Brick Candidate Profile: Martin Ebert

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

Responses are unedited.

Candidate’s Name: Martin Ebert

Employer/Job: Owner/Operator of NJ Archangel Corp. 25 years.

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

No to either one.

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.

We can start by looking at the outrageous level of over-taxation. Brick homeowners have been over-taxed by 10 million dollars and continue to endure tax increases every year. The Democrats call it “stabilization”. Our tax rate is increasing steadily, I guess you can call that “stable”.

When my fellow Republican Candidates and I are on Brick Township Council, we will carefully pick apart and scrutinize every budget item that the mayor submits, to make sure that his descretionary spending isn’t being wasted on “Pet, Pork projects”. The current council of Ruling Democrats should be focused on the real quality of life here in Brick and not on nonsense such as, how much firewood you’re allowed to have.

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

Well, considering the statement from the Mayor, that the Republicans are “making up” this issue, almost anything would be an improvement.

The problem is real and the longer the current council ignores it, the worse it will get. It is already an epidemic. We need to take a stand as a community and also arm our Police Dept. with the resources to combat this onslaught. The Police Officers on the street need to know that their town supports them. We need to increase the Police Dept.’s S.E.T. program which had been virtually eliminated by the Ruling Democrats. The Selective Enforcement Team has the responsibility of gathering valuable intelligence on drug activity. That information is essential in capturing and convicting those that sell and distribute drugs here in Brick. We also need to be willing to ask for help from State and County Law Enforcement. Something the Democrats have been reluctant to do. (Politics 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?

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?

With all due respect, I see little difference between questions 3 & 4 and here is why; All too often politics get in the way of civil social discourse. The two major political parties have differing philosophies on government’s role in society and we should agree to disagree. Most people want basically the same things. As a father and grandfather, I want my Children to thrive in a community where they can learn and live and grow and pursue their own dreams. I want to know that my parents and every other senior citizen is being taken care of by a system that they contributed to all their lives. I want to be sure that our leaders live up to the promises made to our Veterans. We all want to feel safe in our own town. We need to focus on what brings us together and not what divides us. Benjamin Franklin put it this way, “We must hang together or we will surely hang separately”.

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

As I stated in answer #2, the Police Dept. needs to be given the tools to combat the Drug scourge. The primary obligation of Government is to protect the lives and property of the citizens.

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

I think of myself as just an average guy trying to keep a roof over my family. I don’t have all the answers but I’m a good listener and a fast learner. I share many of the same values as every other family in Brick. As a Councilman, I will continue to be a concerned citizen.