'Tinton Falls First' slate led by Barrett
Councilwoman and two newcomers stress controlled growth
BY LINDA DeNICOLA
Staff Writer

Kim Barrett

Three candidates are running on the Tinton Falls First ticket: Councilwoman Kim Barrett, Rick Calvert and Charles Lomangino.

The candidates say they are committed to controlled development and growth, as well as fiscal discipline and integrity.

"Our campaign is fact-based and draws attention to many of the areas that must be addressed in our borough," Calvert said.

The team believes that the current administration is accelerating, rather than controlling, the rate of development in Tinton Falls and continues to build the budget with a very strong reliance on surplus funding, a prescription for disaster in later years.

Barrett, the only woman on the council and the only one running for office, has been a member of the Borough Council since September 2005. She is an original member of Tinton Falls' newly re-instated Open Space Committee, an open space and farmland preservation advocate and a member of the Planning Board from 2005 to the present.

She has lived on Riverdale Avenue east with her husband for 10 years. A photo stylist for catalogs and special events, she works as a freelancer which gives her time to devote to borough business.

Charles Lomangino

"I'm still very concerned with the growth rate, development and the type of development, and how it will affect the financial services that different groups require," she said.

"We need slow, controlled growth and fiscal responsibility. It's really the same platform that I ran under two years ago with Open and Honest Government. I believe they go hand in hand."

Barrett said she feels good about the fact that the council was able to reinstate the Open Space Committee.

"The committee has worked very hard," she said, adding "I'd like to see the Open Space Committee and Environmental Committee pool their resources."

As for her running mates, she said Calvert has been very involved in various things in the borough.

"He had expressed a desire to run for council. We definitely share the same platform when it comes to land preservation and controlling development.

Rick Calvert

Lomangino, she said, seems to know how to get things done. "From a business standpoint, he's a very strong asset to bring to the team."

Calvert is a member of the Tinton Falls Board of Education and a member of the Tinton Falls Zoning Board. He owns Calvert's Wholesale Inc. and served in the United States Army achieving the rank of captain before being honorably discharged in 1978.

He is also a founding member Tinton Falls C.U.R.E.

Calvert lives on Mayberry Drive in the northern part of the borough. He and his wife have lived in town for over 15 years and have three children, all educated in the Tinton Falls school district, where he served two three-year terms on the Board of Ed.

"During my terms on the BOE, I was on the finance committee most years and was chairman of the negotiations committee," he said, explaining that during his tenure the board negotiated a fair and stable contract with the teachers' union that provides the school district with vital health benefit savings, yet did not impact the health benefits package of the union membership.

Calvert believes that the greatest challenges facing the borough over the next four years are "the excessive growth and development rates projected … and the continued reliance by the administration on the use of budget surplus money to develop a budget."

Lomangino has been a member of the Tinton Falls Zoning Board since 2005. He is the owner of three family businesses headquartered in Neptune. He and his wife have lived on Helena Street in the southern portion of the borough since 1993. They have two children, one who was educated in the borough schools and a 2-year-old.

Lomangino said he is not a political person, "I can't stand politics. Politicians are not accountable the way they should be."

But, he said, he believes that people shouldn't complain unless they can offer a solution. And then," you have to be in a position to make things happen."

"I want to get involved; it's the only way to make things happen. I have a 'What can I do for my country?' kind of mentality."

He said controlled development should be at the top of the borough council agenda.

"You can't stop progress and shouldn't, but it has to be done the right way. I have a couple of ideas like making developers put money into education so senior citizens can get a break."

He said the spending on the new town hall has been out of control.

"People in government lose touch with reality and spending goes out of control. We need accountability in town spending," he said. "That's why I'm running on the Tinton Falls First ticket. I want to see our government take care of all of the people fairly and equally."

He added, "I love Tinton Falls. Integrity is what I'm after and listening to what the people want, and giving the majority what they want is what I want."

There will be a Meet the Candidates forum at the Tinton Falls Library, 664 Tinton Ave., Sunday at 2 p.m.

He said controlled development should be at the top of the borough council agenda.

"You can't stop progress and shouldn't, but it has to be done the right way. I have a couple of ideas, like making developers put money into education so senior citizens can get a break."

He said the spending on the new town hall has been out of control.

"People in government lose touch with reality, and spending goes out of control. We need accountability in town spending," he said. "That's why I'm running on the Tinton Falls First ticket. I want to see our government take care of all of the people fairly and equally."

He added, "I love Tinton Falls. Integrity is what I'm after and listening to what the people want, and giving the majority what they want is what I want."

There will be a Meet the Candidates forum at the Tinton Falls Library, 664 Tinton Ave., Sunday at 2 p.m.