Manchester Mayoral Election 2022: Ken Seda

MANCHESTER,NJ — When voters go to the polls in Manchester Township on Nov. 8, they will be asked to choose the town's mayor.

There are three people seeking the four-year mayoral term: Robert Hudak, Robert Arace and Ken Seda.

Patch asked each candidate to answer questions to give voters information about who they are and their stances on various issues. We are printing their responses in full, unedited except for spelling or punctuation.

Here are the answers for Ken Seda, who is 63 and lives in the Whiting section.

Tell voters about your family: I am married. I have three beautiful daughters, 7 grandchildren and two of the best parents any child could ever ask for.

Tell voters about your education: St. Mary's Star of the Sea, Brooklyn, NY; New York Military Academy, Class of 1977

What is your occupation? Retired counselor and community advocate.

Previous elective office, if any: None.

Do you or anyone in your family work for the state, county or local governments? No family members who work for Manchester, county, state or federal government.

Why are you seeking running for mayor?

I am running for mayor because I feel that me and my team can do a better job. We need to address the problems that matter to the people who live in Manchester. We need more business ratables to stabilize taxes. We need adequate cell phone service. We need safer roads.

I’m running with Gloria Adkinson and Karen Sugden. I feel that me and my team have the government, business and community experience to solve these problems and make Manchester a better place to live.

I have a long history of public service. I’ve worked with church communities for more than 40 years. I’ve worked with state government as director of the 30th Legislative District. As president of the Latino Leadership Alliance, I have worked with Governors Murphy, Christie, Corzine, McGreevy, Whitman, Florio & Kean.

I am active with the Roman Catholic Church community, in CYO, Catholic Youth Minister, 10-year team member of the Emmaus Men's Retreats, and active member of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church where I have served our church board (Vestry) for the past 3 years.

What do you feel is the most pressing issue facing Manchester, and what do you want to do about it?

Taxes, Cell Phone Towers, Road Safety.

Taxes: Hold the line on tax increases. Conduct an operational audit of the entire municipal budget to see where we can save money. Eliminate wasteful spending and see where we can share expenses with school and fire budgets in areas where there is duplication.

Cell Tower. Complete the construction and begin the operation of the cell tower on Route 530 in Whiting. This 4-year project must be completed immediately. The safety of many residents is at risk. Build more cell towers if needed within 2 years.

Road Safety. Work with county and state governments to make our roads safer. Better signs, lighting, traffic lights, reconstruction of certain roads, trimming of trees and shrubs, etc. Take responsibility for our roads and do not just “pass the buck” and blame the county and state.

Manchester Township has struggled with trying to attract businesses to help its ratable base and take some pressure off homeowners with property taxes. What do you think Manchester can do to help attract more businesses?

We need to take care of existing businesses and bring new business to the many vacant storefronts in town. As an incentive, we will waive inspection fees for businesses opening in vacant storefronts, to reduce their startup costs. We will reach out to the business community to discuss what municipal incentives we could provide for the growth and expansion of our business community.

The Heritage Minerals site continues to be a sore spot for the town, between illegal ATV operation and trespassers swimming, and the ever-present concerns about part of it being developed. What do you think the township can do to mitigate both concerns?

For the safety of the ATV operators and trespassing swimmers we must stop illegal trespassing and enforce the laws. The law cannot be ignored, and enforcement must be a priority.

The issues surrounding the Heritage Minerals site exemplifies the failure of the local government in Manchester. We are lucky that the DEP has so far blocked the Hovnanian proposal to build thousands of housing units, but it never should have gotten to this point. We need to tighten up our zoning in all of Manchester to prevent this kind of rampant overdevelopment.

High-density residential development will worsen our road safety problems and raise our taxes. As mayor I will develop a municipal task force, including residents and planners, to study and revise the Master Plan and recommend what is best for Manchester. Then we will enact zoning laws to enforce the recommendations.

If you could change one thing about Manchester right now, what would it be?

Stop the highly negative political environment. With my council running mates, Gloria Adkinson and Karen Sugden, we will help to build greater pride and spirit in Manchester.