Post by lisas84 on Oct 9, 2008 13:49:46 GMT -5
Rental properties top Freehold candidates' agendas
Two three-year council terms at stake
By Kim Predham • FREEHOLD BUREAU • October 9, 2008
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FREEHOLD — No matter who wins next month's Borough Council election, two issues are sure to be priorities: the town's rental properties and municipal spending.
Though they may disagree on how to resolve these issues, both the incumbents and challengers vying for two three-year terms on the council agree that these are major concerns facing the borough.
"The (borough's) 1,900 rental units have contributed to the overpopulation of the borough," said Republican Ted Miller, who — with Michael L. Lichardi — is campaigning against Democratic incumbents Michael J. DiBenedetto and George Schnurr.
The borough needs more code enforcement manpower to oversee these units, Miller said. The town currently has three code enforcement officers.
If elected, Miller also wants to control the amount of rentals in town by proposing deed restrictions on new housing, which would require the homes to remain owner-occupied for at least eight years.
"The last thing we need here now is more rental property," said Miller, 49, a technology consultant who also ran for a council seat last year.
Lichardi and Miller both agree that the town needs a rental review board with teeth to address any problems that arise.
But DiBenedetto and Schnurr say Freehold already has such a board — the newly formed Rental Property Review Board, which both men claim as an accomplishment during their time on the council.
The board was created at the recommendation of the borough's Human Relations Committee and is tasked with a range of responsibilities. Those include preserving the health, safety and welfare of tenants, landlords and the community as well as making recommendations for policies, procedures and programs to the borough council and borough departments.
An existing board that handled issues in the town's multiple-dwelling rental properties met rarely and did not have broad powers, said DiBenedetto, 49, who has served on the council for 12 years. The new rental board will be more active and aggressive, he believes.
The board also includes several homeowners, a constituency whose positions were not part of the rental discussion before, said Schnurr, 50, who was appointed to the council last year.
"They (homeowners) are a major stakeholder in the community. . . . This (board) will give those folks a voice," Schnurr said.
The four candidates also agree that the borough's spending needs to be a priority, as the nation's economy continues to falter.
The budget should be reviewed by the council's finance committee more than once a year, perhaps quarterly, DiBenedetto and Schnurr suggest. Town officials should explore more shared services agreements and possibly consider hiring outside vendors to handle jobs like grass cutting, DiBenedetto said.
Freehold also should shop around for lower insurance prices, which makes up about 12 percent of the town's budget, Schnurr said.
"That's going to be a big priority," Schnurr said.
Lichardi and Miller want to look at cost-saving measures as well. But they also want more community oversight during the budget process, they say.
A citizens' fiscal review committee should be formed to give input on the budget creation. Members would have to approve any budget proposed by the governing body, said Lichardi, 48, a physician's assistant.
"I think that's a great way to approve a budget," Lichardi said.
Beyond taxes and rental properties, each candidate has his own ideas they hope to pursue if elected.
Lichardi wants to move the day laborer muster zone from its location on Throckmorton Street to somewhere less visible, possibly indoors.
"They (day laborers) don't need to be loitering along the curb side," Lichardi said.
Lichardi also wants to make council meetings more accessible, perhaps by videotaping them and posting the minutes online.
And both Lichardi and Miller want the Exxon gas station on East Main Street cleaned up, they said. They also want the community to be "intimately" involved in the implementation of a vision study for downtown redevelopment that was recently presented to the Borough Council.
If re-elected, DiBenedetto — who serves as council liaison to the Recreation Commission — wants to add more recreational programs for the borough's children and adults.
Both DiBenedetto and Schnurr also want to encourage more volunteer involvement in rehabilitating the town's housing stock and helping needy and elderly residents. This summer, a Christian organization visited Monmouth County to repair area homes, including houses in Freehold.
Preparations already arebeing made to bring the organization, World Changers, back to the area next summer, Schnurr said.
The two councilmen also want to continue collaborating with the borough police to solve traffic-safety concerns, which Schnurr believes are now a problem throughout the borough.
The town needs new, innovative solutions to the problem, they say.
Those solutions could include strategic placement of stop signs to slow drivers, signals warning drivers when they exceed speeding limits and line painting on roads that make them appear smaller. Such lines were painted on Barkalow Avenue and have been a proven strategy to prevent speeding, Schnurr said.
Several strategies, rather than just one, will likely have to be implemented to resolve the problem, he said.
"There's no silver bullet," Schnurr said.
ON THE WEB: Beginning Sunday, you can read in candidates' own words why they're running and why you should vote for them. Visit our Web site, www.app.com/politics, and read the statements submitted by local candidates.
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lisaw wrote:
The new and very inexperienced Republicans must think we live in China or the Soviet Union. This isn't Sim City, this is Freehold.
"If elected, Miller also wants to control the amount of rentals in town by proposing deed restrictions on new housing, which would require the homes to remain owner-occupied for at least eight years."
One of the many cornerstones of American democracy is individual property rights. I think that a lawyer who was at the bottom of his class would win a lawsuit against the Republicans.
Let's start adding it up.
Hiring Halls - $40,000
Another lawsuit that we would loose - $300,000
More code enforcement officers - $120,000
Miller & Lichardi shooting from the hip - priceless
10/9/2008 1:22:24 PM The new and very inexperienced Republicans must think we live in China or the Soviet Union. This isn't Sim City, this is Freehold.<br /><br />"If elected, Miller also wants to control the amount of rentals in town by proposing deed restrictions on new housing, which would require the homes to remain owner-occupied for at least eight years."<br /><br />One of the many cornerstones of American democracy is individual property rights. I think that a lawyer who was at the bottom of his class would win a lawsuit against the Republicans.<br /><br />Let's start adding it up.<br /><br />Hiring Halls - $40,000<br />Another lawsuit that we would loose - $300,000<br />More code enforcement officers - $120,000<br />Miller & Lichardi shooting from the hip - priceless<br /><br /> lisaw
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FreeholdGuy wrote:
NO HIRING HALLS IN FREEHOLD. Mr. Lichardi - do I hear you correctly that you want a hiring hall, which will serve as a magnet for additional illegal immigration, in your hometown? And if you really do plan on starting one, good luck trying to move the day laborers inside. Where have you and your running mate been all these years? The County Hispanic Association's virtual hiring plan failed miserably. So did Rev McGuire's church based hiring hall. Why? Because the chicken hearted and shameful employers that hire illegals didn't want to work through any organized groups and be known to all as the tax crooks they are. If you want to get elected you better come up with something better than suggesting a hiring hall for Freehold. If you are moving these guys anywhere else, you better tell us where that is going to be before we vote for you. Lakewood tried moving their day laborers out of town and wasted $40,000 on a comfortable site no one ever used.
Two three-year council terms at stake
By Kim Predham • FREEHOLD BUREAU • October 9, 2008
Read Comments(2)Recommend Print this page E-mail this article Share Del.icio.us
Digg
Newsvine
Buzz up!
FREEHOLD — No matter who wins next month's Borough Council election, two issues are sure to be priorities: the town's rental properties and municipal spending.
Though they may disagree on how to resolve these issues, both the incumbents and challengers vying for two three-year terms on the council agree that these are major concerns facing the borough.
"The (borough's) 1,900 rental units have contributed to the overpopulation of the borough," said Republican Ted Miller, who — with Michael L. Lichardi — is campaigning against Democratic incumbents Michael J. DiBenedetto and George Schnurr.
The borough needs more code enforcement manpower to oversee these units, Miller said. The town currently has three code enforcement officers.
If elected, Miller also wants to control the amount of rentals in town by proposing deed restrictions on new housing, which would require the homes to remain owner-occupied for at least eight years.
"The last thing we need here now is more rental property," said Miller, 49, a technology consultant who also ran for a council seat last year.
Lichardi and Miller both agree that the town needs a rental review board with teeth to address any problems that arise.
But DiBenedetto and Schnurr say Freehold already has such a board — the newly formed Rental Property Review Board, which both men claim as an accomplishment during their time on the council.
The board was created at the recommendation of the borough's Human Relations Committee and is tasked with a range of responsibilities. Those include preserving the health, safety and welfare of tenants, landlords and the community as well as making recommendations for policies, procedures and programs to the borough council and borough departments.
An existing board that handled issues in the town's multiple-dwelling rental properties met rarely and did not have broad powers, said DiBenedetto, 49, who has served on the council for 12 years. The new rental board will be more active and aggressive, he believes.
The board also includes several homeowners, a constituency whose positions were not part of the rental discussion before, said Schnurr, 50, who was appointed to the council last year.
"They (homeowners) are a major stakeholder in the community. . . . This (board) will give those folks a voice," Schnurr said.
The four candidates also agree that the borough's spending needs to be a priority, as the nation's economy continues to falter.
The budget should be reviewed by the council's finance committee more than once a year, perhaps quarterly, DiBenedetto and Schnurr suggest. Town officials should explore more shared services agreements and possibly consider hiring outside vendors to handle jobs like grass cutting, DiBenedetto said.
Freehold also should shop around for lower insurance prices, which makes up about 12 percent of the town's budget, Schnurr said.
"That's going to be a big priority," Schnurr said.
Lichardi and Miller want to look at cost-saving measures as well. But they also want more community oversight during the budget process, they say.
A citizens' fiscal review committee should be formed to give input on the budget creation. Members would have to approve any budget proposed by the governing body, said Lichardi, 48, a physician's assistant.
"I think that's a great way to approve a budget," Lichardi said.
Beyond taxes and rental properties, each candidate has his own ideas they hope to pursue if elected.
Lichardi wants to move the day laborer muster zone from its location on Throckmorton Street to somewhere less visible, possibly indoors.
"They (day laborers) don't need to be loitering along the curb side," Lichardi said.
Lichardi also wants to make council meetings more accessible, perhaps by videotaping them and posting the minutes online.
And both Lichardi and Miller want the Exxon gas station on East Main Street cleaned up, they said. They also want the community to be "intimately" involved in the implementation of a vision study for downtown redevelopment that was recently presented to the Borough Council.
If re-elected, DiBenedetto — who serves as council liaison to the Recreation Commission — wants to add more recreational programs for the borough's children and adults.
Both DiBenedetto and Schnurr also want to encourage more volunteer involvement in rehabilitating the town's housing stock and helping needy and elderly residents. This summer, a Christian organization visited Monmouth County to repair area homes, including houses in Freehold.
Preparations already arebeing made to bring the organization, World Changers, back to the area next summer, Schnurr said.
The two councilmen also want to continue collaborating with the borough police to solve traffic-safety concerns, which Schnurr believes are now a problem throughout the borough.
The town needs new, innovative solutions to the problem, they say.
Those solutions could include strategic placement of stop signs to slow drivers, signals warning drivers when they exceed speeding limits and line painting on roads that make them appear smaller. Such lines were painted on Barkalow Avenue and have been a proven strategy to prevent speeding, Schnurr said.
Several strategies, rather than just one, will likely have to be implemented to resolve the problem, he said.
"There's no silver bullet," Schnurr said.
ON THE WEB: Beginning Sunday, you can read in candidates' own words why they're running and why you should vote for them. Visit our Web site, www.app.com/politics, and read the statements submitted by local candidates.
In your voice
Read reactions to this story
Newest first Oldest first
lisaw wrote:
The new and very inexperienced Republicans must think we live in China or the Soviet Union. This isn't Sim City, this is Freehold.
"If elected, Miller also wants to control the amount of rentals in town by proposing deed restrictions on new housing, which would require the homes to remain owner-occupied for at least eight years."
One of the many cornerstones of American democracy is individual property rights. I think that a lawyer who was at the bottom of his class would win a lawsuit against the Republicans.
Let's start adding it up.
Hiring Halls - $40,000
Another lawsuit that we would loose - $300,000
More code enforcement officers - $120,000
Miller & Lichardi shooting from the hip - priceless
10/9/2008 1:22:24 PM The new and very inexperienced Republicans must think we live in China or the Soviet Union. This isn't Sim City, this is Freehold.<br /><br />"If elected, Miller also wants to control the amount of rentals in town by proposing deed restrictions on new housing, which would require the homes to remain owner-occupied for at least eight years."<br /><br />One of the many cornerstones of American democracy is individual property rights. I think that a lawyer who was at the bottom of his class would win a lawsuit against the Republicans.<br /><br />Let's start adding it up.<br /><br />Hiring Halls - $40,000<br />Another lawsuit that we would loose - $300,000<br />More code enforcement officers - $120,000<br />Miller & Lichardi shooting from the hip - priceless<br /><br /> lisaw
Recommend New post Reply to this Post Report Abuse
FreeholdGuy wrote:
NO HIRING HALLS IN FREEHOLD. Mr. Lichardi - do I hear you correctly that you want a hiring hall, which will serve as a magnet for additional illegal immigration, in your hometown? And if you really do plan on starting one, good luck trying to move the day laborers inside. Where have you and your running mate been all these years? The County Hispanic Association's virtual hiring plan failed miserably. So did Rev McGuire's church based hiring hall. Why? Because the chicken hearted and shameful employers that hire illegals didn't want to work through any organized groups and be known to all as the tax crooks they are. If you want to get elected you better come up with something better than suggesting a hiring hall for Freehold. If you are moving these guys anywhere else, you better tell us where that is going to be before we vote for you. Lakewood tried moving their day laborers out of town and wasted $40,000 on a comfortable site no one ever used.
