MILLTOWN – Two council members will vie for the four-year mayoral seat up for grabs in Milltown in the November election.
Democrat Trina Jensen Mehr, who has served on the Borough Council since 2017, and Republican Richard Revolinsky, who will complete his first council term at the end of the year, are seeking their first terms as mayor. Long-time Democrat Mayor Eric Steeber is not seeking re-election.
Jensen Mehr, 58, was born and raised in Milltown and moved back to her hometown 21 years ago. She is widowed and has three adult children.
She is employed as an information associate. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Smith College and earned a master’s in business administration from Tulane University.
In the community, along with serving on the council, Mehr served on the Milltown Board of Education for more than four years, the last year as vice president. She is a co-founder and first president of the Milltown Education Foundation.
“I’m running for mayor because I love Milltown,” she said, adding “it was a great place to grow up and to raise a family.”
Mehr said as mayor she will provide leadership to the town to bring back fiscal responsibility, accountability and transparency.
“I look forward to listening to and working with all residents to improve the quality of life in our town,” she said.
If elected, Mehr said she will concentrate on forming a long range strategic plan and a capital plan to allocate resources to improve the borough’s aging infrastructure.
“Planning for the long term and starting to work each year on capital projects will alleviate the need for costly repairs which drive up our utility rates and taxes,” she said.
Revolinsky, 37, is a lifelong resident of Milltown. He is married with two young children. He is a 2000 graduate of Spotswood High School.
He is employed in engineering, construction management and sales. He earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental policy and a master’s degree in construction management from Stevens Institute of Technology.
As councilman he served as chairman of the Utilities Committee in 2017 and 2018. Currently he serves as chairman of the Recreation Committee.
In the community, Revolinsky served as a member of the 4th of July Committee; served as a member of the Milltown Revitalization Committee; volunteered with Water For People; was a member of the New Jersey American WaterWorks Association; and was a volunteer Spotswood High School wrestling coach in 2006.
Revolinsky said he wants his children to be proud of the town they grow up in.
“Milltown is at a crossroads and cannot afford to play political games with our future,” he said. “The next few years will determine the fate of Milltown and we need strong leadership to continue the commitment to Milltown’s future. Like all residents, we are invested in Milltown, and I want to keep our investment strong.”
Revolinsky said the mayor’s position sets the agenda and ensures the council is working to achieve that agenda by the best means available.
“The mayor has to have backbone and cannot sway in commitment or deviate from the path in fear of losing an election despite how difficult a decision is to make,” he said.
As mayor, Revolinsky said he will work with residents, borough staff, the council and borough professionals to make sure the borough maintains the commitment to moving Milltown forward.
“We need to commit to fixing our infrastructure, improve our operations, and efficiently utilize our tax revenue to implement a 20-year plan for keeping Milltown strong and viable,” he said. “There are tough decisions on the horizon, and we must remain vigilant in forward thinking and identifying what steps we need now to be better positioned in the future.”
As mayor, Revolinsky said there is not one issue to focus on, rather the focus should be on multifaceted solutions.
“Proper planning takes into consideration impacts of various issues and creating a framework to solve several problems at once,” he said.
Revolinsky said currently the new Department of Public Works [DPW] and Fire Facility does just that, from addressing the need to move the DPW facility out of a flood plain, provide much needed office space for borough operations that have outgrown what Borough Hall can provide, to condensing the borough’s two firehouses into one facility instead of spending money to rebuild both of them.
“Additionally, I look forward to utilizing surplus funds from that project and utilize Middlesex County matching funds to create a waterfront park in the location of the old DPW facility where a kayak and canoe ramp can be placed to explore Mill Pond, a picnic area, rehab the sidewalks and benches, and with matching funds improve our park facilities across the borough,” he said.
Another example of the multifaceted approach is implementing a road improvement program, focusing on the roadway as well as what is beneath it – water, sewer and storm drains, Revolinsky said.
“By coordinating with the natural gas company’s scheduled work, we can mitigate costs, schedule and plan for grant funding and debt service while minimizing disturbance to residents,” he said. “The road plan will include removing overgrown trees whose roots lift sidewalks, curbs and penetrate our sewer systems.”
Another issue to address is the replacement of the borough’s 100-year-old sewer force main, Revoinsky said, adding they “must size it adequately for the Ford Avenue redevelopment needs as the developer will pay a portion of off-site construction costs for utilities.”
He said the borough needs to eliminate its dependency on New Brunswick for sewer flow conveyance to Middlesex County, which the borough pays a premium. The borough needs to work with neighboring towns to identify future needs and potentially share force-main capacity to decrease overall construction costs to residents, Revolinsky said.
“We have a lot to focus on, all while keeping Milltown an affordable town for our hard working and retired residents to thrive in,” he said.
Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 5.