Brick Township Council Election 2023: Theresa Gallagher

BRICK, NJ — Election Day 2023 is less than three weeks away, and Brick Township voters will be going to the polls to cast their ballots for candidates at the local, county and state levels.

In Brick, there are eight candidates for the four available four-year terms on the Township Council.

Patch sent a questionnaire to all eight candidates seeking their responses. Here are the replies from Theresa Gallagher. They are unedited except for typographical errors and punctuation.

Your Name: Theresa Gallagher

Age (as of Election Day): 63

Party Affiliation: Republican

Campaign Website: BrickGOP.com

Family: Married with 2 grown children

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? This includes any relatives who work in the government you're running for. No.

Education: Bachelor's in finance, Rutgers University, MBA in finance, Fordham University

Occupation: Currently retired. Worked as managing director, Citi, for 22 years. Principal, Clarity Bond Trading, 9 years.

Previous or current elected or appointed office: None

Why are you seeking elective office?

I think we can do better for the residents of Brick. I would like to see more fiscal transparency, a thoughtful plan for economic development, and a plan to address quality-of-life issues for all residents of Brick.

Crime has been a concern for months across New Jersey. What do you think should be done at the local level in Brick Township to ease residents’ concerns?

From my vantage point as a resident, the town is going in the wrong direction. It is hard to quantify beyond that. The only crime statistics I’ve seen for Brick are FBI crime statistics which are self-reporting. Crime in Brick has been increasing for several years, but this administration has only recently responded because it’s become headline news. We need a multi-level approach that can only be developed by meeting with the police and our residents to understand the scope and what they believe is the root cause.

The township has refurbished its parks and expanded recreation programs for all ages over the last 10 years. What programs or facilities would you like to see brought to Brick Township?

I want to evaluate the current programs in place for their use and effectiveness and move from that point with a fact-based plan . The township has refurbished its parks and I would like to make sure they are maintained to a nice standard. I live near one of those parks and the maintenance can be inconsistent.

People persistently complain about property taxes. What do you believe Brick can do at the township level to mitigate the effects of state-mandated increases in the school district property tax levy? If you would make cuts, what township programs would you cut?

Right now, NJ is a sanctuary state. As the only Democratic-run town in Ocean County, Brick has experienced an influx of hundreds of new students, almost all non-English speaking. We need to be down in Trenton fighting for this town to ensure that the current tax-paying citizens and their children get the education and resources they deserve. Frankly, I don’t want to cut any current township programs. I want the State to restore funding to Brick schools and increase funding for the additional students we now have as a result of our sanctuary status.