John "Ted" Ibex Burnt Mill Circle

John "Ted" Ibex

Democrat

Oceanport Councilman John "Ted" Ibex was appointed to office last December and said last week that he is running in the November election to complete some unfinished business.

"I come with a lot of tools in my tool box that I can lend to the community," said Ibex in an interview last week. "I enjoy community service and I have already brought a tremendous amount of experience and expertise to the borough."

Ibex, an Oceanport resident for 37 years, was appointed to fill the council seat vacated when then-Councilwoman Lucille Chaump took office as mayor after the death of Mayor Maria Gatta.

A forensic accountant and business consultant, Ibex said his professional skills have proved to be invaluable to the borough.

"I have been a businessman for almost 40 years," he said. "My primary committee on council is finance. I have reviewed and seen many budgets, and I can't tell you how many audits I have performed in my career."

One of the major areas of concern for Ibex is the future of Fort Monmouth.

"We have to stay on top of what is going on at the fort," he said. "There are 400 acres on the fort in the confines of Oceanport. We have to be careful that whatever comes to Oceanport is not overdeveloped and does not create a burden to our town's infrastructure, including our schools and police."

While municipal budgets are increasing statewide, Ibex said Oceanport has to keep a reasonable budget with reasonable costs.

One way to do that, he said, is to explore shared services.

"To reduce the financial burden to taxpayers, we need to look at things we can do differently, but at the same time we need to balance good government," he said.

From a financial standpoint, Ibex said he is the best-qualified candidate for the council post.

He served 17 years on the Oceanport Board of Education and has always been oriented to community service.

"This is a form of giving back to my community that has served me well over the years, and I want to serve it well," he said.