Manchester Township Mayoral Election 2021: Robert Hudak

MANCHESTER, NJ — The 2021 election campaign culminates when voters go to the polls Nov. 2. In Manchester, they will be choosing someone to fill the final year of the unexpired term for mayor.

There are two candidates seeking to finish the term of Kenneth Palmer, who resigned at the end of June to become an Ocean County Superior Court judge. Manchester Township has a nonpartisan government.

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 from Robert Hudak.

Age: 44

Town of residence: Manchester Township

Position sought: Mayor

Family: My wife Ellen and three school children (Michael, Andrew, and Christina)

Education: Master in Public Administration- Villanova University; Certification in Municipal Management- Villanova University; BA Political Science and BA History Montclair State University; Zoning Official Certification Rutgers University- Center for Government Services

Occupation: Licensed land use planner

Previous elective office, if any: Township Council

Do you or anyone in your family work for the state, county or local governments?

My wife is a school social worker.

Why are you seeking office?

I am seeking to remain as mayor and use my background and experience for the betterment of Manchester Township. During my time on council and since being unanimously selected by the council to serve as mayor, I have been planning a more conservative budget for 2022 since inheriting the 2021 budget. I will preserve the charter of our community by preserving open space and inviting investment into Whiting, while also improving our parks.

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

The most pressing issue is fighting overdevelopment and preserving the character of our community. As a licensed land use planner, I fight developers every day to protect residents' interests and concerns and work on preserving open space as part of my mission. Last year, I fought for and the township bought over 25 acres of open space and stopped an unneeded residential development, but this is only the beginning. I am proposing preservation of an additional 20 acres along 571 by partnering with the county to keep the rural character of our township.

Additionally, we need economic development in Whiting. So far my administration has successfully brought in two new businesses to existing spaces. There are others on the way. I have reached out to other retailers including Aldi and Lidl and asked them to sit at the table and discuss the possibility of coming into Whiting.

For both of these reasons, I established an Economic Development Task Force of community stakeholders that will examine ways to protect our existing charm.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking to serve?

The critical difference is that I possess over 20 years of state and local government experience and have successfully managed economic development and open space programs. For example, in Monroe Township, I managed their open space program and we were able to preserve almost 50 percent of the township. I believe I can instill confidence and stability that this township desperately needs. I will bring new ideas to Manchester that will be successful. Our town cannot sustain the inexperience and experimentalism that my opponent proposes. Too much is at stake for our town.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Manchester needs to be affordable while expanding on services to support our seniors AND our young families. Expansion of current services is desperately needed. My first act as mayor was to perform a top to bottom examination of the township’s budget so that I could better understand our financial position. I imposed a nonessential spending freeze on all of our township departments so that we could first consider how we are allocating our resources before any additional spending occurs. I believe these resources should be used for providing essential services to our community.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you will be effective in office?

During my time time in office I successfully:

• Secured three energy aggregation agreements — which produced thousands of dollars in savings for our residents.
• Established an Emergency Medical Service (Ambulance service) that has seen a 97 percent increase in response times to residents' calls with no balance billing.
• Erected a new water tower in the eastern service area that will end summer water restrictions.
• Established a paid daytime fire department to assist the volunteer fire departments with coverage during the week.
• Purchased 25 acres of developable land along Route 571 and preserved it from development.
• Negotiated the construction of a cell tower in Whiting to improve cell phone coverage.
• Upgrading parks like Sixth Ave, Bowker Field, Summit Park and Pine Lake Park by developing an ongoing park maintenance program.
• Kept the township tax rate one of the lowest in the county.
• Entered into a shared service agreement with Lakehurst for municipal court services, at a tax savings to Manchester residents.
• Successfully closed the Whiting Landfill by negotiating with a solar company that will provide free electricity to township facilities.

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

My goal as mayor is to continue our progress by fighting to preserve our residents’ quality of life. This includes looking for open space purchases, supporting existing small businesses and bringing new businesses to Whiting while stabilizing taxes and adding additional shared services. I take my responsibilities as mayor very seriously. The taxpayers expect responsible spending and use of our funds in the most cost-effective way.