MANALAPAN – Five residents are seeking two three-year seats on the Manalapan Township Committee in the Nov. 7 general election. The committee has a 4-1 Republican majority.
The candidates are Republican incumbents Susan Cohen and Jack McNaboe, Democrats Adam S. Weiss and Amelia Rendeiro and Libertarian Hisham Hamed.
Cohen has served on the committee since 2007, with the exception of 2011. She is serving as Manalapan’s mayor in 2017, after previously serving as mayor in 2012 and 2013.
McNaboe has served on the governing body since 2013. He is a past mayor and is serving as Manalapan’s deputy mayor in 2017.
Weiss has previous experience in local government, having served on the Township Council in North Brunswick in the early 2000s.
Rendeiro has previous experience in public service as a recreation commissioner in Kearny.
Hamed is a recent law school graduate.
Cohen and McNaboe were asked what accomplishments from their current terms they would like residents to be aware of and what their goals would be for the next three years if they are re-elected.
Weiss, Rendeiro and Hamed were asked why they have decided to seek a seat on the governing body and what their goals will be and what issues they will focus on if they are elected.
Cohen said, “During my term on the committee my goal has been to help make the quality of life better for our residents by being involved in starting the first Domestic Violence Response Team in Monmouth County and my commitment as president since 1998; keeping residents informed of outages, emergencies and more as public information officer; improving transparency with town hall meetings on the road and the “Meet the Mayor” program for ways for residents to interact with their elected officials; introducing the Shop Manalapan 1st tax credit program; starting a utility committee after superstorm Sandy; bringing back brush pickup; bringing back road sweeping; our Community Alliance Project Zero drug program; working with my colleagues to bring a unique partnering of our volunteer first aid and private paid squad, hiring more police and a Special Class 3 officer for the high school; and our bond rating being increased to AA1 by Standard and Poors.
“My goals for the next three years will be to continue to answer to the residents; continue to support the Project Zero drug program; continue with increased emergency preparedness; expand our new clean community program; work with the county and state on traffic issues that concern our residents; continue to work on the town’s infrastructure; use of technology for better customer service in town hall; improve our senior center; continue to improve our recreation center, including adding a pickle ball court; applying for every grant available; bring needed businesses to Manalapan through our Economic Development Council; keeping residential development to what is state mandated
“We were first runner-up this year as having the lowest taxes in Monmouth County as reported by NJ.com. I will work even harder for continued fiscal stability, being mindful of the growing expenses our residents have, especially those on fixed incomes, while continuing or improving services for our residents,” said Cohen, who has lived in Manalapan for 31 years.
Hamed has lived in Manalapan since 2001 and is a product of the local school system. He is a recent law school graduate and law clerk awaiting his bar results.
Asked why he decided to seek a seat on the governing body, he said, “I have spent much of my time as a Manalapan resident studying politics, economics and most recently, law. I feel these studies have given me what I need to effectively handle matters on behalf of my friends and neighbors.
“In short, it feels time to give back to my neighbors in whatever way I can. Furthermore, I hope to use this election cycle to advocate for genuine principles of liberty, giving Manalapan residents more individual freedom and promoting voluntary association and self-ownership.
“My goals will be to be an uncompromising advocate of Manalapan residents. This means doing all we can to reduce zoning restrictions when residents want to improve their property in ways they see fit. This means doing whatever we can to streamline firearms applications.
“This means not allowing for favoritism and granting tax breaks given to one business to all businesses. This means true fiscal conservatism and siding with Manalapan taxpayers at every turn. This means disallowing ‘off-budget’ spending and voting no to any budget that is not lower than previous years,” Hamed said.
McNaboe, who has lived in Manalapan for 30 years, said, “Manalapan has managed to keep below the 2 percent cap in tax increases while stopping residential development; all revenue from new development is counted outside the cap, doing both is extremely difficult.
“Infrastructure improvements such as roads and recreation center upgrades are continuously enhanced. The township’s credit rating has been recently upgraded to AA+ which makes borrowing less expensive. Township ordinances have been revised, zone lines moved and uses added to encourage good clean commercial businesses to build in town and to offset the taxes paid by homeowners,” he said.
“I have certainly made it a point to take a leadership role in bringing about the changes needed to build this town for the future. This township sits in one of the greatest financial positions ever due to fiscally responsible leadership in recent years. There is always more to be done.
“As with most entities, you must change and adapt or perish. Manalapan has many pressing issues ahead, none more in the forefront then the obligation to build court required affordable housing within the town limits. Although the exact number (of units) is still to be finalized, the need to build is real.
“I have worked consistently to bring realistic solutions to prevent an explosion of housing. The roads and other infrastructure, built in many cases in the 1970s, are now in need of replacing. This process is expensive and will only deteriorate if not fixed sooner vs. later.
“Demographics show an aging of the town that brings a new set of challenges, emergency response, increased services and transportation, to name a few. Limited land available to build will bring developers forward with plans heavy in density and this must be met with experience of how to impose limits. Quality of life and service to the residents will remain a top priority,” McNaboe said.
Rendeiro has lived in Manalapan for more than two years after having lived in Kearny for more than 37 years.
“I am running for Township Committee because I want to make a difference,” Rendeiro said. “As a former 15-year recreation commissioner, I have direct experience with municipal government. I also have been a volunteer for most of my life and feel it is important to give back to my community.
“I have worked with the Girl Scouts for over 35 years and served on the executive board of the Band Parents Association. As a resident of Covered Bridge, I want to fight to keep Manalapan affordable for seniors like myself and young families raising their children. Most importantly, I want to set an example for my children and grandchildren regarding the value of public service.
“Quality of life issues are dear to my heart. Lowering taxes for growing families and people on fixed incomes is essential for this community to continue thriving. Over-development is a perpetual threat to our future. We should not chose expansion over open space at every turn. Open spaces are part of what makes Manalapan a great place to live,” Rendeiro said.
Weiss said his roots in Manalapan date back to 1910, when his great-grandparents, who were farmers, started their family in Manalapan.
“Now, more than 100 years later, I am honored to have the opportunity to be a candidate for the Township Committee. I have decided to seek a seat on the committee because I am deeply concerned about the tax burden on property owners and over-development,” he said.
“I am not willing to accept crowded classrooms, additional demands on our police, fire and first aid departments, or increased amounts of traffic in exchange for high-density housing and more commercial development.
“As a former councilman in North Brunswick and an attorney who represents public entities throughout New Jersey, I am very familiar with the challenges that towns like ours face and it would be an honor for me to have the opportunity to put my skill set to work for the residents of Manalapan,” Weiss said.
“In these uncertain economic times, fiscal responsibility is extremely important. Manalapan residents previously endured double-digit tax increases. These increases are particularly burdensome for residents, like our senior citizens, who are on fixed incomes. Such residents should not be fearful that future tax increases will force them to move out of Manalapan.
“As a member of the committee, I will carefully consider every expenditure of taxpayer money and the impact that the use of public funds will have on our residents. In addition to fiscal responsibility, my top priority will be the maintenance of our town’s suburban charm.
“At the same time, I will encourage the generation of tax ratables that will have the least possible impact on residents’ quality of life and Manalapan’s infrastructure.
“Additionally, I will advocate for more open and transparent government with the goals of allowing residents to become more informed about local issues, in addition to encouraging a meaningful dialogue between concerned residents and elected officials,” said Weiss, who has lived in Manalapan for two years.