Brick Township Council Election 2023: Vince Minichino

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 Vince Minichino.

Your Name: Vince Minichino

Age (as of Election Day): 58

Party Affiliation: Democratic

Campaign Website: CrateTeam2023.com

Family: I have an adult son and daughter who graduated from the Brick Public Schools. My son and my grandchildren live in Brick.

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: Graduate, Jackson Township High School

Occupation: Business agent, Teamster Local 469, 9 years

Previous or current elected or appointed office: Elected to the Brick Township Council in 2019.

Why are you seeking elective office?

My kids grew up in this town, my grandchildren live here now, and I think it’s a great place to live. I want to do my part to keep it that way. In Brick, we need to pay attention to what’s good for Brick, and not let partisan politics distract us. We need to keep taxes stable, stop overdevelopment and build a strong community. That’s why I’m running.

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?

We need to both support our police force and give our residents the tools they need to keep their property safe. We have increased the size of our police force, and our police have increased their patrols, but neighbors must also watch out for neighbors. Our neighborhood watch groups work with our police to report suspicious behavior, and in educating residents — lock your car, don’t make it easy for the criminals.

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 take my grandchildren to the park all the time, because our parks are safe and up to date. I went to the bike and scooter park opening, and it was fantastic to watch how much fun the kids were having — they were having a blast. We constantly take suggestions from our rec department and from the public about what programs we should add. They know best what the kids need. For older residents, we will be adding programs to our new senior center, and again, we’ll be talking to the residents about what they need and want.

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?

The biggest portion of your property taxes go to the schools. Although we have kept municipal taxes stable, school taxes are up. The state has cut aid to our schools, which hurts both students and taxpayers.

We are working with the schools to save them and the taxpayers money, by providing services that the township can efficiently provide. We help with trash and recycling services. We provide police protection at school opening and dismissal, school resource officers throughout the day at the high school, at no cost to the schools. School teams use township fields and the town provides upkeep and maintenance free of charge. The township is constructing a new playground for Osborne Street School, because we can do it cheaper than hiring an outside contractor.

The long-term solution is restoration of the state aid cuts by Trenton, and we will continue to fight for our town’s fair share. Till then, we will continue to provide shared services to minimize the burden on the schools and taxpayers.