Voters have three incumbents and a newcomer to choose from in the upcoming Democratic primary for the Middlesex County Board of Freeholders race.
Jusleine Daniel Incumbents Ronald G. Rios and H. James Polos are seeking two three-year terms, while incumbent Carol Barrett and newcomer Jusleine C. Daniel are vying for a two-year unexpired term.
The primary will be held June 2.
While Donald R. Hansen and Robert Garibotto are also on the ballot, they are only running for the purpose of securing a ballot line for Edison Mayor Jun Choi.
Hansen, who is Choi’s political adviser, said that he is doing this so that Choi, who is a member of the Edison Democratic Party, can be the clear opposition candidate against the Edison Democratic Organization.
“Of course, the way things are, you have to secure the line,” Hansen said. “That’s why we put the two names up [for county freeholder.]”
Daniel, 35, of Old Bridge, is seeking election to public office for the first time. The social worker at the Care Management Organization of Mercer County was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Argentina. She has resided in New Jersey since 1999.
Carol Barrett Daniel said that she helps families and emotionally disturbed people find the resources they need to get support counseling and transition back into the community.
“I get a family in a state of crisis and I link the family to the community,” Daniel said. “As a social worker, I want to bring the social worker’s values and ethics to public policy and public administration.”
Daniel said that elected officials can be held accountable when they are challenged in elections. She said that she has not been held back from seeking to be the Democratic candidate for freeholder, but she was disappointed that the Middlesex County Democratic Organization endorsed her incumbent opponents.
“When I see that the party is not allowing people to get involved in the process, I get very disappointed,” Daniel said. “As opposed to opening up the process to everybody, they endorse.”
Daniel feels that politics has kept people from participating in their government and this has diminished transparency.
Ronald Rios “There are a lot of ways that transparency can be accomplished,” Daniel said. “A lot of involvement from the community is one of the ways. The Democrats for Change gets involved in that way. … I believe they’re making the county and the municipality more accountable.”
Charles Kratovil, the manager of Democrats for Change, said that the organization is a New Brunswick-based community group. While it focuses on New Brunswick, it shares similar views with Daniel, he said.
“We share a lot of the same views, so we agreed to team up to get the same line on the ballot,” Kratovil said.
Daniel volunteered with children and at a soup kitchen in New Brunswick as an undergraduate student. She said that she was an Obama Organizing Fellow last year, when she got 2,000 voters to register for the primary and general elections.
Barrett, 67, of South Brunswick, joined the board this year, filling the vacant seat of the late Freeholder Director David B. Crabiel. She said that the $392 million operating budget, which called for a slight increase and a decreased work force, was the most significant challenge she has faced with the board so far.
H. James Polos “Certainly this recession is really hitting all of us,” Barrett said. “The budget process was very difficult … and it was a tight budget.”
Barrett said that freeholders are looking into purchasing the 191-acre Van Dyke farm in South Brunswick due to its historical significance and the fact that a developer wants to build housing on the site. Freeholders are getting another assessment of Van Dyke farm, also known as the William Pulda farm, to see if the price has gone down, but several other sites are also being considered for preservation.
“I’m lucky to be the liaison to the open space committee,” she said. “It’s one of the areas that, because of the recession, hopefully we’ll be able to buy more than in the past. The prices of real estate are falling.”
Barrett was born and raised in New Brunswick. She lived in North Brunswick for 20 years before moving to the Monmouth Junction section of South Brunswick to be with her family in 1995.
“I moved my mother in with me towards the end of her life,” Barrett said. “That’s why I chose Monmouth Junction. My grandmother and grandfather lived here.”
Barrett won election to the South Brunswick Township Council in November 1998 and she served until January 2009. The last five years of her term with the council was as deputy mayor.
“I think my entire life has been dedicated to public service,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to help people. That’s how my career went into the union and politics.”
Her career with the county began as a clerk in 1965. She retired after 41 years, during which she organized the first union in the county and became its president until she retired.
Barrett said that the passing away of her mother and father inspired her to become a senior liaison and to volunteer with seniors.
“I always had a soft spot in my heart for seniors,” Barrett said. “They appreciate the smallest amount you can do. If you listen and can spend a little time with them, they’re so appreciative.”
Rios, 57, of Carteret, served as council president of the Carteret Borough Council from January 2003 to March 2008. He was also a councilman in Carteret from 1982 to 1984, as well as 2001 to 2002, and he served on various boards and committees during that time.
Rios was appointed to the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders last year, and he said that his time with the county has gone well so far.
“It’s an honor to hold this position,” Rios said. “I absolutely love being a freeholder and being a freeholder in Middlesex County.”
Rios chairs the committees of public health and education, and he is the liaison to Middlesex County College and the county vocational and technical school system.
“It’s something that we as taxpayers should be proud of, because they provide a great educational tool that allows our residents to be successful in life,” he said.
Rios is married with two adult children and two grandchildren. He said that he was raised in the Port Reading section of Woodbridge and he has lived in Carteret since 1974. He is now retired, but he was a union officer for most of his 30-year career repairing and inspecting freight trains for Conrail. He served as union president for 10 years.
Rios said that the most significant challenge that the board faces is providing the same services without impacting taxpayers. He noted that the board avoided layoffs in its 2009 budget.
“If we were to lay off people, we are just going to compound the problem with the economy,” Rios said. “It’s a challenge.”
Rios said that freeholders are trying to eliminate positions through attrition, and he expressed gratitude to county employees for their understanding at this time. Rios said that all options are on the table in the board’s effort to find ways to cut costs.
“Everybody is experiencing difficult times in this economic crisis, and it’s no secret that our revenue is down,” Rios said.
Rios cited a 100-bed health care facility that broke ground last year as part of an effort to bring jobs into the area. The Old Bridge facility, which Crabiel supported, should be completed in a few years, he said.
“It’s a great model, and I think it’s something to be excited about and I look forward to seeing that coming to completion,” Rios said.
Polos, 50, of Highland Park, has served as freeholder since 1998. He is a former mayor of Highland Park, a former borough councilman and a former captain of the Highland Park First Aid Squad.
Polos chairs several county departments, including transportation. Polos said that he is proud of the department, which was nationally recognized recently with two awards from the federal Department of Transportation.
Polos said that the freeholders are trying to maintain services despite reductions in revenue in part by focusing on shared services.
“This year, our biggest challenge was our budget, given the economy and reduction in revenues,” Polos said. “On a longterm basis, the future is bright for the county with many new programs and initiatives that will improve the quality of life for residents of our county.”
One of those initiatives that the county implemented was an effort to use sustainable and environmentally sound technology, Polos said. He noted that the county boasts one of the largest hybrid motor vehicle fleets in New Jersey. As a policy since 2003, a minimum of 10 percent of the vehicles that the county purchases must be alternatively fueled, he said.
Polos said that he advocated for a longterm attrition plan that would span five years, as well as a delay in hiring new personnel and reducing operational costs where they can. A detailed analysis of the various departments is also going to be conducted in order to improve the structure of personnel.
“Another area that I am advocating for is analysis of how we utilize our real estate in the county and to ensure that we are maximizing our return on property we own and utilizing them in the most efficient way possible,” Polos said.
Polos said that he wants more revenue generated for the county by finding commercial opportunities for county property.
“The county-owned radio towers for the county radio system can be utilized for revenue opportunities for businesses that need antenna space and cellular companies,” he said. The county began a programfor its buses to have advertisements, which Polos estimated has brought in at least $40,000 in revenue. He said that he proposed that the board support placing selective advertising at recreation venues, as well as selling the naming rights to county-owned golf courses.
“These revenue opportunities will be found money for the county with little or no investment,” Polos said.
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