Election Profile: Vicky Flynn For Holmdel Township Committee

HOLMDEL, NJ – The New Jersey primary election on July 7 will challenge several candidates seeking to fill two open seats on the Holmdel Township Committee. The coveted spots are being pursued by six candidates, including current committeeman (and mayor) Greg Buontempo alongside running mate Ron Emma, Victoria 'Vicky' Flynn with running mate Domenico 'DJ' Luccarelli, as well as Democrats Joseph Romano and Mike Jenkins.

Flynn, 47, is a Republican running on the official Monmouth County GOP bill. She has been a lawyer for over 20 years and graduated from Seton Hall Law School in 1999. She is backed by chair of the Holmdel Republican Party Marcy McMullen, who is also backing Luccarelli.

Flynn has served on the Holmdel Board of Education since 2016. She became President of the Board of Education in 2018. She has also served on the Nutley Board of Education from 2011-2013 and was elected Vice President in 2013.

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Why are you seeking elective office?

I think the Township is at a crossroads where there is a need for people to become engaged that have a long-term vision to prepare for Holmdel's future. It is within my DNA to serve my community.

Soon after moving here in 2013, I became engaged in our schools as a member of the parent group. I had an opportunity to work alongside parent volunteers who were focused on improving our schools. At Village School, the PSA focused its fundraising efforts on improving technology at Village School. It soon became apparent that there was an opportunity to engage in district-wide conversations to prepare the school district for its long-term future, so I took a chance and ran for the Board of Education.

The first major topic I focused my attention on as a school board member was technology - - there was a need to create a technology-rich learning environment district-wide. With the support of PSA, PLG and HFEE, as well as the dedication of my colleagues on the school board to enhance the technology budget for the school district, the Holmdel School District was recognized by the State as a future-ready school district. Next up - addressing the District's infrastructure. The District had been making improvements each year to its infrastructure -- the school district budget is always focused upon addressing capital improvements on a year-to-year basis. But, both the high school and Satz were really showing its age by the time I came on the Board and there was a need to modernize those facilities. The Board decided that due to favorable financial conditions, it was time to pursue a major referendum project to modernize the district's infrastructure. The voters agreed and this fall, we will have completed one of the largest school infrastructure projects in the history of Holmdel while all along reducing debt service. During the past few years, we have also enhanced our academic, arts, and athletic programs for our students. We have also enhanced security during that time due to concerns raised by parents in the wake of each and every unfortunate school shooting that occurs in this Country.

I would like to now apply those leadership skills that I utilized as a member of the Holmdel Board of Education and work with the Township to engage in a conversation regarding the long-term planning needed to create financial stability for Holmdel. I would appreciate an opportunity to continue to serve my community as a member of its Township Committee and begin the process of developing and implementing a vision for its long-term success.

The single most pressing issue facing our community is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The single most pressing issue facing our community is its infrastructure, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The Township needs to engage in an honest appraisal of its infrastructure needs, similar to what has been done for the school district. All of its infrastructure needs to be evaluated and a plan of action developed to guide the decision-making of the Township Committee. This process is akin to strategic planning. It is unclear what steps are being taken by the Township Committee in its present budget to address the infrastructure needs of our community due to the anticipated explosion of affordable housing, decreasing property tax dollars, and public safety needs. There is not one major capital improvement project that the Township can cite to having been completed in the last five years. In comparison, during my time on the school board in the past five years, the members of the Board and school district have been laser-focused upon implementing the modernization of school facilities to prepare it for its future.

As a member of the school board, we are always focused upon what we need to prepare for. Prior to seeking the approval of voters for a modernization of the Holmdel School Facilities, I was a member of the committee with other members of the community to help identify priorities for our projects (which included members of our Township Committee). The Holmdel 2020 project was developed out of those conversations, which the voters overwhelmingly approved. Without those conversations, I am unsure whether we would have been successful in obtaining the support of our community.

I believe the Township should engage in a similar approach to address its infrastructure needs. There needs to be a more collaborative conversation by and among the community and elected officials to prepare for Holmdel's future and ensure our tax dollars are invested to have a significant, meaningful and long-term impact.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

As a member of the Board, we actively engage in long-term planning. We implement change in an incremental manner. We are aware of the state-mandated cap upon our budget, and we never exceed it. Indeed, over the past five years, while I have been a member of the Board of Education, the school district has implemented significant programs while staying under the 2% cap (i.e., full-day kindergarten, technological enhancements, reduction of class sizes, replacement of windows district-wide, roofing projects, energy savings projects ). The Board is also focused upon the reduction of debt with each and every budget.

In comparison, I believe the Township Committee's budget is built upon inefficient financial policies -- it is too overly dependent upon surpluses and borrowed money to provide for essential municipal services. The budget policies concern me about the Township's long-term future and I wish to engage in a more collaborative and productive conversation with Township officials about building a fiscally prudent budget to provide a stronger future for Holmdel.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

The tone of the conversations by and among Township officials is one of the most alarming issues at this time. I think if people just focus on the issues rather than fingerpointing, more work can be done.

Indeed, it was deeply troubling that, rather than address the financial issues within the budget, there was a tremendous effort made by certain members of the the Township Committee to place the blame upon the Board of Education for the increase of taxes. I believe if the Township Committee pursued a collaborative relationship with the Board of Education rather than combative, then we could ensure our tax dollars are spent in a fiscally conservative manner. Rather than demonstrate appreciation for what the school district has accomplished to transform into a virtual learning environment practically overnight and to inquire as to how the Township can assist the Township through this pandemic, the Mayor instead denigrated the work of the School Board.

There are many residents in this community that are greatly concerned about the lack of long-term planning in the decision making of the Township Committee. The budget is too-focused on short-term fixes rather than long-term planning; indeed, in the past, promises were made but never followed by the current Mayor.

For instance, it is my understanding that Greg Buontempo led the charge in 2014 to close the firehouse in South Holmdel. Despite being on the Township Committee since that time, he has not fulfilled a plan to address fire safety for residents in South Holmdel. There are many residents within this community that are very upset about this and would like it to be addressed immediately, especially since we have experienced the loss of property in South Holmdel since that time despite the heroic efforts of our fire safety volunteers.

There is the explosion of affordable housing - what is the Township's plan to address the strain that will impose upon municipal services? It is not clear to me. The Township agreed to a PILOT payment for the Bell Works and Toll Brothers developments. Those PILOT payments permit the Township to capture more tax revenue because the amount that would normally be reserved for the schools is given to the municipality and even the county! My opponent has never once addressed how that would be used to assist the schools, and instead, allows the school to incur hundreds of thousands of dollars in paying police officers to protect our students.

As a member of the Township Committee, you can be assured that my decision-making will be guided by long-term planning. Compelling local needs like fire safety must be addressed quickly and should not linger. Leadership demands that it is addressed. Similarly, due to my existing working relationship with the Board of Education, the Township Committee may pursue a more meaningful and colloborative relationship with the school district to share services, where possible. On behalf of the Board, I have asked the Township Committee to help support our growing public safety

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

As a member of the Township Committee, my decision making will be guided by leadership with Integrity, fiscal responsiblitie and Long term and strategic planning.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Being a member of the Holmdel Board of Education, as well as prior Boards, demonstrates my commitment to community service. My fellow board members have recognized my dedication to the Board of Education, having elected me for three years in a row to serve as its President. I always strive to do my very best to represent our community and my fellow board members with integrity in all that I do as President.

I was a member of the Board of Education at the time we were planning the referendum. The referendum was perfectly timed to limit the tax impact. Due to our careful and conservative planning, the interest rates secured for this project were lower than anticipated. At present, the projects are on time (and hopefully, under budget). We have also, as a Board, placed monies in our capital reserve to make sure we can address any projects that may be more costly than anticipated. Thus far, this has been unnecessary.

These efforts were no small feat. There were some pockets within the community (even those on the Township Committee) who suggested it may be too much to try to pass in this Township. I was one of the Board members who took whatever time necessary to talk or meet with members of the community to assuage their concerns. I believe being upfront and available to talk to any resident about their concerns allowed this project to be successful at the polls.

I also demonstrated the foresight to engage in planning for technological improvements within the school district. When I moved to Holmdel, I was shocked with the lack of technology available to our students. This forced me to consider a run to become a member of the Board of Education so that I could be a part of the conversation for change. Within the last five years, the technological advancements made at the Holmdel School District are far beyond any other school district in this State. And, this foresight allowed us to seamlessly transform to a virtual learning environment during this pandemic.

This is the type of courage necessary to be successful as a public official. We have to make decisions that may not appeal to everyone, but if you demonstrate a willingness to work with people in a collaborative way, we can meet any challenge that we face. The good work that needs to be done in this community cannot be accomplished in the present adversarial environment. Working with my running mate, DJ, I believe we can refocus the attention of the Township Committee upon accomplishing really great things for our community.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

I was fortunate to be exposed to terrific professors in law school who, in addition to teaching about the practice of law, impressed upon their students the importance of being respectful to others and to ensure that we serve our community.

One of my dear friends, Paula Franzese, is a renowned professor of law at Seton Hall University. She reminded all of us as students that, in our professional and personal lives, to adhere to this simple rule -- "Treat people not as they are, but as they could be." Although she was paraphrasing the German literary figure Goethe, Professor Franzese wanted to encourage us to be leaders in our profession and in our community by always remember to see the potential in people.

I have carried that lesson with me as a litigator and in those elected positions that I have been entrusted to serve by the public, which has contributed to my willingness to collaborate with others to address the issues facing our community. No matter how disrespectful people treat me, I will continue to treat others as they could be.

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

Whenever I have made a promise as a public official, I have fulfilled that promise. For instance, when I ran for the Board of Education, I promised that I would advocate in favor of enhancing technology so that the District would become a one-to-one district. That promise was accomplished. When members of the community come to the Board of Education with an issue, I do whatever I can to advocate on their behalf. The issue of ballooning class sizes was an issue I shared along with many parents in this community -- I advocated relentlessly for a change, which was accomplished.

As a public official, I will lead with integrity and sincerity. I will do what I say I will do and do what I say. I will work tirelessly for our community. I, therefore, ask that this community provide DJ Luccarelli and me with a chance to serve them as members of the Holmdel Township Committee. We are ready and prepared to plan for Holmdel's future.