Mayoral Candidates Share Their Visions for the Future

There may have only been a handful of Howell residents at Georgian Court University on Wednesday night, but for the two candidates taking part who are seeking to succeed Mayor Robert Walsh it was a chance to get their message out in a new environment.

Democrat William Field and Independent Elaine Taylor accepted the invitation to the Lakewood school to share their views while Republican candidate Deputy Mayor William Gotto had declined. Answering questions from the student moderators as well as residents who went to the Lakewood campus the candidates used the evening to show how they see the town changing under their respective administrations. 

Field, a political science professor at Rutgers University, who had taught at Georgian Court in the past said there are several issues he would like to tackle if elected. Having lived in the town for 18 years Field also ran for a seat on the council in 2006 and served for two years on the finance committee of the Howell Board of Education. 

He said there are problems in the township, just as there are all through New Jersey and the country. "It takes real people to respond to those problems," he said. One of the biggest problems he focused on is the traffic in the town, especially on the Route 9 corridor. "For the last two years it has gotten harder and harder to drive through Howell," he said. "Drive through that traffic jam, that parking lot that is Route 9 from 195 down to Lakewood. That has gotten really bad."

Driving down Route 9, Field said drivers are also likely to see what he described as "something like 300 empty storefronts in Howell." He added, "We have traffic problems and we have storefront problems."

For her part, Taylor, a farmer in the town who served on the board of education and has been involved with the Howell Historical Society and the Southard Grange, said she has her own ideas for the future. "I'm a socially liberal type person, morally conservative and I think independently," she said. "I'm always thinking outside the box and always trying to solve problems."

Taylor said one of the main reasons she is running for mayor is the township's recent move to the former Global Building. During the time when the council was considering purchasing the property Taylor helped to organize a citizen's group in opposition to the move. "I was against it," she said. "It was $5.7 million that I felt we didn't need to spend."

She said as part of her opposition to purchase she was told by a member of the council that with 1000 signatures they would reconsider the move. "We rallied and we got all the signatures and we worked really hard," she said. "Then it went on deaf ears and they just knew what they were going to do." 

That was her motivation for running, and Taylor said also an example of what she would like to see the town become with residents getting involved in a variety of aspects with government. "I want to help build commerce in Howell," she said. "I would like to see us work hard at local commerce. Everybody thinking locally, buying in our community."

Moving Town Hall

The move to the new Municipal Building was also a topic of discussion brought up the moderators as well as what should be done with the old Town Hall. Taylor said she would like to see the nearly 100-year-old building turned into a community center. "It is perfect," she said. "We need the arts, we need theater, we need everything you can imagine happening there."

The buildings that are being emptied while the township moves will need work to be occupied again, but Taylor said even something like that could bring the community together. "I firmly believe that if you allow the community to have that center they will make the building work," she said. "They will fix it up and you just have to rally the people and give them the opportunity and it will happen." 

Field said the new building may not be ideal, but it is better than some other ideas that had been floated around the town in the past when it comes to the future of the town hall buidling. "I think it was a dumb thing to do to buy it in the middle of the recession, however the purchase price was a lot better than it might have been otherwise," he said. 

Following on Taylor's idea Field said he believed a community center could be a good idea for the old property as the township decides what to do with it. "We have this empty building sitting up there and they have no idea what to do with it. They have no plans for it," he said. "The idea of putting it to a community center makes a lot of sense."

Finances

In a year when taxes and spending dominated a lot of the conversation in town both candidates also shared their plans on how to reduce the burden on taxpayers. Field said that while there may not be much the township can do to help with tax bills in the short run, in the long run there are things that can be done.

That includes bringing in what he called "non-residential, non-retail commercial development." On roadways like Route 9 and Route 33 Field said things like medical complexes can help to alleviate some of the burden on taxpayer's wallets.

In Howell, roughly 89 percent of the tax bill falls on residents while that number is closer to 78 percent in the rest of the county. "Schools fall on the people who live here. The town falls on the people who live here. The county, the library, everything lands on the people who live in Howell," he said. "That's not a short term fix. That's a long term fix but we have to make the town more open to commercial development."

Admitting that sometimes her thinking is "way outside the box," Taylor said she would like to see the administrations cut spending and bonding in the future. "We have to get in there with like minded people on the council and just stop the stupid spending," she said. "Let's stop buying things that get old and funky in five years and then pay for it in 20 years. That's a complete waste of money. We've got to work on that big time."

Taylor said she would also like to see residents and the township work more on environmental issues including recycling. "If we could get people thinking differently about recycling and their trash we would save an enormous amount of money," she said. "If you get the minds of the people changed to recycle everything that eliminates garbage."

She also said by bringing in people as interns or other capacities the township can also find new ways to save money. "Maybe get them doing jobs in the government level or working somewhere that can offset some of the workers," she said. "Get some help there and then those people don't you don't need as many hours, you don't need to pay as many people."

Citizen involvement, she said, is one of the major platforms she is running on. "The only way we're going to change local government and change state government and change national government is if the people do the work and change it."

Environment

The environment was also a topic of discussion on Wednesday night as moderators asked about a dredging machine that was purchased by the township in 2009. According to the moderator the township bought the machine for Aldrich Lake for $380 thousand of which all but $108 thousand was covered by grant money.

Field said he believed the township should finish the work they started on the lake and also use the machine to help other areas in the town like Echo Lake Park. He also said the machine could be a source of revenue for the township if it is rented out to neighboring municipalities. 

Taylor also said she wanted to see the project go forward. "Let's get the job done," she said. "I'm always about getting the job done and no excuses. It would be fabulous." Taylor said she believed much of the resources for the township's Department of Public Works was being devoted to the new municipal building but said in the future it could be used for projects like the lakes.

During her closing remarks Taylor said she would like to see the township make a "slow positive change for the future." She added, "Nothing radical, just nice and easy. I think that's the way we solve it."

Field said in his concluding remarks that he would like to see the township improve in a variety of ways. "What else can we do to reduce our costs, to reduce our footprint to make our life better," he said.

After the debate ended Taylor said she felt good about her first real political debate. "It was wonderful," she said. "I have my weaknesses and my strengths and I saw that. It's all good because everybody has so much to learn."

Field said he was disappointed that Deputy Gotto opted not to attend but said it was still a good event. "I thought the questions were fabulous," he said. "I thought they helped me shape some of my answers."

He also credited Taylor for taking part. "Elaine has a lot of good things to offer this town," he said. "I think I do as well. The more people hear these alternatives the better."

All three candidates did have the chance to address members of the Chamber of Commerce starting with Taylor, followed by Field and Gotto who addressed the group just hours before the debate was held. 

The Chamber will also host a debate for candidates for the Board of Education on Monday night at the old Southard School.