MILLTOWN – Four candidates – one incumbent, two former council members and one newcomer – will vie for the two, three-year terms available on the Milltown Borough Council in the upcoming election.
Democrat Randy Farkas, an incumbent, and newcomer David Potter will face former Republican councilmen Richard Revolinsky and John Collins.
The general election is on Nov. 2.
Councilman Nicholas Ligotti is not seeking re-election.
John Collins, 63, has lived in Milltown for 33 years. He is widowed.
Collins earned a bachelor’s degree from New Jersey City University. He is an accountant.
In the community, Collins has served 11 years on the Board of Health, four years on the Zoning Board of Adjustment, served as a member of the Community Betterment Committee, member of the New Municipal Building Committee and is a 42-year member of the Milltown Rangers and 15-year member of the Sons of The American Legion.
Collins has previously served on the council from 2006-09 and was council liaison for four different departments: Environmental, Public Safety, Finance and Public Works.
He said he is running for another term “to make the residents lives better by listening and acting on their concerns.”
If re-elected, Collins said one of the areas he would concentrate on is “taxes and spending tax dollars on projects that benefit the welfare of the residents.”
“Milltown’s fixed costs went down due to the pandemic and yet our taxes went up,” he said. “Two borough administrators were given $25,000 raises during the pandemic. Is this the best way to spend tax dollars during the pandemic when many people lost their employment and had to apply for government assistance to survive? Residents are [also] asking about repaving their streets.”
Randy Farkas, 61, has lived in Milltown for 27 years. He has two adult daughters.
Farkas earned a bachelor’s degree from Eastern New Mexico University. He is employed as a senior technician at Buckeye Partners LLC.
Farkas is seeking his fifth term. He is in his second year serving as council president. He currently is the chairman of the Utilities Committee as well as a member of the Planning Board and a member of the Ford Avenue Redevelopment Agency.
“I am running for council again to continue my work in improving the infrastructure of our borough,” he said. “During my second term, I made it a priority to move the electrical sub station out of the flood plain. As a member of the Electrical Substation Committee, a group of like-minded individuals came together and did what most said would never happen: we successfully built a new electrical substation on higher ground with no electrical rate increase. The payoff was seen earlier this month when the borough flooded twice in a month and the borough never lost power, preventing serious damage to the majority of residents. Additionally, we had the foresight to purchase the old Susan Hutton property that led to the new municipal complex being built on that site.”
Farkas said his focus on council has been on the installation of a new sanitary sewer forced main for the borough.
“Our existing main is approximately 110 years old and needs to be replaced,” he said. “I am confidant that this administration with the addition of my running mate David Potter has the commitment and vision to complete this important project, while controlling costs and doing all that is possible to maintain our tax base. We are looking for ways to save money, for example, getting our surrounding towns involved and making this a regional solution to benefit all of our collective wastewater issues at a reduced cost.”
David Potter, 50, has lived in Milltown for 19 years. He has two adult children, who attended Milltown Public Schools and are now in college.
Potter earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology, specializing in criminal justice, from Southern Connecticut State University. He is employed as an associate director at Kyowa Kirin Pharmaceuticals.
In the community, Potter serves as a member of the Planning Board, Environmental Commission, Board of Health, Office Of Emergency Management, Milltown Channel 15, Milltown Lions Club and has served as the president of the Milltown Fourth of July Organization since 2014 and a member since 2008.
Potter is seeking his first term.
“I am running for council to support the team currently in place by continuing to improve the infrastructure of our borough, making it a great place to live and raise our families,” he said. “Our residents have a tremendous love and pride for our town and serving on council, me and my running mate Randy Farkas’ goal would be to keep that sentiment going. We also believe in the three pillars of this organization, Accountability, Communication and Transparency (ACT) and will continue with that mindset to assure the residents that we as a council are ‘caring for our community.’ ”
If elected, Potter said one of the areas he would like to concentrate on is open space.
“I believe we need to have more areas in town where our residents can congregate with family and friends in a safe and effective manner and by doing so we will continue to have that strong community feel,” he said.
Rich Revolinsky, 40, is a lifelong Milltown resident. He is married with a son, 9, and daughter, 7.
Revolinsky earned a master’s degree from Stephens Institute of Technology. He is employed in business development for a domestic manufacturer of steel products.
In the community, Revolinsky has volunteered on several committees and is currently coaching youth baseball.
Revolinsky previously served on council from 2017-19.
“I am running because Milltown needs help,” he said. “We need leaders with the courage and conviction to act now to ensure a proud future for our town. Milltown’s appeal is far-reaching and well known, but if we don’t keep focus on what we need, I fear for what Milltown will become. Many others in the community do not see our current elected officials having the capacity or will power to really work for our future and they’ve asked me to step up again. We can’t rely on quick fixes or handouts from the state to solve our budgetary and infrastructure problems, we need to have a long-term plan and stick to it.”
If re-elected, Revolinsky said his top priorities are “infrastructure, budget and public safety.”
“If we want to keep Milltown a great place to live and stay in, we need to have a budget that addresses the true needs of our infrastructure as well as make public safety a priority and not take it for granted,” he said. “People come to Milltown because it is safe and a great place to raise a family. That appeal of Milltown starts to fade if we don’t focus on keeping our infrastructure maintained and maintain our safe streets and community appeal.”
Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 2.