On the ballot November 2: charter study commission candidate Mark Taylor. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

Red Bank voters will have 11 candidates to choose from when they elect a five-member charter study commission November 2.

Here’s what candidate Mark Taylor had to say in response to a questionnaire sent to all contenders by redbankgreen.

Mark D. Taylor

Age: 38

Address: Tilton Avenue

Length of residence in town: Lifelong Resident

Is Red Bank’s present form of government problematic? Please explain your answer:

I don’t like the term “problematic” to describe Red Bank’s present form of government, but I will concede that the Borough form of government is not serving the needs of Red Bank residents, businesses and the broader community. The form of government needs to be evaluated with a focus on modernization, inclusion and better accountability. The #1 recommendation of the 2018 Management Enhancement Report was to change the form of government. It was because of the dysfunction I experienced firsthand that I began championing the effort to change the form of government while I was still serving as a Councilman. Sadly, since 2018, the dysfunction in our local government has only gotten worse.

What would you bring to the table as a commission member?

I bring a lifetime of perspective to this endeavor. My experiences of growing up in town, serving on boards and committees, and campaigning for and winning a seat on the Council put me in a unique position to qualitatively evaluate the shortcomings in our present form of government and make recommendations for a new form of government to address those shortcomings. My approach to weighty decisions like the one before the Charter Study Commission is to obtain as much information and be as informed as possible. I believe the best way to achieve this is to involve professionals with knowledge about the process, have them present the options at public meetings and solicit input from those who will be affected most – you, the public.

Here are redbankgreen‘s Q&As with the other charter study commission candidates:

Scott Broschart

Mike DuPont

Nancy Facey-Blackwood

***** ELECTION GUIDE *****

• The election of the five-member charter study commission is on the ballot along with a referendum on whether the five-member commission should be formed to review Red Bank’s 113-year-old form of government.

Here’s the specific wording of the public question:

Shall a charter commission be elected to study the charter of the Borough of Red Bank and to consider a new charter or improvements in the present charter and to make recommendations thereon?

If the referendum passes, the commission’s eventual recommendation to the council could lead to change in the form of government used by Red Bank since 1908.

If the referendum fails, the election of the commissioners would be moot. Voters may choose candidates even if they vote ‘no’ on the question about the charter study.

• Find the Red Bank ballot here.

• For information on the various ways to cast your vote, check out this article. It includes information on mail-in ballots and early, in-person voting, which begins October 23.

Information about election-related deadlines is here.

• Monmouth County election offices (300 Halls Mill Road, Freehold Township) will offer extended hours to allow voters to apply for and drop off vote-by-mail ballots. The offices will be open on Friday, October 29 from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday, October 30 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• In-person, election day voting will take place at the polling stations shown below. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Note that in-person, election day voting for residents of the 1st and 8th districts will take place at borough hall (90 Monmouth Street).

• Finally, here’s a video on using Monmouth County’s new digital voting machines, which employ touchscreen technology familiar to users of smartphones and tablets:

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