerate me from her false claims are as follows, the date on the fraudulent document is missing, she has no idea what RG means, as she called it a ‘Responsible Growth Zone,’ which simply does not exist, and if one was to go to her ‘page 3’ of the real document, you will find the truth, which is accurate and detailed information about the court settled agreement dated Oct. 26, 2016 and not her date of June 27 2017,” Reina said.
He said regarding the EL at Jackson/Hovbilt project, there is no application or approval to date; for the remainder of the RG-2 and RG-3 zones, there is no application/no approval to date; and “RG” is an abbreviation of regional growth, not “responsible growth” zone.
Reina said the bedroom counts for affordable housing developments are governed by state law which requires no more than 20 percent studio and one-bedroom units, at least 30 percent two-bedroom units and at least 20 percent three-bedroom units. He said there is no requirement for the creation of units with four or more bedrooms.
Yostpille said she was “also motivated (to run for mayor) by the nonpartisan aspect of the election because the high-density housing issue affects all Jackson residents, no matter if you are affiliated with a political party or not. This is a serious local issue all residents can find common cause to be concerned about.
“As president of the Freehold Township Education Association, I represent 557 members and have been negotiating contracts for over 20 years. I served on Gov. Christie’s education task force from 2014-16 and I am a member of the Monmouth County Education Association Legislative Action Team. As mayor, I can use this experience working with Republicans and Democrats in state government to fight for the local issues in Jackson,” Yostpille said.