Politics & Government
1,000 Homes and Counting: What I’ve Learned in Holmdel
The Republican Candidate for Holmdel Township Committee shares what residents have told him on the campaign trail.
With each step along the campaign trail, I’ve delivered the details of my platform so that you can see clearly how we can do more for Holmdel, ACHIEVE more for Holmdel. Having recently knocked on my 1,000th door in town, I thought I’d turn the tables and tell you what our fellow residents have shared with me along the way.
For those of you who don’t know, Holmdel is comprised of 10 voting districts. Simply for reference, and in very general terms – District 5 (my home district) is in the southern part of Holmdel near Route 520/Main Street, while District 1 is in the northern part near Bethany Road. Districts 8 and 10 stretch further east, while Districts 3 and 9 stretch the furthest west. Districts 2, 4, 6, and 7 largely make up the “core” or middle of our town.
It should be noted, most folks are happy to be living in Holmdel. They know Monmouth County is an outstanding place to live and Holmdel is a great place to raise their families. What follows, though, are the issues that you and your neighbors have conveyed directly to me from all across Holmdel.
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I’ve placed them into 3 categories – Universal Truths, Emerging Pain Points, and Quiet Concern.
- Universal Truths: Taxes, Infrastructure, and Support for our Police and First Responders. Every single neighborhood I’ve walked in mentioned the condition of our roads as a major point of frustration. Likewise, while many people are pleased that the value of their homes has increased, property taxes are becoming a larger and larger burden – particularly for those on a fixed income, like our seniors. And, without hesitation, an overwhelming number of residents believe our police and first responders should receive unyielding support from our Township Committee – and they don’t feel that’s been the case recently.
- Click here to learn more about my plan for easing the burden of property taxes.
- Click here to find out why I’m voting YES to increase benefits to our first responders.
- Emerging Pain Points: Open Space and Over-development. These two issues go hand-in-hand, but impact certain districts differently or even disproportionately. Most everyone in town moved here – at least in part – for the culture, the bucolic settings, and stunning open space. Knocking on doors in Districts 8 and 10 there’s clear frustration over the amount of development happening, seemingly, right in their backyards. There’s a feeling that they continue to get “stuck” with new developments that will negatively impact their quality of life (and home values) because we simply don’t have the infrastructure to support them. Regarding Open Space more specifically, there’s clear concern in District 6 for our township’s inability to preserve Potter’s Farm and, in turn, the impact of development on “The Gateway to Holmdel”.
- Click here for my position on Preserving Potter’s Farm.
- Quiet Concern: Support for our School System. The discord between our Township Committee and the Board of Education is worrisome to many. Because so many of our residents moved here for the school system, they believe the two organizations should be working more in concert to support our kids. At the forefront of this is, of course, the Township’s refusal to pay the full cost of security at our schools. Currently, the Board of Education is forced to pay nearly the entire $300,000 bill for security – and the Township will only agree to pay up to 50% of that bill five years from now (but they can walk away from that agreement at any time). Knowing there was PILOT money promised to the schools and that the Township is responsible for public safety, this is simply a head-scratcher for many residents.
- Click here for my detailed position on school security, first published in June.
We live in a great town – but we need to tackle these challenges head on. We need the energy, the ideas, and the hunger to address them so they don’t perpetuate.
Find out what's happening in Holmdel-Hazletfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
If elected, I’ll bring those qualities to the Holmdel Township Committee. Together we’ll have the skill and the will to do MORE and do BETTER for Holmdel.
I look forward to continue earning your vote with Election Day fast approaching.
Early in-person voting starts Saturday October 23rd.
Election Day is November 2nd.
You can learn more about me and what I stand for here:
