BY MELISSA KARSH
Staff Writer
The summer isn’t even half over, but the political season got under way in Red Bank last week with both parties announcing slates for Borough Council in the November election.
Council hopefuls include some familiar faces as well as four newcomers who are seeking to fill three seats that will be open.
The six-member Borough Council currently is made up of four Democrats and two Republicans.
The three, three-year term council seats up for election Nov. 6 are currently held by Democrats Robert J. Bifani and Sharon Lee and Republican Mary-Grace Cangemi.
Bifani will not seek re-election after serving 14 years on the council. Lee and Cangemi are both running for re-election.
Lee is completing her first council term, having been elected in 2004.
Cangemi was appointed to council in March to fill the unexpired term of Republican Kaye Ernst, who resigned her council seat.
The four new candidates include Democrats Kathleen Horgan and Edward Zipprich and Republicans Jim Coolahan and John Tyler.
Coolahan, who ran unsuccessfully for Red Bank Council in 1993, wants to lower taxes, curb development in town and lower the cost per pupil for school.
“I am running because basically the taxes are out of control,” said Coolahan, of William Street. He is a financial adviser with Northwestern Financial Co.
“Local government is the one form [of government] that actually allows individual citizens to have an impact on the community,” said Horgan, of Branch Avenue.
Horgan, who is the liaison to the board of trustees at AmFar, sits on numerous boards in Red Bank including the Zoning Board of Adjustment. She said she wants to slow the pace of development in Red Bank and preserve the neighborhoods, keep taxes down and work on education and the environment.
Tyler, of Leighton Avenue, is focusing on the quality of life in Red Bank and doing more for community life and family.
“Presently there is nobody representing the west side so the people don’t have a voice at the west side,” said Tyler, who is a contractor for the post office. “I want people to understand if they want something done they have a representative and that representative is me.”
Zipprich, of River Road, calls himself a “grassroots activist” and said he was inspired by former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean’s challenge to get more involved. He is the chair of Monmouth for Democracy, part of Dean’s Democracy for America.
“I think it’s important for the residents in Red Bank to be involved in local government,” said Zipprich, who works at the Stone Hut in Pier Village and sits on the borough Planning Board – “Heck, this is our town we need to have a voice.”
The remaining council seats are held by Republican John Curley and Democrats Michael DuPont and Arthur Murphy.