Meet The 2019 Berkeley Mayor And Council Candidates

BERKELEY, NJ — There is a contested election for Berkeley Township's mayor and council. Patch caught up with the candidates ahead of the Tuesday general election.

We asked the eight candidates the same five questions:

1. Why are you running for office?
2. What is the biggest challenge you see facing your community and how will you address it?
3. What makes you the right person to vote for as opposed to the other candidate(s)?
4. What will you do to facilitate communication with the community?
5. What inspires you?

The candidates were sent the questions at the same time, and were given the same deadline to submit them. They were given no minimum or maximum word count, and encouraged to write as much as they needed, or to keep the answers brief if they wanted to.

Here are the candidates:

Mayor

• Carmen Amato (R)
• Laura Shaw (D)

Council at Large

• John A. Bacchione (R)
• Keith A. Buscio (R)
• Joshua Eckersley (D)
• Mario Ciasulli (D)
• L. Thomas Grosse, Jr. (R)
• Heather B. Walsh (D)

Here are the answers from all candidates who submitted a response:

Mayor

Carmen Amato

1. Why are you running for office?

For nearly 50 years, I have called the Bayville section of Berkeley Township my home. My family came to Bayville in 1970, when I was a little more than a year old. In fact, I still reside in in the same home now with my family. Growing up in Bayville, I attended the Bayville School and graduated from Central Regional High School in 1987. I was a Cub Scout and fortunate enough to play in various youth sports leagues.

For nearly 30 years, I have dedicated my adult life to volunteer and public service in my hometown. As a sports enthusiast and former high school football player, I became a volunteer in Berkeley Little League, Berkeley Pop Warner Football and Berkeley Basketball. I volunteered not only as a coach but eventually an officer in each league.

In 1993, I was elected to the Berkeley Township Board of Education. I served seven years as a member of the Berkeley Township Board of Education, including two of those as President. During that time, I led renovations to three of the elementary school facilities, and spearheaded the installation of security doors and cameras.

I also had the honor to serve for five years as a member of the Central Regional Board of Education, including two of those years as President. While on the Central Regional Board of Education, I helped lead the $19 million dollar facility renovation and expansion program – the first major renovation and expansion in nearly two decades. These renovations included converting an old gym to a state of the art media center and new improvements to the auditorium. New construction included new classrooms, and state of the art gymnasiums at both the High School and Middle School.

In 2005, I was elected to the Berkeley Township Council representing Ward 2. In 2010, I crafted two budget amendments that eliminated the proposed $4 million tax increase proposed by the democratic mayor. During my tenure on the Council, I never voted for a tax increase and pushed for alternate revenue streams to help generate revenue and ultimately save tax dollars.

2. What is the biggest challenge you see facing the town and how will you address it?

We will continue to make the Route 9 corridor a priority.

The successful economic revitalization of Route 9 will ultimately help shift some of our property tax burden away from local homeowners, which will aid in keeping our property tax burden in Berkeley Township both stable and among the regions’ lowest.

We have also made record investments in improving our athletic fields and township parks. We have made improvements to Leiter Baseball Park, home of Berkeley Little League; Dudley Park; Butler Beach; Mastapeter Park; Sgt., John Lyons Memorial Recreation Area and Clifford B. Wright Memorial Beach.

We have also made several improvements at Veterans Park with the installation of a state of the art turf field home of Berkeley Golden Eagles Football and Berkeley Soccer. We improved Donald Tomaio, Jr. Field, home of Berkeley Girls Softball, added inclusive playground equipment for all children of all ages and abilities and lastly, the new skate and scooter park for all ages.

We have also lead the fight to stop overdevelopment in Bayville by successfully working with the County to preserve thousands of acres of open space that could have been developed into thousands of homes.

Recently, two significant achievements were the purchase of Fishers Pit, a 775+ acre tract in the middle of the Bayville section. A few short years ago a big housing developer wanted to build 1,800 homes. The other was the joint purchase, of a 13 acre tract next to the Florence T. Allen Conservation area.

We fought Walters Homes, an affordable housing developer who wanted to build 88 low income apartments on the site using Super Storm Sandy funding.

3. What makes you the right person to vote for as opposed to the other candidate(s)?

I was honored to be elected Mayor in 2011. Becoming the first Republican elected in Berkeley Township in 20 years.

After only 10 months in office, Berkeley Township was devastated by Super Storm Sandy. I stood alongside first responders, firefighters, police officers, other public employees as we all worked together. I personally joined rescue missions to evacuate residents and get them safely out of badly flooded areas; I was involved in organizing shelters, as well as clothing and food drops for those forced from their homes; and helped to obtain generators for people who simply could not go without power like our seniors and disabled.

In the weeks and months that followed the storm, we launched a massive cleanup effort that removed more than 7,000 tons of debris scatted throughout the town and its waterways, and I set up informational seminars to help residents navigate the repair and rebuilding process.

On the financial side, despite being faced with the devastating loss of nearly $100 million in ratables, a deep decline in tax collection and nearly $9 million in costs associated with Sandy, working with the Township Council we were still able to keep municipal taxes stable.

Seven long years later, we have fully recovered from those losses from Sandy.

Since then, our efforts and fiscally conservative policies, Berkeley Township has the 27th lowest overall property taxes out of 565 municipalities in the State of New Jersey and the 2nd lowest overall property taxes in Ocean County.

In fact, the average property tax bill in Berkeley Township is less than half of the amount of the statewide average. Despite flat municipal aid from Trenton, we have managed to not increase municipal taxes in 3 of the last 5 years, while still providing vital funding for programs and services that improve the quality of life for Berkeley’s families, schoolchildren and seniors.

We are also proud to have brought in records amount of grant money as well. We have aggressively pursued every available grant. Since 2012, we have brought in over twelve million dollars which has funded vital programs, funding for infrastructure improvements and property tax relief.

Our efforts have also been recognized by the credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P). Berkeley Township’s bond rating, has not only improved once, but twice. In 2015, it improved two notches up to an “A+”. Last year, it improved to “AA-“. The two elevated bond ratings came after S&P recognized the efforts to remain financially responsive to our taxpayers despite the adverse economic pressures municipalities are facing.

In the area of public safety, we have hired more than forty new police officers to our force and invested nearly four million dollars in new equipment and 21st century technology in the Police Department. We were also one of the first towns in New Jersey to have uniformed police officers in all of our schools.

Public Safety is very important to the Council and I. We will continue to work with the police department to ensure our neighborhoods and schools remain safe and secure.

In addition to the fiscal turnaround in Berkeley Township, we have spearheaded major steps forward in the redevelopment of old Beachwood Plaza site and the overall economic revitalization of the Route 9 Corridor.

After years of stops and starts, our Administration finally had the dilapidated eyesore torn down and received plan endorsement from the State of New Jersey.

We have also worked with the Trump administration and the State on having a portion of the Route 9 corridor in Bayville, designated as an “Opportunity Zone” under the new federal tax law adopted in 2017. This will no doubt help spearhead redevelopment. The Opportunity Zone designation will give federal tax incentives to commercial developers to invest in these designated areas. We have already begun discussions with commercial developers who want to take advantage of the federal incentives.

We have made progress on bringing in new businesses along the Route 9 corridor. New businesses that recently opened in old dilapidated or vacant buildings are: The Max Challenge; Staffa Stone; C&G Cafe; Bayville Pharmacy; CG Landscaping Supply and the new Heritage Square which opened the M&M Seafood Market along with other small businesses. New construction along route 9 includes: Advance Auto Parts, Dollar General, Quick Check and the expansion of Jersey Rents. The BP station will also undergo major renovations as well.

We are working with the new owners of the Baywick Plaza where two new businesses are going to open very shortly. The Island Beach Distillery is moving from Lacey to Berkeley and Traffic Builders a new online website and internet company with 60 employees will be opening soon.

Some of my other experiences and volunteer service. I am a former commissioner on the Ocean County Board of Health where I served as Secretary-Commissioner and led the Building and Grounds Committee.

I was elected to the Board of Directors of the New Jersey Conference of Mayors in 2014, and served as a Board Member of O.C.E.A.N. INC from 2014 to 2017. I also served on the Ocean County Commission on Exploited and Missing Children for many years. I am a former Chairman of the Berkeley Township Zoning Board of Adjustment and served two terms on the Berkeley Township Recreation Advisory Council.

I was an active member of the Bayville School PTA, where I served on the Auction Committee, and recently joined the Berkeley Township Elementary School PTA. I am a former member of Central Regional Booster Club.

I am also a third degree Knight of Columbus and a former member of the Holy Name Society both at St. Barnabas Parish in Bayville.

I am a member of the Holiday City - Silver Ridge Park Italian American Club, the Berkeley Township Historical Society and a proud Central Regional Alumni!

Besides my volunteer work with youth sports and civic organizations, I have also volunteered for the United Way of Ocean County’s Allocation Committee, American Cancer Society – Berkeley\Lacey Relay of Life, St. Vincent DePaul of St. Barnabas Parish; The People’s Pantry and countless others.

I have also been honored by many organizations in my three decades of service. Most notably, I was honored by The Ocean County Chiefs of Police Association; The Berkeley Shores Homeowners and Civic Association; Central Regional School District; Ocean County School Boards Association and Hometown Heroes USA. I am also a recipient of the Adolph E. Woolley Good Scout Award, presented by the Jersey Shore Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

I have been employed by the County of Ocean for over 27 years.

I strongly believe Berkeley Township is a GREAT place to live, work, raise a family and retire.

Laura Shaw

1. Why are you running for office?

I am running for Mayor because I'm confident I can be an effective legislator for my hometown. I have worked in Municipal Government in a variety of positions for over 17 years as well as 20 years in the private sector in Corporate Sales, Customer Service and Training. I believe that in order to revive the Route 9 business community, that it will require our Municipal Government to work with investors and business partners to build a robust commercial strategy. The current administration has made no significant progress in their 8 year tenure, I believe it is time for new leadership and new ideas.

2. What is the biggest challenge you see facing the town and how will you address it?

Keeping Berkeley Township's property taxes affordable while improving the quality of life for our residents. As a Certified Tax Collector, I see up close how a tax increase, even a small one, impacts our residents, particularly our large senior population. Taxes in Berkeley Township have increased significantly in the last eight years. I attribute this to unrestrained spending and patronage hiring. If elected, I will enact a no nepotism policy. Neither I, nor my running mates will hire any friends and family members for Township jobs, nor will we use out influence to get jobs for our friends and family in the school districts. The Township payroll, as it stands today, is packed with friends and family of elected officials, board members, and GOP Club family members I will also personally review each expenditure, Fiscal restraint, as well as new business development will keep Berkeley Township's property taxes affordable, while also improving the quality of life for our residents.

3. What makes you the right person to vote for as opposed to the other candidate(s)?

My combination of public and private sector experience, my skills as a negotiator and a consensus builder will allow me to build and motivate a great team of employees and enlist business partners to design a business community that serves our Township well, while taking the tax burden off the residents.

4. What will you do to facilitate communication with the community?

We are blessed to be living in a time where there are many ways to communicate with residents. As a candidate, I have made myself personally accessible to voters on social media. I have met personally with many voters to talk about my ideas. I have been invited into people's homes to talk about all things Berkeley Township and hear many diverse ideas about how to move the Township forward. I will incorporate many of these ideas into our future plans. If elected, I will hold regular public forums and have scheduled office hours to address issues personally. The best part about running for office is meeting our diverse and thoughtful residents and hearing their stories and plans and hopes for our community. I know my running mates will make themselves accessible to the residents of Berkeley Township as well, They are all educated, intelligent people who want to do good things for our Township. Each of us brings a unique skill set that will be invaluable as we move forward with our ideas for improving our quality of life, and making the town run more efficiently

5. What inspires you?

I am constantly inspired by people who have overcome major challenges in their lives and continue to be happy, productive citizens. People who don't let life's challenges restrict them or drive them to complacency motivate me to want to be a better person and give me the drive to serve my community. I feel that being Mayor would be the best way for me to serve and give something back to my lifelong home town, a town that has given me so much. Vote column B for a Better Berkeley Township!

Council at Large

John A. Bacchione

1. Why are you running for office?

Have been on town council for almost 8 years and I am running for re-election because I believe I can continue to serve the Berkeley Township residence in a positive way by keeping property taxes down and keeping Berkeley Township a community the residents can be proud to call home.

2. What is the biggest challenge you see facing the town and how will you address it?

The biggest challenge currently facing the Berkeley community is bringing into Berkeley more commercial ratables which will offset the residents burden on property taxes. Our Beachwood Mall area or town Center was awarded to a re-developer 6 years ago. It has been a major challenge for both the town and re-developer to create the most economically effect plan. Myself and the council members continue to address the issues related the re-development of this town center on a weekly basis.

3. What makes you the right person to vote for as opposed to the other candidate(s)?

With my experience on town council I have the ability to maintain the proper balance between spending and functionality of our township.

4. What will you do to facilitate communication with the community?

My phone number is always available through the clerk’s office and I will always take and address all calls.

5. What inspires you?

My inspirations come from the knowledge of knowing that I do the right thing for my community and Berkeley Residents acknowledge their satisfaction.

Keith A. Buscio

1. Why are you running for office?

I am an incumbent seeking re-election in order to continue the strong progress the Amato team has made to make Berkeley Township clean, safe and affordable.

2. What is the biggest challenge you see facing the town and how will you address it?

Having to deal with legislation coming from Trenton that could potentially threaten the quality of life for our residents. The Amato team is working tirelessly everyday to preserve open space and keep taxes low. We've had no municipal tax increase in three of the last five years! We've hired more police to keep Berkeley Township safe. In addition, we've passes resolutions and work closely with our 9th district state legislators to prevent Berkeley Township from becoming a sanctuary state and ensuring our retirement communities remain only for residents 55 and over.

3. What makes you the right person to vote for as opposed to the other candidate(s)?

My experience and education. I've lived in Berkeley Township for more than 30 years and understand the needs and concerns of our residents. I have 4 years' experience as a Berkeley Township councilman-at-large; 15 years' experience as a member of the Central Regional Board of Education; 5 years' experience as a member of the Berkeley Township Municipal Utilities Authority; and 5 years' experience as a member of the Berkeley Township Zoning Board of Adjustment. In addition, I hold a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration and earned a Masters Degree in Business Administration.

4. What will you do to facilitate communication with the community?

I am easily accessible and readily available to listen to constituents' concerns. In addition, I am visible and active in the community and regularly attend local events and participate in town hall-style meetings that Mayor Amato holds throughout the community several times a year. I encourage residents to attend our monthly council meetings - this is one of the best ways to learn what is happening in town. It also provides residents with an opportunity to ask questions. If a resident's schedule does not permit them to attend a council meeting they can make an appointment to meet with me (or any member of council) that is convenient for them. Lastly, I encourage our residents to visit the township's website to learn more about the services available to them and the current events taking place in town.

5. What inspires you?

Successful people, and seeing the results of our team's hard work to make Berkeley Township a great place to live.

Mario Ciasulli

1. Why are you running for office?

The existing Republican Administration has been entrenched and unchallenged for eight years. I decided to run for Councilman because Berkeley Township Administration can be most effective for the residents when there is bipartisan representation. All of the residents need to have a voice, so they are represented. People in our community are tired of empty promises, false claims and lack of transparency, honesty and accountability. I want to be part of a new, refreshed team better equipped to make a change for the better.

2. What is the biggest challenge you see facing the town and how will you address it?

Property taxes, bringing new businesses along Rt 9, preserving the quality of life in senior communities and putting the brakes on new residential construction are the main and ongoing challenges. Once elected, the first challenge will be a period of adjustment for the new Mayor and seven council members to work together as a team motivated by one common goal - first priority - benefit of the community.

3. What makes you the right person to vote for as opposed to the other candidate(s)?

I worked several decades as an Electrical Engineer responsible for design and construction supervision of large capital projects. Now retired, I can apply my experience and skills to examine awards of large municipal contracts and examine change orders that increase funding to existing contracts. I am uniquely qualified to ask the right questions to the right people to verify that the taxpayer’s money is being handled judiciously, honestly and allocated to do the most good.

4. What will you do to facilitate communication with the community?

As Councilman at Large, I will make it easy for residents of all districts to contact me directly with issues that concern them. I will communicate closely with Committee Members who each serve as point contacts in their respective districts. I will reach out to residents and ask what their concerns are and provide them with truthful answers. I would provide a system of open office hours for residents so they can bring their concerns to the town hall.

5. What inspires you?

I am inspired by finding the root cause of a probem be it overspending, waste, dishonesty, analyzing the cause, finding and implementing an effective solution that benefits only the residents of our wonderful town.

Joshua Eckersley

1. Why are you running for office?

I am running for office because I want to bring accountability for our elected officials to serve the residents of Berkeley Township with openness, transparency, fairness, and responsibility. It is extremely important to me that all office holders recognize that they serve the people and need to do so in a responsible and open manner. My run for town council is a testament to that ideal and I vow to be open, honest, and fair with every decision I make if I am lucky enough to be elected.

2. What is the biggest challenge you see facing the town and how will you address it?

The biggest challenge I see facing the town is undoing a lot of the damage done by the current and previous administrations. It is important to make all stakeholders in our beautiful town feel that their representatives have their best interests in mind. In helping to do so, this would effectively shift the power of the township from those in office to those who they are sworn to serve. This will be a Berkeley Township for the people and by the people.

3. What makes you the right person to vote for as opposed to the other candidate(s)?

While my opponents are upstanding citizens who have graciously dedicated many years to public service, I feel that I can help thrust Berkeley Township forward, eliminate patronage hiring, and create transparency and a collaborative atmosphere for all who live here. As a teacher, I am used to bringing out the best in people and I will commit to bringing out to best in my colleagues and the citizens of Berkeley Township if I am fortunate enough to be elected to Berkeley Township town counsel.

4. What will you do to facilitate communication with the community?

All my life I have been transparent with the people I interact with. As a teacher of middle school children, I have always put families and the community first in a consistent and frequent line of communication with parents. If elected, I will bring that sense of responsibility and communication to my job as councilman and will ensure the best for all residents of Berkeley Township to my best ability.

5. What inspires you?

My inspiration draws from multiple sources. First and foremost, as a proud family man, my family inspires me to be the best person I can. They drive me to live life with integrity, perseverance, and honesty in all that I do. My late father, Vincent Eckersley, who was a grand knight in the Knights of Columbus, taught me how to live life with integrity, dignity, and public service. As a proud union leader, my colleagues from in town and across the county and state inspire me to continue to do the best job I can and uphold the integrity I am beholden to by my family. Last, I am inspired daily by my students who open my eyes to new perspectives of the world and help me realize that every person is imperfect in their own perfect way. These three major sources motivate and inspire me to be an upstanding person in my personal and professional life and I strive every day to make them all proud.

Heather B. Walsh

1. Why are you running for office?

Berkeley Township has been my home for 35 years. I have loved living here, and would like to be a significant part of finding ways to enhance the future quality of life for our residents.

2. What is the biggest challenge you see facing the town and how will you address it?

The biggest challenge facing our town is the lack of successful and lasting business along our Route 9 Corridor, and the outdated infrastructure that deters new business. Complaints I hear most from Bayville residents involve traffic congestion and the need to patronize other towns often because of the lack of businesses and services available in our own town. Adding to the stores and services currently available will increase our town’s tax base, increase local job availability, and bring services our families require closer to home. The opportunity to work with township planning experts and potential investors to determine the right fit for business and service to bring to our area is a challenge I welcome.

3. What makes you the right person to vote for as opposed to the other candidate(s)?

I am the right choice for this position because I have no agenda in mind other than wanting to improve the quality of life in a town that has so much potential. I am not looking to advance a political career, obtain an appointment or position for myself, my spouse, friends or family, I truly just want to focus on making Berkeley Township a better place for all of us to live.

4. What will you do to facilitate communication with the community?

As a Registered Nurse and as a volunteer who has always worked with and advocated for families, effective communication has always been a necessity. I am approachable, honest and have a very strong expectation that people in public office should be forthcoming with information. The people who have chosen me to represent them should be aware of where I stand and where their chosen administration stands on issues that arise. Access to information also needs to be improved. With our hectic schedules, many people have more opportunity to peruse a web page than they do to attend a meeting, and much of the information a resident would want to know is absent from our current websites.

5. What inspires you?

Daily I am inspired by many different things, but most importantly by my family, my husband who works extremely hard to make our lives better, and my children who have had to handle numerous challenges and have grown through them. I’m inspired by my friends, doing their best to instill a sense of social responsibility in their children. I’m inspired by some truly exceptional educators from our local schools who have impacted our lives in so many ways, and I’m inspired by working hard for something I believe in.

Correction: A previous version of this article listed Eckersley under the incorrect political party.

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