Dina Long (D): Long is an assistant professor in the English Department at Brookdale Community College. She was elected to the Borough Council in 2003 and has served as council president, public safety chair and finance chair. She has planted hundreds of flowers around town and collected countless bags of garbage from the beach in an effor t to keep Sea Bright clean. She and her husband financially support on an annual basis different volunteer organizations, fire and first aid departments and the Sea Bright Library. Long has lived in Sea Bright for almost 10 years. Q.
In what ways have you served the community? What have you accomplished during this time?
Long: I currently chair the Beach, Environment & Education Committee [of the Borough Council]. In addition to being an integral part of accomplishments of the entire governing body, including shared service agreements and major infrastructure improvements downtown, I have also: worked with the state DOT to obtain Sea Bright’s seasonal 35 mph speed limit, new crosswalks and new signage; initiated adoption of the CodeRed emergency alert system; worked to obtain numerous grants to fund beachfront improvements and fire apparatus at no cost to taxpayers; wrote Sea Bright’s pay-to-play ordinance; helped negotiate two police contracts and five failed school budgets to bring down Sea Bright’s taxes; implemented the preseason half-off sale of seasonal beach badges; initiated and later expanded sand scraping on the beach for winter storm protection and through grant funding, replaced the old wooden walkways with handicappedaccessible mats.
Jo-Ann Kalaka-Adams (R): Kalaka-Adams was mayor of Sea Bright from 2004-2007. She has lived in Sea Bright with her husband for more than 30 years. She has been in the medical pharmaceutical publishing field for more than 25 years and currently owns and operates Pulse Marketing and Communications LLC, located in Sea Bright. She serves as a board member of the Heart Failure Consortium of New Jersey and is a member of the Sea Bright Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary and helped raise funds for programs including the Sea Bright Business Alliance. Kalaka-Adams: Highlights of accomplishments during my term as mayor include: first Sea Bright elected official to research and pursue shared services for cost savings, before this concept was well known or “in vogue.” Always searched for cost-cutting measures and during my tenure was the first mayor to obtain reductions in annual salaries for a number of professional service contracts. A longtime concern of residents was lack of parking. Despite being given information that resident-only parking was not an option in Sea Bright, I conducted my own investigation and was able to receive confirmation from the state DOT that this could, in fact, be instituted. The plans to develop and improve the beachfront were first proposed during my term. I supported and raised over $120,000 via private donations for the Fire Department for the purchase of a new fire truck.
Christopher Sandel (independent): Sandel works in the financial services industry as an executive for an online discount broker. He has been living in Sea Bright for seven years full time. Prior to that, he was a year-round renter for five years and seasonal resident for two years. Sandel: I honestly haven’t. I’d like to tell you a nice story but I’m new to this, I think the time is right for an independent candidate. I happen to have some time in my career right now so that I can do something like this. I just think maybe new blood is appropriate at this time. What I really think I can do here is communicate. The communication is not what it should be in Sea Bright. A perfect example was during Hurricane Irene.
Q.
How will your background and experience help you serve Sea Bright if elected?
Long: During my time on the council I have seen three mayors come and go, and none have been able to work successfully with the rest of the governing body to achieve measurable progress. My record of accomplishments shows that I have the ability to work in partnership with other elected officials to move ideas and proposals past talk into action. Because of that, I have been able to establish good working relationships with local, county, state and federal officials to get things done for Sea Bright.
Kalaka-Adams: I’m running to finish the job I started. To address these issues in these very challenging times, I understand that government must do more with less and gain assistance from and cooperate with our higher-level elected officials. I am privileged to have longstanding working and personal relationships with so many: Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, Sen. Joseph Kyrillos, Assembly members Amy Handlin (R-13th District) and Declan O’Scanlon (R-12th District) and the Republican county freeholders.
Sandel: My business background, with business management and budgetary experience, will be very helpful. I’ve always been in charge of sales and customer service for the brokerage houses that I work for. I know how to treat people and give good customer service. I really believe that the elected town government and the employees should be here to serve and protect the residents and businesses. I can analyze situations from a budgetary standpoint and I think more and more municipalities are moving toward business people being involved in these tough economic times. I’ll navigate through the rules of the governing body because this is new to me. I’ll continuously communicate to both the residents and the businesses and I’ll be their advocate.
Q.
What is the major issue Sea Bright currently faces? What steps will you take to address those concerns?
Long: Top priorities for the next mayor must include addressing the lack of cell service and replacing dilapidated public facilities at the beach, as well as continuing the ongoing fight for long-term solutions to unfair school taxes and persistent downtown flooding. There needs to be prudent use of our hard-earned tax dollars with more efficiency in our local government, more communication with residents about issues affecting our town, improved emergency communications, street-scaping improvements for the downtown and the north/south entrances to Sea Bright, and improving pedestrian safety and beach access. I would also like to see more oversight of the many rental properties in town and advocacy on behalf of tenants and neighbors.
Kalaka-Adams: Sea Bright’s major issue is economic — taxes and how to fund projects to improve the town. Our local taxes are comprised not only of the funds to run our local government, but also taxes assessed by the county for the services it provides and the school taxes we pay to Oceanport (for elementary school) and to Shore Regional High School, so this concern involves matters outside the borders of our small community. I am confident that an opportunity finally exists to obtain some redress from the present inequitable financial burden (of regional school funding). Projects can only be undertaken if the funding can be obtained without increasing the tax burden and the return on investment is assured. Public-private partnerships and other alternatives should be examined as well.
Sandel: I believe the issue we can most control is communication to our residents and businesses. We can utilize the new social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and texting to keep our constituents up to date. You can’t over-communicate to people when it involves their safety, their well-being and their homes. The real unpopular subjects that I think we need to have a conversation on are town consolidation and shared services. Before we are mandated to do something by the state, we should have a plan in place on how we could remain independent or get a fair shake if we do a merger. We should be the driving force behind that. We have to do it for our residents’ benefits.