Suzanne Viscomi, who currently serves on the Red Bank Borough Public Schools Board of Education, has announced she is running for a seat on the Borough Council.
There are two seats on the council that will be open for three-year terms in the November general election, according to borough officials.
Viscomi submitted more than 130 signatures on a nominating petition and will run as an independent candidate in the November election.
She pointed out that Red Bank deserves to hear an opposing voice amidst the largely Democratic majority she said is currently seated on the council.
Viscomi, who has a Facebook page on which she is known as the RB Spectator, has previously served on the Red Bank Library Board of Trustees, the Red Bank Animal Welfare Committee and the Red Bank Education Foundation.
Viscomi said she has gained experience working in a nonpartisan environment as a member of the school board.
Viscomi said there are “unresolved issues” the town is facing. She said these issues would be better addressed by a political dais that is comprised of many viewpoints.
“There is a lot of rhetoric and posturing. I want different voices to work together, constructively,” she said.
Viscomi said her campaign is rooted in the notion, “People Over Party.” She described the modern concept spotlights the politician rather than the politician’s party they are backed by.
“I’m here for the residents. I’m not here for a job. My intent is only to help this town I have been in love with,” Viscomi said.
Viscomi said she has taken pride in the “transparency” she has brought to Red Bank over the past five years. She said she is an avid participant in town meetings and records the hearings to publish on her YouTube channel. She said her videos have accumulated more than 12,000 views.
As Viscomi took a reporter on a tour of the borough, she touched on aspects of the borough that she said she believes would benefit from capital improvements. She said the investment of time and money could alleviate issues that are posing problems in the 2.2-square-mile community.
Viscomi said if she is elected to the council, she would work to continue reviving the West Side of Red Bank. She said this area has made significant improvement in the past few years.
Viscomi said the West Side was once an overlooked area of the borough by public officials and business owners, who focused more attention toward the downtown’s bustling theater and arts district.
Specifically, Viscomi said there is a four-way intersection at Drs. James Parker Avenue and South Bridge Avenue that lacks the necessary traffic signals and/or signs to help alleviate what can be at times chaotic vehicle and pedestrian traffic.
Viscomi also said that if she is elected to the council, she plans to expedite the construction of an emergency road that would lead to and from the Red Bank Primary School. She said the process has been halted for reasons that are unclear.
Viscomi said the primary school has one road to and from the parking lot and in case of an emergency, rescue vehicles would need an alternate route to and from the facility.
In announcing her candidacy, Viscomi said there is a “trend of disorganized leadership” and referred to herself as a “person of action.”
“I didn’t have time for games, so I became an independent,” she said.
Viscomi has been a resident of Red Bank for 15 years. She received her Bachelors of Science in accounting from Rider University, and obtained a Master’s Degree in accounting from the University of Phoenix.
“I believe the residents need and deserve an opportunity to hear honest commentary from all points of view,” she said.
Republicans Michael Clancy and Allison Gregory and Democrats Kate Triggiano and Hazim Yassin are running in the June 5 primary and seeking their respective political party’s nomination to run in the November election for the two council seats.