Brick Township Council Election 2021: Heather deJong

BRICK, NJ — The 2021 election campaign culminates when voters go to the polls Nov. 2 to choose Brick Township Council members.

There are three seats up for election and six candidates seeking those seats, which are four-year terms.

Patch asked each candidate to answer questions to give voters information about who they are and their stances on various issues. We are printing their responses in full, unedited except for spelling or punctuation.

Here are the answers from Heather deJong.

Age: 41

Town of residence: Brick

Position sought: Brick Council

Party affiliation: Democrat

Family: Fiance is Michael Troncone and 2 stepchildren; brother Daryl and sister-in-law Marie also live in Brick.

Education: Bachelor of Arts from Moravian College (now University)

Occupation: Community Relations Specialist for Meals on Wheels of Ocean County

Previous elective office, if any: Brick Council from 2014 to present

Do you or anyone in your family work for the state, county or local governments? No

Why are you seeking office?

I am seeking reelection because there is more work to be done to continue making Brick better. We have been able to stabilize taxes, increase public safety and add and enhance our services but we need to make sure this continues. I continually ask myself what is next, what more can we do and the proof is that our town is in a significantly better position than 8 years ago when I first took office. Just look at all the new businesses such as Trader Joe's, Gravity Vault, At Home, Town Square at the Jersey Shore and soon-to-be Corrado's, Royal Farms and Icarus Microbrewery. No longer do you see empty storefront after empty storefront and that is because of the work that was put in making Brick better. These businesses came to this town because they see that Brick is trending up and the mayor and council have turned the town around.

What do you feel is the most pressing issue facing the community, and what do you want to do about it?

Going door-to-door, the most important issue to the voters is their property taxes. In the last 8 years, the Ducey Team has stabilized municipal taxes, going up less than 1 percent each year and we have eliminated $31 million in debt and are now on strong fiscal footing. Many towns were hit hard due to the Covid-19 pandemic but because of all that we have done in the past and our amazing township employees, Brick utilized smart financial decisions and the CARES Act money without leaving a hole in our budget. This demonstrates that our team has the fiscal conservatism and forethought to properly manage our town’s finances.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking to serve?

The major critical difference between the Ducey Team and our opponents is that we have a long list of accomplishments and a plan moving forward to keep making Brick Better. The Republican candidate for mayor just moved to Brick and has never been involved with any local organization here in Brick.

Our opponents have no plan and have resorted to making false attacks on our amazing police department. Crime is down dramatically and to claim otherwise disrespects the hard work and sacrifices made by our police officers.

Our goal as local elected officials is to improve the everyday lives of people from Brick by focusing on local issues. If our opponents want to talk about national or state issues they should run for Congress or the NJ Legislature.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Another issue that defines our platform is public safety. In the last 8 years we have hired 17 new police officers and increased our special police officers. Because we have a great force, over the last 8 years, crime is down 42 percent while violent crime is down 35 percent. If the police need a piece of equipment or more officers we find a way to fit it in the budget. You can’t argue with numbers and Brick is safer because we listen to our officers' needs.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you will be effective in office? Besides the work that we have done to keep taxes stable and our residents safe with increasing police size, we have added a lot of services and events to make Brick still feel like a small community despite its large size, and a great place to live and raise a family. We have expanded Summerfest, added Fall Fest and the Farmers Market. We added more recreational activities for our kids and seniors and have renovated most of our park, and the remaining two are slated to be completed in 2022 and 2023.

For our seniors we have added 2 new senior buses which is an on-demand service taking them shopping, to doctors appointments, events and even the farmers market. We are also in the process of adding a new bus to our fleet soon because of the popularity of the program. We are opening a new senior center which has been asked for by our seniors. It will be in the middle of town on Aurora Drive across Cedar Bridge Road from Brick Plaza. Now our seniors will be able to sit and play cards or whatever they would like and not have to leave like they do now. The Ducey Team has made Brick Better across all avenues of life for our residents.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Municipal Elected Office is not for people who care only about state or national trends. It is for those who care about Brick residents' everyday life. We are as transparent as it gets — just watch one of the Mayor’s Facebook Lives, and we answer residents’ questions about property taxes, parks, public works, police and real action items that affect their life. The number one question when making a decision as a councilmember is will it enhance the life of Brick residents and I know that the decisions that the Ducey Team has made over these last 8 years has certainly done just that.