Skip to content

A town square for an unsquare town

redbankgreen

Standing for the vitality of Red Bank, its community, and the fun we have together.

RED BANK: GOP KICKS OFF EARLY CAMPAIGN

whelan-taylor-052715-500x375-7970243Mark Taylor, right, and running mate Mike Whelan were joined by GOP bigwigs for a campaign kickoff on Monmouth Street Wednesday night. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

After a quarter-century in the minority, will Red Bank Republicans be able to harness their momentum of the last two elections to take control of the borough government?

Getting an early jump on this year’s race for two council seats, the local GOP trotted out some big local names for a kickoff event Wednesday night.

And they held it out on Monmouth Street, just feet away from both borough hall and new parking kiosks they believe symbolize the “arrogance” of Democrats, who now hold a 4-2 majority on the council as well as the mayoralty.

The kiosks, bought before an authorization vote to expand the paid parking zone and installed over the vehement objections of business owners, “exemplify the arrogance of the Murphy-DuPont era,” said GOP chairman Sean Di Somma, referring to incumbent Democrats Art Murphy and Mike DuPont, whose three-year seats are open in November.

State Senator Jen Beck – herself a former Red Bank council member – Assemblywomen Caroline Casagrande and Mary Pat Anglini touted first-time candidates Mark Taylor and Mike Whelan as two “regular” Red Bankers who simply want to be a voice for their neighbors.

“The residents of Red Bank are most concerned about their ability to stay here,” said Beck. “It’s a great town. But it’s an expensive place to stay in terms of taxes and our water fees.”

Also present were the the council’s only two Republicans, Cindy Burnham, who broke the Democrats’ four-year lock on the council two years ago, and Linda Schwabenbauer, who came out of nowhere to win a seat after little more than two months of campaigning last November.

Taylor, a 32-year-old attorney and Wallace Street resident, called the decision-making process on the kiosks “backwards and irresponsible.”

Taylor said he wants “to represent people who don’t want to be killed by property taxes and inflated water rates.” He said he would push for more transparency, including live-streaming of council meetings, and advocate for  the privatization of trash pickups and a possible privatization of the borough-owned water utility.

“We’re just two hardworking young guys who want to do the best for this town,” said Whelan, a 24-year-old insurance salesman who lives on Maple Avenue with his mother.

Di Somma, who himself failed in two runs for council before becoming local GOP head, teed up Murphy in particular for what he said was a conflict of interest. A building contractor, Murphy is “a documented subcontractor for New Jersey American Water,” which supplies the town’s water six months of the year.

“He makes money, and then he votes on ordinances that benefit that company, and then claims publicly, not privately but publicly,” that he doesn’t have a conflict of interest, Di Somma said.

Murphy has said there is no conflict in his vote on the meters for the borough-owned utility and that he does not do work for New Jersey American in Red Bank.

 

Remember: Nothing makes a Red Bank friend happier than to hear "I saw you on Red Bank Green!"
Partyline
RED TRUCKS AT RED ROCK
A small dishwasher fire at Red Rock Tap and Grill was put out quickly by firefighters overnight, causing minimal damage. Red Bank Fire Depar ...
CREATIVE COVER UP
The windows of Pearl Street Consignment on Monmouth Street were smashed when a driver crashed their car through them injuring an employee la ...
THEY’RE BACK!
Ospreys returned to the skies over Red Bank this week for the first time since they migrated to warmer climes in late fall. With temperature ...
SPRING IS SPRUNG
RED BANK: Spring 2024 arrives on the Greater Red Bank Green with the vernal equinox at 11:06 p.m. Tuesday.
RED BANK’S FINEST – AND NEWEST
Red Bank Police Officer Eliot Ramos was sworn in as the force’s newest patrolman Thursday, and if you’re doing a double take thinkin ...
EASTER EGG MAYHEM AT THE PARK
An errant whistle spurred an unexpectedly early start to the Spring Egg Hunt on Sunday, which had been scheduled to begin at eggsactly 11am ...
PRESEASON DOCKWORK
RED BANK: With winter winding down, marina gets ready for boating season with some dockwork on our beautiful Navesink River.
CORNED BEEF AND DISCO FRIES?
It’s Friday, and smart Lent-observing Leprechauns know the pot of gold at the end of Red Bank’s rainbow is actually the deliciou ...
SURFBOARD DITCHED
It’s a violation of etiquette in surfing to ditch your board.  (it could hit another surfer and hurt them). But someone appears to ha ...
ELSIE, TAKE ME WITH YOU!
Soaked by pouring rain with the temperature hovering in the low 40’s, this sign in the window of Elsie’s Subs on Monmouth Street ...
WALK THIS WAY
PARTYLINE: Before-and-afters of a sidewalk cleanup on West Street.
SOGGY NOTION
RED BANK: Breezeway sculpture captured the mood downtown as heavy rains fell Saturday morning.
HOME DELIVERY
RED BANK: After a subdivision, an instant house rises on a new Catherine Street lot.
COMMUNITY PROFILES
For Black History Month, Red Bank's Community Engagement and Equity Advisory Committee has been running a series of local profiles on Facebo ...
HEARTY FAREWELL FOR HARDY
RED BANK: Council to honor DPU supervisor Rich Hardy, who retired recently after almost 39 years of keeping things running.
HOMEBOUND? READ ON…
RED BANK: Can't get to the public library? It's now offering free delivery and pickups for homebound borough residents.
TAMING A BEAST OF A WEEK
RED BANK: After the second snowfall of the week, a borough family finds the perfect use for it – a Godzilla snow sculpture.
RED BANK: LIBRARY CLOSED, BUT THE HILL’S OPEN
RED BANK: Though the library was closed by a snowstorm, kids got to enjoy the riverfront property's steep slope Tuesday.
LIGHT(HOUSE) MAKEOVER
This year, getting ready for spring means a midwinter makeover for Strollo's Lighthouse in Red Bank.
TODAY: LOCAL PUPPY COMPETES ON ANIMAL PLANET’S “PUPPY BOWL”
Red Bank’s very own rescue puppy, Biscuit, is set to compete in Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl this Sunday, February 11, at 2 PM. Th ...