I am Running to Put Holmdel First

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As a mother of three, a wife, a local farm owner, a softball coach, and a professional, life felt pretty hectic. Activism and running for local office were far from my mind.

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Then I found out about the contamination of Holmdel and Monmouth County drinking water, poised to take place at the former Vonage headquarters here in Holmdel. While the Township Committee knew about this environmental disaster, for two years, they did nothing to stop it.

My family and I couldn’t believe what was going on, and we knew we had to get involved. We quickly met amazing Holmdel residents who had the same concerns. As private citizens, we engaged legal counsel and expert witnesses to prove how out-of-date the Vonage wastewater management plant was, and that Holmdel has the authority to do something about it.

Unbelievably, the Township Committee turned a deaf ear and even gave the developer a 30-year tax break. Then the TC voted to spend millions of Holmdel taxpayers’ money to build a new force main sewer line for the developer in an environmentally sensitive area. Meanwhile, the call to help Holmdel schools, which are facing a terrible budget crisis due to inflation, went unheard.

It seems clear that the Township Committee didn’t care about issues that mattered most to our town: clean drinking water, public health, great schools, responsible development, and fiscal responsibility.

It’s time for a change! Holmdel deserves better.

I am running because we need elected officials who will put Holmdel first and listen to and respond to residents’ concerns. We need more transparency and accountability.

My family and I have lived here for 15 years. In my professional life, I have spent more than 20 years as a financial communications specialist, working on situations like mergers and acquisitions and crises. I have been a trusted advisor to some of the world’s most successful business people, and I will bring that same dedication to serve our town.

With your support, we can change Holmdel to be better!

Kristin Celauro

Candidate for Township Committee

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