Election Preview: Four Vying For Pair Of Municipal Seats

Four contenders are vying for two, three-year terms on the in Tuesday’s election.

Republican incumbents , the sitting mayor, and each are seeking their second terms on the governing body. Challenging them are Democrats .

Ehrlich, a newcomer, is making his first run for the committee. McFadden failed in a bid for a seat last year.

each said it was time for a dissenting voice on the governing body to challenge what they said is a prevailing lock-step march of “yes’’ votes on the all-GOP committee, while the Republicans point to their accomplishments in the past term.

Ehrilch, 33, of Buchannan Street, cited an open and transparent municipal government as a top priority. Ehrlich, an attorney, said the democrats, if elected, would push to make government expenditures available on the township website.
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Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Find your polling place with a Polling Place map, attached to this story below the pictures. A Sample Ballot is attched as well.
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He said have investigated software that would give an accounting of the movement of taxpayer money and make it readily available on the web.

“That way you can see where all the money is going,’’ Ehrlich said. “I think that would go a long way toward open and transparent government.’’

McFadden, 50, of Terrace Place, agreed and added that instituting a web-based ledger system would also help reduce the waiting time for residents and township employees’ time by eliminating records requests from residents looking to find out where the money is being spent.

 “I think this would encourage more transparency and get people more interested in what’s going on at town hall,’’ said McFadden, a union ironworker.

said the municipal budget was paramount among issues facing the township in the near term.

Newberry, a project manager for an electrical services company, said he was proud of his work on a committee that has learned to manage the needs of residents and provide them at a reduced cost, pointing to the recent cleanup following Hurricane Irene.

Newberry said the township was just two days past the normally set schedule for brush removal and accomplished that despite the huge storm and with a reduced roster of Public Works employees.

“We’ve asked more from the (employees) and we’ve continued to figure out how we can provide what people are looking for at a modified cost,’’ Newberry said. “I feel proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish.”

Newberry said the reduced municipal workforce has come through attrition, particularly in the Police Department. But that the number of public workers is beginning to stretch thin.

“The budget looms larger than anything else we’re involved in,’’ Newberry said. “Gone are the days when it was okay just to raise taxes.’’

Like her running mate, Conte -- 46, of Overbrook Drive – cited budgetary issues as among her top concerns going into the next term.

Reducing spending, controlling the size of government and increasing the kind and number of shared service agreements with surrounding towns were among her top issues.

“Providing the citizens of Wall with a government that does more with less – it’s imperative to do that,’’ Conte, a pediatric nurse manager, said.

Conte also said retaining the businesses that Wall has is a prime concern, and that resurrecting a defunct business development committee would be a good start toward that goal.

The committee, Conte said, involved members of the Wall business community and engaged them with the municipal government to air concerns and address problems. It lost momentum, Conte said, but breathing new life into it would be a priority.

“We’re more than willing to rekindle that,’’ Conte said. “Whatever is necessary to accommodate the businesses we have you have to look to retain them in these hard economic times and not lose that opportunity.’’

Newberry also cited the affordable housing mandates as a potential area of concern in the near term. He said striking a balance between Wall’s rural past and its more suburban present is a difficult tightrope to walk.

“I think we’re ready to handle that and look at that,’’ Newberry said. “(Affordable housing requirements) are on hold, but they’re not gone. It will come back and we’ll have to deal with it.’’

In pursuing a goal of open government, McFadden said if elected he would push to abolish a practice of limiting the amount of time a member of the public can speak on a particular issue at public meetings. The committee currently sets a time limit of five minutes for each speaker. The number of times a speaker may return to address the committee, however, is not limited.

“Five minutes is just not enough,’’ McFadden said.

Both Democrats said that Wall is missing an opportunity to promote itself and would work toward establishing a Department of Tourism, using existing municipal employees.

“We’re a gateway to the Shore and a hub for state roads and we rarely cash in on that,’’ McFadden said. “We would only need one person for a couple of hours at the start to get the Department of Tourism going.’’

Ehrlich and McFadden each said they would, if elected, work to broaden discussions on the Township Committee.

“Wall’s a great town,’’ Ehrlich said. “I think it could be run better.’’