Sludera team wants open government

Skudera team wants open government
Fiscal responsibility, Earle housing major issues
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer

TINTON FALLS — Borough Councilman Michael Skudera is entering the home stretch in his run for mayor.

Skudera is challenging current Mayor Peter Maclearie, who is seeking re-election to his second term in the borough's nonpartisan elections on May 12.

With Skudera running for mayor and current Councilman Paul Ford not seeking re-election, there are two, four-year terms up for election on the Tinton Falls Borough Council.

Skudera's running mates are Scott Larkin, vice principal of Monmouth Regional High School, and Nancy Anne Fama, vice president of Human Resources for Food Circus Super Markets.

Fama also is a former production manager for the New York Mayor's Office of Operations under former Mayor Ed Koch.

Skudera, current deputy council president, feels he has a strong team that is in agreement on the issues facing the borough.

"I am very happy to be able to run with them," he said. "Tinton Falls is a great town and we are taking steps to make it better."

Skudera has been a member of the council since 2005. He is a project manager overseeing multimillion-dollar projects and has more than a decade of experience in the technology field. All of the candidates acknowledge that there are serious issues facing the borough.

Michael Skudera (l-r), Nancy Anne Fama and Scott Larkin
Skudera believes that the first priority is the municipal budget.

"The first issue is being fiscally responsible," Skudera said. "We need to have a stable budget."

In an email, Skudera said as a council member he has helped to trim the budget by voting to end health benefits for the mayor and council, pushing for competitive bidding on all projects, and working to save the borough $200,000 on a new phone system.

"We are looking to make our government live within its means," Larkin added.

While the budget is one platform the team is running on, Skudera would also like to improve transparency in borough government.

"My main decision was for more open government," Skudera said. "I want to take an active approach and reach out with the school board and other towns about [sharing] services.

"We need to reach out and communicate better," Skudera added. "We need to be more responsive."

Fama agrees that there are several issues Tinton Falls is facing, but she feels a transparent, responsible government should be high on the list.

"I think the most important issue is getting a good team in place," Fama said in an interview. "It is about opening up the lines of communication with the government and the residents."

One of the ways Skudera would improve transparency in Tinton Falls is by upgrading the town's Web page.

Skudera wants to add more downloadable documents to the page, which is something he said he would do right away if elected.

"It is something I can do with executive order," Skudera said. "The more important documents that we post online, the less phone calls we get and the less copying we have to do."

Skudera also said an open line of communication with the borough schools is crucial for the borough administration.

As a member of council, according to Skudera, he was instrumental in establishing a liaison to the Board of Education, a post currently held by Ford.

"One thing I've done is create a school board liaison on council," Skudera said. "We are now able to work on issues back and forth with the school board and have an open dialogue."

Skudera also wants to implement more oversight committees for Tinton Falls.

"As mayor, I'd like any project we take on to have oversight," he said.

Another important issue in Tinton Falls is the privatization of housing at Naval Weapons Station Earle in Colts Neck.

Under a contract with the U.S. Navy, Tinton Falls currently educates children of Navy personnel living at Earle. A proposal to privatize 300 housing units at Earle could result in non-Navydependent students who the borough maintains it is not obligated to educate.

During an April 7 council meeting, a proposal was made to designate the housing for retired military veterans.

Skudera sees the proposal as a viable option if the right stipulations are met.

"I think it is a good plan if there is some age restriction to it," Skudera said. "Veterans can have families too. I don't want it to be a burden to our taxpayers."

"We need to figure out the Earle housing issue in a way that doesn't burden our taxpayers," Fama said, "in a way that benefits Tinton Falls."

Fama and Larkin said they were impressed with Skudera from the start.

"A few months ago I met with Mike," Larkin said. "We had long conversations that had very little to do with politics. We talked about our families and jobs and our past. We realized we had very similar political views. Our personalities meshed."

"I've been impressed with his tireless work," Fama said.

While Skudera is looking forward to the opportunity to become mayor, he is also happy to be working with Larkin and Fama.

"I think they have a lot of good experience," Skudera said. "Nancy with the Office of Operations in New York and Scott with the school system.

"We are a good team that is energetic, passionate and organized," Fama added.

One of the reasons Fama believes the team will be successful is that they are a diverse group.

"We bring a good mix of diversity to the council," Fama said. "We have a good mix of ages and genders. We have a good blend of experience and diversity."

Both candidates for council say that now is the right time to enter the political realm.

"I really wanted to start putting some roots down," Larkin said. "I wanted to become more involved."

"I think this is a good point in my life," Fama said. "It is a good time to get more involved."

Larkin also has an experienced family member he can lean on, as his father is the mayor of nearby Ocean Township.

Advice from his father is something Larkin will look for.

"It's been great watching him serve the town," he said. "I'll be lucky to have half the impact that he's had."

As for Skudera, he says he is going to bring the same work ethic he brought to the Borough Council to the mayor's office if elected.

"I'd like to see the government and town improve," Skudera said. "It's a great town and we are committed to working with other towns and working with the school system to make it better."

Contact Kenny Walter at

kwalter@gmnews.com.


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