Brick Candidate Profile: Charlie Bacon

Profiles of the candidates for the Brick Township Council are being presented for informational purposes.

Responses are unedited.

Candidate’s Name: Charlie Bacon

Employer/Job: In early 2014 my wife and I started a small, local business, Lucy’s Bead Boutique. In April 2015 I started doing some part time business consulting for 1on1 Development, an IT company.

Have you ever held elected office or served as an appointee to any government board (where and when)?

I have never been elected to office. In 2012 I was appointed to the Brick Citizen’s Budget Advisory Committee and was a driving force on the committee for 3 years. I’ve been a member of the Brick Architectural Review Committee since 2014.

1. Property taxes continue to be one of the biggest issues facing residents in Brick and statewide. How do you propose to manage the issue? Be specific.

Property tax relief needs to be broken down into short and long term initiatives. The following outlines several items that can reduce expenses or increase revenue:

Short Term Initiatives

• Surplus

The current council is holding close to ten million dollars of the Brick citizen’s hard-earned money hostage. Reducing the surplus will provide relief to the taxpayers.

• Township Departments

Recently the state passed new regulations that require more stringent building requirements for Sandy Storm victims. The new regulations go into effect in March 2016. The additional costs will be significant and many people will walk away from their homes. The administration needs to take immediate action to eliminate the red tape and request additional state inspectors to get the permit backlog eliminated. The residents have suffered long enough – it’s time to act!

Long Term Initiatives

We need to take a more strategic approach to bringing down the tax burden. I have outlined a few items that should be considered:

• Budget Analysis

Develop a plan to reduce operating expenses for utility costs, township vehicles etc.

• Shared Services

1. As a large town we have the infrastructure in place to help smaller towns and bring in additional revenue.

2. Since the highest percentage of property tax is to support our schools, we need to work closely with the school district officials to explore shared services opportunities.

• Private/Public Partnerships

One town I am aware of has a bank located in the municipal building that pays for all of the building utilities.

• Tracking Software

It has become abundantly clear that we still rely heavily on a manual process in the various township departments. People are told their permitting application in is engineering, when the paperwork is still with the building department. We need to automate the system so we know exactly where we are in the process. The automation will drive quicker turnaround times, improve customer satisfaction and make running the town more efficient.

• Debt Reduction Plan

In 2015 the democratic council has added over eight million of additional debt bringing the overall total close to 171 million. Low priority spending needs to be eliminated until the loss of the Sandy Storm ratables return to pre-storm levels. The town must live within its means.

• Increase Business Ratables

Many businesses don’t even consider Brick. We can turn this around by having a dedicated township employee (already on the payroll) work with the Chamber of Commerce and commercial realtors.

Establish Enterprise Zones

Incentives for business to develop/improve in designated areas such as the vacant gas stations on highway 88.

2. Heroin has become a nightmare problem throughout Ocean County. What more do you feel Brick should do to address the problem?

I’ve outlined a few points from the Brick Republican Team’s plan for MAKING BRICK BETTER!

• Strengthen our Police Department’s Selective Enforcement Team.
• Partner with the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office to leverage resources, technology and manpower.
• Create a “Drug-Free Brick Advisory Commission” to enhance communications and responsiveness between our community, government and police
• Create police substations in drug hot spots and high crime areas and do more community policing.
• Instead of spending money on frivolous items we will divert resources on reducing the drug epidemic and fighting crime so our citizens can feel safe again.

3. There are many who feel Brick Township has become very divided in recent years. How do you propose to promote unity within the community?

Promoting unity starts with the governing body. There are several examples this year that have divided the citizens:
• Firewood Ordinance
• Landlord Responsibility Act
• Ocean Pointe Development Project - located at Highway 88, Burrsville Rd and Jack Martin Boulevard
Before any major ordinances and development is allowed it is imperative we engage citizens to help shape
the direction of the town.

4. We all see what the intense partisanship has done to our country as a whole. How do you propose to work together with the other party for the good of the township regardless of what happens in the election?

I have a proven track record of working with the other party. As a member of Citizen’s Budget Advisory Committee my focus was to look for ways to save money for the taxpayers without regard to the composite of the team embers.

All politicians should sign a “Contract for Brick”; this pledge will include the following items:
• As an elected official,
• I will always put the citizens of Brick before my party
• I will be fully transparent whenever I’m conducting official town business and will provide a written or oral report
• I will actively seek feedback from the citizens before I put forth any major regulations that have a significant impact to the town

5. If there was one program you could institute or beef up in the township, what would it be?

Based on the comments we have heard from the citizens of Brick, the heroin epidemic, gangs and escalation of crime are the critical issues in town. I would focus on stepping up community policing and increasing the number of police assigned to the Selective Enforcement Team.

6. If there was one thing you would want the residents of Brick to know about you, what is it?

As part of my training at Maritime College, for three summers I traveled across the world, learning about ship operations and the maritime industry.