Boro needs residents to step up, run for council
Three seats will be up for election on May 8
BY LINDA DeNICOLA
Staff Writer

Tinton Falls

Council President Brendan Tobin announced at the Jan. 2 Borough Council meeting that it is time to register to run for a seat on the Borough Council in the May 8 election.

He added that three seats of the five-member council are up for grabs, including his own seat. Tobin announced last fall that he did not plan to run again. The other two seats are held by Councilwoman Kim Barrett and Councilman Jim Allen, who has indicated he does not intend to run for re-election.

The Tinton Falls form of government falls under the Faulkner Act, an optional municipal charter. The act provides many choices for communities with a preference for a strong executive and professional management of municipal affairs. The mayor is the chief executive officer and is voted in to office for a four-year term. The borough administrator reports to and may act for the mayor in the mayor's absence. The Borough Council is the legislative body and the five council seats are for staggered four-year terms.

In Tinton Falls form, the elections are held in May, instead of November.

Tobin explained that a resident who wants to run for a seat on the Borough Council needs to go the Borough Clerk's Office at borough hall between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. and register for a packet. Then, the potential candidate needs to get legitimate signatures from 116 registered voters (1 percent of the 11,600 registered voters in the borough) and return that packet to the borough clerk by 4 p.m. March 15.

"It is strongly suggested that you obtain more than just the 116, since any one that is thrown out is counted against you and there are no time extensions. I had four people who signed for me who weren't even registered to vote, but thought they were," Tobin said. "They are registered voters now, but if I'd only had the exact number, it would've been a problem."

Tobin said his term on the council has been rewarding.

"I'm proud of the increase in communication and public involvement, the higher voter turn- out, and the controlling of things that were problems before but were ignored or pushed aside."

Tobin said he has worked hard to get more people involved in many areas and it has paid off. About 50 percent of registered voters voted in the last municipal elections, compared to about 126 people in earlier years.

"We need good people to run, those who think about the borough in the big picture, not just in their corner of this 16 square-mile burg."

According to Tobin, some residents don't have the big picture in mind. They are more narrowly focused.

"Some joined boards, but had lousy attendance records. Some wanted more development due to personal business interests and we've had enough of that," he said. "Some wanted to make sure that just their one area of interest was taken care of, and that's never good.

"This borough has been there and done that over the many years with narrow or selfish thinkers, and it's always turned out to bring larger problems down the road, like more traffic or things being neglected."

Tobin said he hopes that well-intentioned residents will "step up, get a packet, and help out."