Matawan Boro Council Race: Republicans Esposito, Saggese Talk

MATAWAN, NJ — In Matawan borough, there are two seats open on the town council this November, and four candidates.

Current council members Deana Gunn and Stephanie Buckel, both Democrats, seek to retain their seats. They are challenged by Republicans Anissa Esposito and Joe Saggese.

Esposito and Saggese talked to Patch about why they think it's time for Republicans to gain a foothold on the Matawan borough council (Here are Deana Gunn's answers: https://patch.com/new-jersey/m...):

Esposito previously served for nine years on the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional Board of Education (her term expired Dec. 31, 2019).

Position Sought: Matawan Borough council

Party Affiliation: Republican

Family: Husband and two adult children

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? I am the new Municipal Republican Committee Chairwoman in Matawan

Education: Associate's degree in legal studies

Occupation: Paralegal specializing in research and investigation

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office: Matawan Aberdeen Regional School District Board of Education Member

Why are you seeking elective office? I have a passion for public service to my community

The single most pressing issue facing our community is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it. Although there are several pressing issues in our community, the fiscal policies of the current Council administration have Matawan on an unsustainable path. Spending, taxes and debt are making our community unaffordable for seniors, families and young people starting out. I am committed to having a top-to-bottom audit of all spending, advocating aggressively for our fair share of state aid for our school district to help ease the unfair burden placed on our taxpayers for decades, and resist unnecessary borrowing, particularly when we have large surpluses every year.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post? The critical differences between me and the incumbents is that my running mate Joe Saggese and I are not beholden to anyone but the voters. Matawan residents need watchdogs on the Council who will serve them with honesty, transparency, accountability and respect. They deserve representatives who will look out for them and their tax dollars by reviewing every decision made, every contract and every penny spent.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)? The current administration ran on making Matawan more affordable, yet raised the budget by 20 percent in five years with little to show for it. In fact, while it is nice to see a rehabilitated historic mansion or new curbs and sidewalks on Main Street, not a whole lot has really changed in five years, except out-of-control spending and debt. Matawan was the fourth-highest taxed municipality in 2019. The current administration routinely blames the county or school district, yet the town tax rate has been higher than both for the past two years.

In a year when so many residents and businesses are struggling due to a near-total shutdown of our local and state economy for months on end, this administration chose to raise the budget by $450,000, make no cuts or consolidations, quietly introduce a $11.9-million dollar bond offering, and raise municipal taxes $600,000, resulting in staggering property tax increases for property owners. Our Main Street, which is important to residents, remains a struggling district of town after five years of promises to revitalize it.

In fact it seems the main plan for "restoring Matawan" is to fill the Downtown and transit area with large-scale residential development. I say "it seems" because they have only provided vague statements like "working with investors" and "creating millions in ratables" with no details, unless you read the revised Master Plan they approved in 2018. Residents should not have to play detective in order to know what their Council is doing!

We have a serious issue with a lack of transparency and respect for all residents in this administration, which creates a chilling affect on constituent's rightful questioning of their government. This needs to change!

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

• Open, transparent, accountable and above all, respectful government
• Control spending and Debt
• Develop new shared services with the County and other towns
• I will work with our school district to get our fair share of state aid
• Create a more business-friendly environment
• Expand programs and service for our residents especially youth and seniors by partnering with public and private organizations
• Fight high-density overdevelopment

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job? My experience as a longtime member of the Board of Education provided me with a great deal of knowledge and experience in how government works (or more precisely, should work). During my tenure, I served as negotiations chair and held leadership roles as president and vice president for most of that time. I understand the importance of stakeholder engagement in decision making. I have a thorough understanding of how government entity budgets work, as well as things like contracts and state funding, which greatly impact those budgets. I was an outspoken advocate for the school district and taxpayers regarding our fair share of state aid funding in Trenton, which has prepared me to continue being a strong advocate for the residents of Matawan. As a legal professional, I am conditioned to examine issues and facts from all sides, have a strong attention to detail, as well as how to anticipate potential issues that can arise and come up with solutions to address them. All are invaluable skills when serving in a local government organization such as Borough Council, in my opinion and I feel more than prepared to meet the challenge.

The best advice ever shared with me was: The best advice ever shared with me was to always trust your gut, never let anyone tell you that you can't achieve what you set your mind to, use their negativity as fuel to your fire and just do it. I have lived my whole life proving naysayers wrong.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions? I would like voters to know that I am passionate about Matawan, I am eager to have the opportunity to serve my neighbors and fellow community members.

Joseph Saggese

Age (as of Election Day): 58

Position Sought: Councilmen

Party Affiliation: Republican

Family: Wife JoAnn and three sons Danny, Will & Mel

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? No

Education: Associate Degree in Business Administration

Occupation: Fifteen years with the Port of New York and New Jersey

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office: None

Campaign website: https://www.facebook.com/Espos...

Why are you seeking elective office? I believe that a local government must represent all of the people with service and respect. This can only be done with diversity of opinion, diversity of thought and diversity of ideas.

The single most pressing issue facing our community is: A lack of respect from local government to residents that differ in political opinion.

And this is what I intend to do about it:

As stated in the above question a healthy government must have diversity of thought, ideas and opinions if all residents are to believe that they are being represented. When only one point of view is represented, that governing body has absolute power and absolute power corrupts absolutely. So what I intend to do is to listen to, respect and represent all residents regardless of their political affiliation. In a position of political power I represent the public interest, not my own.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post? We are not beholden to anyone but the voters. Matawan needs watchdogs on the council who will review every decision made, every contract signed and every penny spent.

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

• Our opponents have remained silent while residents have been bullied and intimidated by the council.
• They have driven debt and spending to unsurpassed levels, which breaks the taxpayers' backs, many who are seniors on fixed incomes.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

1. Respect for all residents of Matawan.
2. Open and transparent government.
3. Develop new shared services with the county and other towns.
4. Control debt and spending.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job? I have 25 years of experience in construction and the heating, air conditioning and ventilation industry. Fifteen of those 25 years were spent in the vocational education of young high school graduates and older adults who had lost their jobs and were coming to me for retraining. I gained the experience to greet younger adults with excitement for a new future while learning to be compassionate with the older person who was forced to make a mid-life career change.

The best advice ever shared with me was: "When you take on a leadership role and you blame the person who's place you are taking, that is telling everyone that you don't know how to do the job."

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions? I joined the New Jersey Army National Guard and was Honorably discharged 1980 - 1986.

Here are Deana Gunn's answers; she was asked by Patch the same set of questions: Matawan Councilwoman Deana Gunn: Why I Seek Re-Election Buckel did not get back to us.

Matawan-Aberdeen Voter Guide 2020: What You Need To Know

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