Borough Council - Regular Meeting

I am so ready for

You know, some people will some people will stay at home and watch it because I think it's so much better.

Um, so you're still I'll take and start it. And professor, it's all yours. I'm shutting up. Uh, okay. Uh, welcome everyone to the Miltown Burough Council Candidates Forum. I am Richard Law. I'm a professor of political science at Rutgers University. I've lived in New Jersey for the past 35 years, but not nearby, but not in Miltown. And as far as I know, I don't know any not met any of the candidates here, which is uh the the rules that we're supposed to go by. Um so each of the candidates is going to make an opening statement. They provided us with brief uh bios and we've drawn lots and so we have an order that we're going to go in. I will read the candidates's bio and then the candidate will um have three minutes I believe to make an opening statement and then we'll go to the next candidate in line and

stuff. And if I didn't say this in then in the closing statements, we're going to go in the opposite order that we went in uh for the opening statement. So the uh first uh person to uh uh provide his opening statement is John Collins. So John has lived in Miltown for 37 years. He was a councilman in Miltown from 2006 to 2009 and then again from 2022 through now. He's a retired former budget analyst for the state of New Jersey. He's a past member of CWA, which I think is the communication workers.

That's correct.

Uh uh local 137. He earned a bachelor science degree from New Jersey City University and an AA degree from Middle Sex County College. He um served as councilman for five different departments, health and environmental services, public safety, public works, utilities and finance and administration. He was the council liaison to the shade tree committee, the board of education, the Miltown senior citizens, and the Miltown library. A 46-year member of the Miltown Rangers AC and is the past treasurer and trustee and presently financial secretary of that organization. He was on the Miltown Board of Adjustment from 2010 through 2014. He's a member of the board of health for 20 years, the Miltown pool committee and the recreation committee. He was formerly a junior pee-wee coach. And he served on the new municipal building advisory committee and the community retirement, community betterment committee. Sorry, John.

I'd like to serve on the retirement committee.

Thanks, Rick. Um, I just want to say my name is John Collins. I've been here 37 years and I care about Miltown and um I'm a present councilman and I ask the tough questions here at meetings. I and I, you know, don't back down. I treat the taxpayers dollars like my own. Uh the other last week we were looking at the budgets in the town. Here's the budget. And I picked out and found a $60,000 water deficit and nobody said anything at the meeting, which is strange, but that happens. I'd also say I I support rebates for senior utilities and I'm very proactive for our police department or public safety in town because that's what keeps our town a safe community to live in and which one we love to live here. I'd like to also reexamine some of the demand charges for our small businessmen and uh I see my job here is to educate and inform the community and the residents of you know how u the government works and also maybe we can find the solutions to problems. Thank you Rick.

Thank you John. All right our um second candidate is Phil Sbrana Jr. He's long been a dedicated resident of Miltown, calling it home for the past 20 years alongside his wife and two daughters. His deep roots in the community are compleimemented by his active involvement in local government, having served on the Miltown Board of Education for five years and chaired its finance and facilities committee for three years. In November of 2019, Phil was elected to the Miltown Burough Council and he was reelected again in November of 2022, uh, demonstrating the community's trust in his and his commitment to service. Professionally, Phil is a senior manager of business finance at Sampled, a pioneering global leader in bio banking, biorocessing, and analytics with its corporate headquarters located in Piscataway. Before joining sample in August of 2020, he held vital financial roles at Rutgers University, notably within the Ruters Cell and DNA Repository, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, and the School of Social Work, gaining extensive experience in research administration and financial management. Phil earned his degree in finance from Baroo College of the City University of New York. Prior to his tenure at Ruters, he spent over a decade working at various startup companies in the media, college sports, and serious radio industries, where he excelled as a financial steward, helping to shape and sustain innovative operations. Beyond his professional and civic commitments, Phil enjoys gathering with friends and family over a good meal and

engaging in meaningful conversations reflecting his personable and computer community oriented nature. Determined to continue serving his community, Phil is running for Burough Council this year. Again, eager to give back in every way possible and contribute to Miltown's ongoing growth and prosperity.

Thank you, professor. Thank you. So, good evening, friends and neighbors uh here at Burough Hall uh and those watching at home. Uh my name is Philan Brown. It's been my pleasure uh to serve you on the Burough Council over the past five and a half years. Uh I was elected as a councilman because I believe uh residents were ready for a fresh set of ideas, but also because they had faith that I could and would get things done. So I think that everyone can agree that last year was not a great year in the burrow. Uh this year has been much much better um because of the current council and their willingness to move critical projects forward for the betterment of the community. as council president, this council and I were able to move things along to keep improving the town. And there are still a few things that I want to make sure keep moving forward. And you'll you'll hear uh the word forward a lot in whatever I say tonight. So, I'd like to continue to push for the South Main Street rehabilitation plan to make our downtown more welcoming and accessible. Uh and this this was a plan that was finalized uh where residents and government came together uh to collaborate on ideas for improving uh the town. Uh I want to continue to drive the modernization of our water, sewer, and electric utility metering systems so that the billing can be fair and reliable and help save uh families money over time. Uh I want to continue to champion the renewable energy products like the battery storage initiative that we that we finally got off the ground this year. Uh, and I want to make sure this moves forward so that it's operational by this time next year. When I became a councilman in 2020, uh, I was lucky. I was the new guy, uh, but I was lucky that I had seasoned council members who mentored me and shared their knowledge with me. Now I'm the old guy on council, and the proof of that is that my hair uh, was a lot darker back then than it is now. Beyond projects, my vision focuses on

people. Uh Miltown should always be a place uh where neighbors look out for one another, where our small town charm is preserved, and new ideas can improve life for everyone. Our community deserves forward-looking leadership committed to making Miltown a stronger, safer, and more sustainable place for families and businesses to thrive. That is why I'm really proud to run alongside Rachel Freed, who is someone dedicated to community and developing our talent to support businesses. With that support, I believe we can build on the progress we've made and shape the future this community deserves. And that way, we can move continue to move Miltown forward together. Thank you.

Thank you, Phil. All right, our third candidate is Debbie Miller. So, Debbie is a lifelong resident of Miltown. She has been uh she is married to her husband Charlie for 37 years. She is an angel mom through her son also named Charlie. Uh Debbie is a retired licensed practical nurse where that she worked as for 37 years and currently works at the Miltown Public Library as a supervising library assistant. She's on the bibliographic and circulation protocol committee for the library. Debbie serves on the fourth of July committee. She was the committee secretary for the last two years. She attends Miltown Council meetings, Miltown Ford Avenue redevelopment agency meetings, and planning board meetings. Debbie is also a notary public for the community. She volunteers at Miltown Veterans of Foreign Wars and has helped with the New Jersey Law Enforcement Torch Run for the past two years. Debbie is also a member of the Miltown Senior Citizens Center. Debbie started her community service as a child when she was a candy striker. Debbie served as a pack 33 scout leader, US Naval Sea Cadet Leader, Special Olympics volunteer, election pole worker, and Miltown Lions Club. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, working in the yard, spending time with her friends and family, and playing with her Labrador puppies, Dixie Jazz, and Sassy Satie. Debbie has decided to take her community and professional knowledge to the next step and is seeking your support to become a Miltown Council woman. She would like to help enhance the town by working with the council and

the community.

Thank you. Good evening. I grew up in playing in town as some of you did and your children and grandchildren do now. I belong to the burrow pool when it was ovalshaped and you needed a badge which had to be sewn on your bathing suit. I went to Joyce Commer and Park schools. Every eighth grader looked forward to going to Washington DC the banquet and of course going to Mr. Neman's farm. I attended my first Miltown Council meeting when I was a teenager with my dad. I had a concern I wanted to address. I felt there shouldn't be smoking in public buildings. It took a while, but it is a law now. I can remember all the great little stores on Main Street and within the town. There was Mr. Kimbers, Vans, Modern Made, Dobies, Caraso, Capella's hardware store, Ryder's Lane Shop, SNS Bakery, and more. The bis the business district of Main Street needs improvement to keep existing stores and offer good reason for other people to invest in the town. I watched woods turn into developments and buildings turn into rubble. Some of the rubble remains and others just turned into empty spaces. Perhaps with a little encouragement, owners of empty lots would help bring charm to the town. The town needs infrastructure upgrades. I would like to help the govern body to continue on getting grants for infrastructure improvements to alleviate the burden on taxpayers. As a lifetime resident of Miltown, I attend burough meetings and heard it said, "It's not a meeting until the Millers are here." I participate in many comm community community events. A few years ago, I helped Miltown idea with their financial end of their grant, creating purchase orders for their performer performers and keeping a

spreadsheet for them. I I run monthly diverse themed bingos at the library for families and adults alike for for the last two plus years. In August, I partnered with KarmaCat and this month we celebrated National Hispanic Heritage Month. I am communitydriven and believe in volunteering. In conclusion, the reason I'm telling you about my lifetime experiences in Miltown is because I want you to know that I'm fully invested in Miltown. My experience have been positive ones. There are some things that need improvement. As a taxpayer resident, I would like to see lower taxes and utilities, an upgraded AV system for burrow meetings, and more charming Main Street. I would like to work with the mayor, council, bur burrow employees and residents in a nonpartisan way to make improvements and offer new opportunities. Thank you.

Thank you. And finally, our last candidate is Rachel Frerieded. A passionate community advocate and energetic organizer. She brings enthusiasm, organization, and heart to her role as office administrator where she plays a vital role in enhancing the community she serves. She is known affectionately as the cruise director by her colleagues. Her dedication to fostering connection and spirit within Miltown is most evident through her founding of Milawine, the local event celebrating community togetherness and of course all things Halloween. Rachel is deeply involved in the civic life of Miltown. She currently serves as the secretary of the human relations committee and as an active member of the Miltown Revitalization Committee, helping to shape a more inclusive and vibrant future for the town. She is also the board co-chair of Diana's Dream, a nonprofit organization that creates employment and socialization opportunities for adults with disabilities. Her commitment to community engagement stretches back years, including her time as a 4 leader, where she led a group focused on hiking and outdoor activities for local youth. Rachel's leadership is rooted in her belief in integrity, inclusiveness, and the power of community. She is running for council to help shape the future of Miltown with thoughtful leadership and communitydriven decisions. Whether she's organizing an event, supporting town initiatives, or championing causes close to her heart, Rachel is driven to positively impact the future of Miltown.

Thank you, professor. Good evening, everyone. Thank you to all who are here tonight, those who are watching at home, to our moderator, and my fellow candidates. My name is Rachel Frerieded and I'm running alongside Phil Zumbrada. I hope you'll consider voting for me this November. As you may have heard, I'm the founder of Millowine. Miloine is going to be a fun and amazing day here in Miltown. But to me, it's more than just an event. It's a reflection of how I approach problems, how I build partnerships, and how I show up for this community. To me, Millowine represents how I work as a person and how I would serve on council. It started with an idea inspired by another small town here in New Jersey. And I thought, "This is perfect for Milttown." And I ran with it. The very first thing I did was find someone who would be just as excited about this as I was because I believe that nothing great happens alone. I think that we get the best results when we build on each other's strengths and sometimes when we borrow extension cords and folding tables from our neighbors. We met with almost every business on Main Street and asked, "How can you be part of this?" Some people jumped in with big ideas, others offered small but meaningful support. But we found that everyone had a way to be included. We found creative ways for everyone to contribute. And that spirit of collaboration is exactly what I want to bring to this role. That's the kind of energy I want to bring to Burough Council. Bringing people in, making space for new voices, and helping neighbors feel connected to one another. I believe in partnerships, creative problem solving, and long-term thinking. And more than anything, I want to help strengthen the sense of community that makes Miltown such a special place. I believe that by working together, Miltown can continue to be a place that

we are all proud to call home. Because here's the truth. Miltown isn't huge. We don't have endless resources. But we do have smart, passionate, and creative people. And sometimes the most creative communities are the ones that have to make things work on a really small budget. So, thank you for your time tonight. Thank you for caring about Miltown. And if you're looking for someone who's thoughtful, creative, community-minded, and knows how to throw a really good party, I'd love your support in November. Thank you.

All right. Excellent. Thank you all four of you for these great opening statements. Now we're going to have the part of the forum where the candidates will address questions. So the first set of questions is going to come from Don Miller from Pap info uh local uh journalist. So, Don, ask ask away. And we've shuffled up the an order that everybody all candidates are going to answer address all four of the questions. And I've got a order here and I'll just call your name and you can go.

What do you feel is the biggest issue currently impacting Miltown? Debbie, you take this one first. Okay. Okay. Um I think there may be a couple but I think the aging of infrastructure over 100 years is um something to be concerned about. Um I also feel that high taxes and utility bills are another concern. Okay. Uh Phil,

uh thank you. So, uh, I would I would say that there's probably a lot of things, but as I I have to agree with with Debbie, uh, the infrastructure is, uh, is is something that goes back a long way. And and it's not just a Miltown problem. It's it's a New Jersey problem. It's older older town problem. So, as you get to end of life, uh with with some things uh infrastructure- wise, uh it's always good that uh when when you can uh are able to uh get a a million-doll grant and lead line replacement um funds from the state to kind of help that endeavor along in our town like we have this year. Um that's going to help a lot of residents out um and and not put not take money out of their uh out of their pocketbook. Thank you, John.

Thank you, Rick. I think our biggest problem is we don't listen to the residents. You know, our residents are complaining about the taxes, complaining about the water and there seems some disconnect up here where we can't get in touch with the residents and listen to their problems and address their problems. Uh, I feel the aging infrastructure is a problem and we should look at cost savings which we can do in the water pump station on what is it the school street church street I'm sorry on church street where we could save $110,000 and lower our water bills but nobody has addressed that problem I believe we talked to the burough engineer about it and that was it got buried so thank you very good

Don Rachel Oh, I I am so sorry, Rachel. No worries. Um, I think that I would agree with everyone on the panel that um that infrastructure is definitely an issue. I also think that the high utility bills are very much tied to the infrastructure issue and that both should be addressed. Um, but I will also say that it sounds like we're working towards those changes. Um, so I'd like to see that continue that movement forward. What are your spending priorities when it comes to the budget? All right, Rachel, let's start with you this time.

I think it goes back to the same thing. I I think that a lot of these things are tied together. So, our aging infrastructure is really going to have to be dealt with before we can tackle so many of the other problems. Um, and I'm really just happy to see that we're we're starting to tackle and address those.

Thanks, Rick. I I think we need to get the best bang for the buck. I always ask questions and see if there's another way to do it. I asked the engineer and the burough attorney if there's a way we can save money. You know, there's no stone I won't turn turn over to to find a way to save money for the town. I've literally had people ask me a question and bring up an issue when I was walking from the parking lot to the burough council meeting and I brought that up because the resident had a good point. So, I'm open to listen to the residents so we can, you know, lower our cost. Some people have good ideas. You know, we're they we you put us up here. We we need to listen to the residents and put their ideas in place. Can you repeat that question, please? What are your spending priorities when it comes to the budget?

Well, I would think uh every year is different and so it really depends on what you accomplished the previous year. Uh this year in particular, uh we finally kicked off uh the battery uh storage project, which was something that was delayed from last year. If it would have kicked off last year, it might have been operational this year. But since it wasn't kicked off last year and didn't kick off until this year, it won't be operational until next year. Um the savings from from storing electricity and batteries, um the goal is to uh help drive down utility costs um to make life a little bit easier for um for the burrow. So that's one way I would attempt to do that. Uh, John, you want to I'm sorry, I'm screwing this up. It's okay.

Debbie, you have not addressed this one yet. That's correct. Um, I think that yes, we should probably invest in infrastructure and like John said, listen to the community to see if there's ways that maybe they can help us out. Um a and maybe if we had more ratables and a better Main Street District that can also help us. Miltown has its signature Fourth of July festivities in Miltown Day. Miloine is coming this October. What other communitywide events would you like to see come to the burrow? John, why don't you take this one first?

Wow, that's a tough one. We do so much in Meltown, it's hard to keep up with all the events. Um, I would say that we do have a very good Memorial Day service. Also, we have a Fourth of July service. We don't have a Labor Day. Um, and I I really liked I hope we're going to bring back the Christmas uh festival we had. We had the uh what a plastic pool over there for ice skating for the kids. So, uh I'm not really sure what the what we could squeeze in because we also, you know, tap our uh businesses for contributions for these activities and I don't want to squeeze them to the point where, you know, they want to move out. So, thank you,

Rachel. So, one of the great things about Milawine happens to be that we found a way to get businesses involved without asking them for a single dime. And we're hoping that brings some money in. Um, so I'm hoping to expand on Meowine. That is definitely one of my priorities. I'd love to see um some other smaller, less expensive events that I think that we could pull off. I when speaking to the library about Milo, we talked about doing a drive-in theater. Not a huge lift, but something that could be a lot of fun. I love the idea of events that bring the community together and that bring people into the community so they can see how great we are. Thank you,

Debbie. Thank you. Um, one of the things that we had and maybe it was one or two years was the multicultural day and that brought a lot of um, ethnic opportunities into the town and it was enjoyable and you got to learn, you got to participate and that would be one thing that would be nice to come come back to town. and Phil.

So, uh, this year for the first time, uh, I've known it's always been there, uh, but I actually started going regularly to the Mituchin Farmers Market in Matuchin. Uh, basically to tap into the folks that already run the market and kind of get their take on what it took, not an overnight thing. Uh, it takes some time. Uh, I'd like to see a farmers market of some kind in the burrow. Uh, where would it be located? Not really sure. uh could be in the burough parking lot, could be on Mil Path, but I'm sure we could find a place uh and and make it and grow it to to make sure that people would make this a destination to do that.

What infrastructure infrastructure investments do you think are critical for Miltown's future?

Phil, why don't you start this? I'm going to have to again uh talk about um leadline replacement only because it was in 2021 that uh Governor Murphy signed into law uh gave everybody 10 years in New Jersey to replace uh lead uh lead lines or or service lines by 2031. Um 5 years have gone by pretty much and I and I didn't see um how we were tackling that problem. Uh I was lucky enough to uh stay in the ear of our local assemblymen. Uh and although I asked for more money, I'm happy with what we got. A million dollars is going to go a long way. And the great thing about getting money like that is if you don't use it all, you can probably roll it over into another project as long as it's water uh infrastructure related.

T, thank you. Um that is great that um Phil did get the the grant. Um, but we also need to fix the lines for the water and the sewer, especially when we have future plans to bring in a whole lot more families and buildings. So, we have to concentrate on what we need to do for the future to make it work for everybody. Rachel, Don, would you mind repeating the question one more time?

What infrastructure investments do you think are critical for Miltown's future? I think we um are moving in a good direction with the battery storage project, but I do think we need to think about long-term energy usage, how to um make make it a little bit greener as well. But um those would be my my big ones is is what we do about that. John,

thank you, Rick. You know, I was just thinking about that question that before about that and we really need an amphitheater in town. A lot of residents, I think, uh, on the environmental committee, they talked about putting the amphitheater in town so we could have different events there. And, uh, I also talked about a dog park up on Washington Avenue. We'd have to get the county to do that and we could put some open space here where the uh, uh, municip uh, the burrow uh, garage used to be. So the most important thing is to serve the people and make their lives better. And by doing an amphitheater, I think that would be probably the biggest thing we could do for the people.

Where do you see Miltown in 5 years? And how do you plan to contribute to that vision? Uh okay. Uh Debbie, you want to start the show? Well, um I think in five years we'll have a whole lot more people and a lot more cars and a lot more burden on our infrastructure and if we don't improve it, we're going to be in trouble. Um so I think that we have a good chance to do the right thing working together, working respectively to make it good for everybody. Phil,

I have to agree with Debbie. In five years, we're going to have more people. We're going to have more cars. Uh, you know, Ford Avenue, uh, resolution is just around the corner. Five years, uh, there'll probably be units on Fort Avenue. Um, and and it's nice to clean up the site. Um, but then you're going to have the opposite problem of having people there and cars there. But I'd actually like to clean up the site and and make it a little more friendly so people could walk around and and and do things. So,

well, thanks, Rick. Well, if I was doing this and I would be be 5 years, I'd take a value, you know, look at where I want to be in five years. And the best way would be instead of doing a uh southside redevelopment program that two years is in, we haven't seen any progress at all. We should have done a market evaluation on Main Street and look at the value of the properties. And we also have to have, you know, some advertising for the vacancies there. There's a lot of vacancies on Main Street, but nobody's doing nothing. We also have to have a spokesman out there pushing to get new business in town and find out what's available and what we can give to the people so we can bring raidables into town and make it, you know, a better town that we have empty stores. It's easy to, you know, hire somebody to try to do it, but you have to take a long-term approach to re re-examine what the market value is for those properties because they'll just sit empty like they have for the last 10 years.

Thank you. Is there a dream project you'd like to undertake in Miltown if elected? What would it be? Wait, do I get to answer? Oh, you missed. Did I missed one? Sorry. Sorry, Rachel. Sorry.

So, in five years, I definitely agree that we're definitely going to see more population, but I'd also like to see a busier and more filled Main Street. Um, I want to also make sure that in 5 years when that population grows, we still keep that small town feel and we keep those ties that keep us bound together. Um, we definitely don't want to lose that. um in five years. I'd also like to see the South Street rehab project completed. I think our residents have contributed greatly to what they see as the vision and we shouldn't lose sight of what the residents want. Um often times we make quick decisions and not think about what happens in the future. So, um, if you were to sell off a piece of property, you have to have a plan in place so that you're not just, um, and I'd also like to see a business alliance to make sure that we have our businesses working together to help better our community.

Thank you. Is there a dream project you'd like to undertake in Middletown if elected? What would it be and how would you try and get it done? Rachel.

Um, I am currently working on my dream project. So, I I have to just say that Millowine, I'm sorry. I know I talk about it a lot, but this is a dream project of mine because it combines so many of the things that I am passionate about, including just this town. I love the way we get together as a community and we just are all in for celebrating a holiday. I look at like Fourth of July and what an amazing day that is for our community. And I'm hoping to make Millowine kind of the same thing. Um, other than that, I think I would steal Phil's farmers market idea. Um, I think that's also a great idea because it just brings people together and it brings people into this town. So, any dream project of mine would be based along those lines. John,

like I said, I would uh do an amphitheater, a dog park, uh some open space over here with the uh municipal garages. Uh we did a really successful program with the uh path around Albert Avenue Park. I was extremely impressed how many people use that now. It's just so we might want to continue with another bike path, even though people use it as a foot path, but that's okay. It's just like Mil Pond uh Park where they have a bike path but everybody uses a foot path. But that's all right. I I'd like to continue some more bike paths in town. Phil,

so you know I I don't know if I have one dream project. I like little little projects that can actually uh move forward and get accomplished. Obviously I'll talk at nauseium about the uh South Main Street rehab. Uh again, it was something that was put together with uh input by the community and and with the council members uh and government government officials at that time two years ago. Uh we just need to advertise it, send out a proposal for for bids and see what comes back. Um to John's point, uh you know, a bike path. Wouldn't it be great to to get another bike path connected to the bike path that's already there that somehow goes into the Schroingman property? Uh that would be great if we could do that and open that up a little bit more. Thank you. Um I have a lot of dreams, but I live on Ford Avenue, so it would be really nice to see the trucks gone, the rubble gone, um whatever they're going to do with it. Um to have a main street that people would really want to come and invest their their money in to help our business owners. and um the parks maybe put sensory ch um activities in the parks for for children and anything else that comes along would be great as well.

Okay, couple of questions. So, uh, Don has asked all of her questions and now we have a series of questions that were asked by you all in the audience. So, in no particular order, we're just going to I'm going to read the question and then we'll continue this uh the process of taking turns answering it. So cost of living in our town is very high and a common complaint I is is particularly the water and electricity. Do you have any ideas on how to to reduce either of these and John let's start with you?

That's a good question but thanks D for asking the questions too. Yeah. Well number one like I was talking about the pump station over on Church Street. we can replace those and we could bond out for the money so we can reduce our water cost for electric. We should be using solar panels in some of our municipal buildings. I don't understand this. We have solar panels and like we don't use them properly and uh that's what I would do to try to get the cost down. I would also try to, you know, when we go back to uh buy electricity, see if we can get a better price. Hopefully they'll be generating more with new uh facilities. As you know, New Jersey was an exporter of electricity and now we're an importer and that's why our electricity prices are going up.

So, we have some uh really challenges to face on the burough council. Thank you. Rachel, can you repeat the question one more time? Oh, okay. So, uh, cost of living in our town is very high and the common complaint particularly the water and electric. Do you have any ideas on how to reduce either of these?

So, I think as we've discussed the uh the lead line replacement is going to definitely be helpful. Um, I agree with John that we we should be looking at some green energy options um in addition to the battery backup plan which is going to help reduce costs over the long run. So, I think we're moving in the right direction for reducing those costs.

Thank you and thank you Don for the questions. Um, with the water, perhaps we can um, uh, metered all the buildings that use water. Um, the houses that have multi apartments, make sure that they're doing the right thing, and perhaps put a meter in where uh, New Brunswick pipes in the water so that we are sure that their meter is calibrated and accurate. Um, as far as the electric, perhaps more green ideas like John and Rachel had mentioned and we could see how that goes.

Okay. Uh, very good. And Phil,

thank you. So, uh, we're already moving towards, uh, solving some of the electrical, uh, issue with with the battery project. Um, again, can't say enough that uh if it had gotten off the ground last year, it would have been operational this year because of the delay, it won't happen until next year. Uh, I understand uh folks that may have uh some concerns about the water and sewer increases, but you also have to look at the fact that water and sewer actually had not gone up in several years. So, it's kind of a catch-up. uh an ordinance was passed last year that that makes sure that uh when a budget is passed in the following year, it'll make sure that uh any water and sewer uh infrastructure costs or any other costs related to water and sewer are covered uh instead of not doing things for political reasons moving forward. So we stick to that, we'll be fine.

Okay. Thank you. So the next question is reflecting on your experience over the past two years, what one specific improvement would you recommend to enhance council effectiveness and our uh engagement? So let's start this one with Phil.

That's an interesting question. Um again, I did say in my opening statement that last year was not a good year. Uh, this year has been much better. Why? Because we actually all talk to each other. We may not all agree. We may not all agree. We're not on the same party, but when you reach out to somebody, whether it's text, voicemail, uh, email, or in person to have a conversation so that you see where you're trying to come to or what you're trying to do for the betterment of the residents. Uh, that goes a long way. and and I don't think anyone uh that's on council right now uh can't say that we we actually talk discuss uh we may even like each other.

Thank you. Um I agree we would need to work together. We have to realize that we can't each one of us get exactly what we want. We have to compromise and come to an agreement. Um, so I bet I guess better communication with within the council um would help. Rachel,

um, a couple of things. I would definitely like to see some audiovisisual upgrades so that it would make it a little bit more accessible for our residents, which dubtales with the fact that I'd love to see a little bit of tweaks on our website to also make it a little bit more um, manage. I I can't think of the right word, but to make it easier for our residents to navigate. That's the word I was looking for. Um, and I'd also like to find ways to engage our residents. I'd love to see more residents coming to town council meetings and being involved. Um, I I had talked about a little bit that maybe there could be a way that we could come out to the community and meet everybody just once a month to hear their concerns and make sure that we're addressing what our residents need us to address. Um, and I think that working together, we can probably solve a lot of problems.

All right, John. I like you, Phil. Don't worry about it.

I I I think we we took an approach to South Main Street redevelopment, and I don't see it going anywhere. I just see we're looking at the same pile of rocks two years later. Now we're going on three. and I say, "Well, the only two properties, from what I've known, have exchanged ownerships, but the Golden Lion's still closed and the the old Grow lot is still empty. So, I I would have saved the $30,000 and try to use it more effectively on, you know, lowering water rates or taxes." Uh, what I wish we did, I I wish we would took Mike Mlullen's idea to change those pumps over there so that we wouldn't have to have that $110,000 in the water surplus, which we could reduce our reach that we got a $60,000 deficit now. That $ 110,000 would really work worked out. We could bond for that uh project, so it won't affect the taxpayers as much. Thank you.

Okay, very good. So, the next question is, it's important to have new businesses brought to town. Uh, residents want goods and services available locally for their own use, plus businesses contribute to the tax base. What will you do to draw new businesses to Miltown? And this time, let's start uh with Debbie. Oh, I I think that we would need to communicate to see what we can offer as a town to entice business owners to invest in our town. Uh if we can find out exactly what they're looking for and help them, then we will have a better opportunity to get more ratables, to have more people come to town and and spend money. And it would main street would look really nice, cleaned up and charming.

Phil, I think it's time. I know we've we've had a a chamber of commerce in the past, but um I think I think in in talking with Rachel and what she's done in in a short period of time going around town to try to engage businesses in Milo, uh it it it's pretty obvious that we need to put together a a business alliance of some kind and and literally reach out to to businesses to engage them a little bit more. Not that they're not engaged, but engage them even more um to to maybe fill those spots on Main Street. um that uh and and whatever spots commercially on on Ford Avenue ground floor-wise that will uh bring uh you know folks into town. John,

oh, could you ask that question again, Rich? I got like three different answers here.

Um okay. It's important to have new businesses brought to town. Residents want goods and services available locally for their own use. Plus, businesses contribute to the tax base. What will you do to draw new businesses to Miltown? Oh, okay. Thanks, Rick. Um, I would uh reexamine the demand charges. That's what's hurting our businesses in town. They, a lot of them complain about they said, you know, I could, you know, put my business here, but the electricity price is too high because we have a high demand charge. And, uh, I would, I would look at that first to see if we could lower our electricity rate so people will come to town. You know, we have a lot of empty stores and uh, it's not getting any better. So I mean there we have to ask them what are they and most of the business will tell you is the demand charge in town from the electricity. So we have to look at that and also our water maybe we should you know look at American water taking a look at their water and see you know if they can come in and look at our system and see if we can you know make a deal with them but that's to bring in new businesses we have to you know look at the lowering utility costs. Okay, thank you. And Rachel,

so I agree with Phil. Um, I think there's definitely a need for some sort of a business alliance so that we can draw some new businesses in. As I've mentioned previously, I think community events are really great way for businesses to see the opportunities here in Miltown. Um, I think that our boundary storage project could also lead to possibly maybe a tiered rate system so that our smaller businesses aren't as affected as demand charges as our larger businesses and we can make sure to really um encourage smaller businesses to come in, set up shop and make it so that that's viable.

All right. Excellent. So, the next question is, if elected, what would you do to support and encourage burrow employees? Uh, let's start this one with Rachel to support and encourage the burrow employees. I love throwing a good party. Let's just be honest. Um, I I think we should find ways to appreciate our employees. It doesn't always have to be anything huge. Um, I'm sure we'd all agree that larger salaries would make all of us happy. That's not always feasible, but different ways to have employee appreciation events would definitely go a long way to happier employees.

Oh, thanks, Rick. Well, as a former member of a a union, I I know that, you know, it's important. I mean, this year we didn't have a Christmas party and we got together with the councilman, Dave and Phil and the rest of Gary and the councilman and we got a party over at the senior center for the town employees. So, I I feel proud that we were able to pull this together and pull it off as a team and u that's the way we treat them better and uh you know I I I think some of them work really hard, a lot of them work really hard I should say here and uh they they give us what we pay them for. So, and especially our police, I think we we owe them a lot of gratitude for their service. They they work, you know, 24/7. When we're out when we're sleeping, they're out, you know, getting these characters in the middle of the night running through our yards. And uh I think we owe them a lot of support. Bill.

So, I know in the in the past, uh that didn't happen this year, but in in the past, we uh we had a uh like a half a day kind of um event for the for the folks and we would go to the American Legion uh pavilion, uh food, drink, uh games, uh so forth and so on. Uh I'm always in favor of of doing anything to um to make sure that our burough employees are taken care of. Um, and I and I'm pretty sure that I try to do whatever I need to do uh to make sure that they have what they need in order to do their job effectively. David,

thank you. I think we need to listen and address the employees uh concerns. They're the backbone that keeps the town running. Um, we need to after investing in training them, we need to um make sure that they're compensated with with other neighboring areas that are similar to Miltown and because we want to keep our employees, we want to keep them happy, a happy employee makes a better better worker.

All right. Thank you. So, here's a easy question or not easy question, a straightforward question. How will you keep taxes stable? Uh John, why don't you start this one?

Well, we'd have to reduce spending. And remember that our taxes are are less than what is it 12 or 18% of our budget. The school gets twothirds of the budget. The county gets another 12% and we get what's left. So, we have a very small area that we can control up on the council. People think that we can control their taxes, you know, the whole bill, but we really can't. we could go to zero and the board of ed could push up the 2%. And we can't do anything about it. So what we would have to do is uh take a look at uh I mean the battery pack is a good idea to reduce our electricity costs. We could uh you know do some more interlocal agreements which we've done. We we have a lot of interlocal agreements and Ralph's very good at that. He doing an interlocal agreements. Our police get our gas from East Brunswick. uh you know, we have to look at things like how can we do it better? I know we finally went back to the county uh road reimprovement program that was gone for several years. So, we have to look at that.

Uh thank you, uh Rachel. So, right now, I think our taxes are remaining pretty constant and stable. I'd definitely like to see that continue. Um, I think we do have to look at some creative solutions in working with other towns, uh, where we can share services, where we can share resources to make sure that we keep our budget in line. Um, thoughts.

Thank you. Um, I think it is a hard fate, but I guess if we work together and um maybe do more negotiation um get our main street cleaned up and more ratables, perhaps that will help. Bill,

so I have to agree with John um because again um 61% of the total tax bill is for the school board. We don't have any um we don't have any control over that and if anyone has uh you know a problem with how high their school taxes are their meetings usually are twice a month on a Monday uh usually on the same day and you should go and complain to them. Having said that uh both my children graduated from Miltown schools and went to Spotswood so um I think they got a quality education and they're both gainfully employed. Thank God. Um uh again I think there's a little bit of misinformation that when you get your tax bill it comes from the bureau of Miltown. You send all your money to the bureau of Miltown. That money doesn't stay here. This piece goes to the county. This piece goes to the school. This piece goes to the library. So again, uh it's we keep taxes stable.

Okay. Uh next question. This was a favorite from a year ago. Um, what do you think? I'm sorry. What should do do you think should be the plans for the firehouse or there's two of them, right? Firehouses. Um, so, Phil, why don't you ex excellent question, Professor? Uh, and I'm going to go on a rant again about the South Main Street rehab plan because the firehouse is the centerpiece of that plan. What would Phil Zbrano like to see there? a brewery, a distillery, anything that would um have um additional uh room in the back to have community events, maybe like a farmers market. Um but again, uh that plan was was again put together by folks within the the town along with government officials. I think it's a good one. We're going to hopefully advertise a hell out of that before the end of the year, get some bids in and move forward.

Debbie, thank you. Um I agree with Phil. something charming and um different for Miltown. However, um the building would have to u we have to make sure the building is stable to offer it to an investor as well as parking. Um you don't want to have an investor invest and then only find out he can't do anything with the location because there's not enough parking spaces or the infrastructure is not sound to do anything with. But if it is sound, it would be nice to have something charming and unique for Miltown which would bring in people.

Rachel,

um I think I agree with Phil and Debbie that I'd love to see something community- based at the firehouse. Um, I'm picturing almost like a bell works kind of concept where there's public space that we can use community gatherings as well as some retail space or other space that can be used to ensure that um, it generates some sort of income. I think we also have to make sure that we think long term about this project. Um, the short-term solution obviously would be just to sell it, but you need to make sure that before you sell it that there is a plan in place for what we're going to do with it and what that's going to look like and look 5 years down the road, not just at tomorrow. John,

thanks. It's an easy u answer that we get some from some people that say, you know, we should restore it, but the cost it's cost prohibitive for both firehouses. Now, the fire company wants a a substation over on Cottage Avenue. Uh, I don't know how they feel about that. I don't know how it's never come up before the burough council. I think we should address that plan before we sell it. But the one on Main Street, it's really hard. I really hate to tear a whole building down, but the like Debbie was saying, there's the line is down the center. If you sell it, the building, there's no parking. So, we would really have to talk about maybe moving the historic houses over somewhere else, maybe on Washington Avenue with something from the county and then we'd have a bigger piece piece of property that we could redevelop. That would make more sense than uh just trying to sell that single piece of property because it would probably be single family housing. And there's also a firehouse, a barn in the back of that that we also have to address a garage on the firehouse property. All

right. Thank you. This is the last question. Um, how do you think your personal experiences and strengths will help you collaborate effectively with your fellow council members? Let's uh Debbie, why don't you start this one?

Um, well, I I can work with everybody and anybody. Um, I have um skills from my nursing career. I have library skills with working with a budget, working with the auditor. Um, I'm communitydriven. I like to volunteer. I love people. I love my town. It's the only town I know. And I'm willing to be helpful and listen and cooperate with everybody. Bill, can you repeat that question one more time? Professor,

how do you think your personal experiences and strengths will help you collaborate effectively with your fellow council members?

Thank you. So, I've been I've been doing this now for a while and I've been involved in in community service for over 10 years. One of the nice things about uh being a part of different u organizations and town committees, whether it's planning board, environmental, fourth of July, um you name it, is you get to you get to know a lot of people. Um, and a lot of these people end up being on committees and they end up actually running for council and then and then you actually end up serving on council with them. So, you already have already have a relationship with a lot of folks and again my my focus is always, you know, moving forward, listen to the other person, let's have a debate, let's not angry, let's not get angry about it. Uh, and then let's come to a conclusion. Um, it also helps that as I get older, I'm a little bit more uh amiable and so it makes a lot easier to say, you know, let's let's get back and talk about that again.

Okay. Uh, and John,

uh, thanks Rick. Uh, you know, you have to have a a a thick skin to be up here. Uh, and you have to realize you're not going to win every vote, but you have to fight for the people and you have to fight for the organizations and the the children town. And we have a program right now that's supposed to be on the agenda about the Boy Scouts doing an improvement project outside the uh police station interest that going to renovate it and that has not come up yet. And you know this is for the kids. We need to compromise and say hey this is for the children of the town. Let's do what's in the best interest of their interest not our personal u preferences. So that's what I would say. I I could get along with anybody. I've worked up here with different councils. I worked up here with Trina and uh you know sometimes we agree and sometimes we don't agree but I just don't let hold grudges and I go on to the next uh item. So that's me.

Okay Russ I got the 10. So I love this town. I love living here and I approach everybody as they have the exact same thought as me. I love living here. What can we do together? Um I love bringing different groups of people together. I love finding commonality with everybody. Um, as you heard in my intro, they call me the cruise director because I am very prone to being like, "Wait, do you know this person?" Because I think you two would do very well together. And I think that's a really big strength that I bring to council is finding common ground with almost anybody.

All right. Thank you very much uh all all of you. So now uh each candidate is going to have three minutes I think to make a closing statement. We're going to go in the opposite order that we went with the opening statement. So that means Rachel, you're up again. Five minute break, sir. Taking a five minute break. Oh, okay. You're right. Sorry. Everybody has a break. Okay. Thank you.

Okay, East Windsor.

Thank you everyone. Now it is time for the concluding statements from each of our candidates. Uh we're going to go in the opposite order that we went for the opening statements. So that means Rachel Frerieded, you start. Thank you all again for your time tonight. Thank you to Russ, the channel 15 committee, Dawn from Tap into Professor Law. Special shout out to my son for being here tonight. My cheering section both online and here that has been enormously helpful to have your support. This campaign has never been about me. It's been about us, our shared values, our shared challenges, and our shared future. As I've said, I can't do this alone. So, thank you to Phil for inspiring me with his dedication and commitment to this town. I'm not here to make empty promises. What I can offer you is a commitment to work hard, to listen, to lead with integrity, and to never forget who I serve. You. Whether it's a long-standing issue or a new idea, I might not always have the right answer right away. One thing you may have heard me say a lot when I talk to you around town is, "I don't know." But I'm excited to find out the answer. I'm never going to shy away from trying to dig in, to ask questions, and to work to figure it out with all of you. I'm not promising that I can fix everything overnight. I'm running for burough counsel, not superhero. But I am running to be your voice, your neighbor, and hopefully the person in the room who says, "Wait, does this actually make sense?" And sometimes politics can feel dramatic. Maybe a lot dramatic, but it doesn't have to be that way. There's a phrase that all politics is local. Let's focus

more on the local and less on the politics. Let's all show up. Let's all do the work. And let's have a little fun along the way. If you elect me, I commit to listening. Listening to residents and business owners, listening to people with ideas and people with complaints. My door will always be open, even if we don't agree. Again, thank you for showing up, for caring, and for being part of this slightly chaotic and totally exciting adventure. And a big shout out to Phil, my brilliant running mate, who has shared his wisdom, his insight, stress, and strategy with me. If you believe in moving Miltown forward together, vote for me and Phil by early voting, mailin voting, or on election day in November. We'd be honored to have your support. Miloine is only one example of the awesome things we can do together as a community. Let's build on that together. Thank you.

Thank you. Uh now, Debbie Miller.

Thank you. I I want to take some time to thank the moderator uh Professor Richard Law, uh Russ Einbinder and the cable TV committee, local reporter Dawn Miller, and the audience both here and at home. I'm not a politician, but I'm a community people type person. I believe I can be an asset to the council by bringing my professional, community, and personal experiences. I am willing to listen, help, and work with all. I learned to be resourceful, look for hidden problems, and to be compassionate. I took the nurse's oath to help all, and I follow that oath in my everyday life. Working at the library, I helped the director stay on budget and pre and prepare for audits, work with my co-workers to offer different types of programs, and help maintain a warm, comfortable environment. Volunteering within the community has offered me many opportunities, meeting new people, and has shown me we can do great things when we work together. While I have things to learn, I am up for the challenge. My vision for Miltown's future is to see more charming business district on Main Street by offering support to the businesses. This in turn will increase ratables. Looking for grants to improve infrastructure and not burden the taxpayers. upgrading the AV system for local for real-time communication, supporting our burrow workers and volunteers, and of course, seeing the the progress of Ford Avenue. Though I cannot make promises, when we work together, respect each other, we can make great things happen. Let's no longer accept status quo. In closing, I want to wish my running mate, John Collins, and the opposing

candidates, Phil Sbrano and Rachel Freed, the best of luck. Whether you are a longtime resident or newer to the town, voting by mail, early in person voting, or voting on election day, I would appreciate you considering voting for me. Thank you, and let's shape Miltown's future together. Thank you, Jill Sbrron.

Thank you, professor. So, uh first of all, I'd like to thank Ross Einbinder and the cable TV committee uh for uh as always organizing and presenting uh tonight's forum. Uh you do a great job. Keep it up. Uh I'd like to thank our moderator, Professor Lao, Professor Wall, um and and Dawn Miller from Tap into uh for taking the time to be here tonight. Um, as I'm sure John and, uh, Debbie have been doing, uh, Rachel and I have been walking around town, knocking on doors, meeting residents, uh, to share our goals for moving Miltown forward. Uh, we're also asking folks at the same time, um, providing assistance, how they're doing, and addressing any concerns that they have. Uh, recycling bin came up a lot. That was an interesting one. Um, we'll continue to reach out and speak to as many residents as we can before election day. Um, and so I've said this before, like I run around town, uh, whether I'm in the post office or whether I'm in a local business and I run into a resident and they ask me from time to time, "Hey, Phil, how's the politics thing going?" And I always give the same answer. And the answer is always, "I don't like politics." And all I really want to do is get things done, keep moving forward, and give back to my community because the only party that I really care about is the Miltown Party. And in my opinion, everyone is invited to the Miltown Party. In my opening statement, I mentioned that I believe that I was elected because residents thought that I could get things done. Um, last year was not a great year, but this year, along with my fellow council members, John Collins being one of them, set the burough back on a good path forward. We kept property taxes stable. Uh we presented and adopted a budget by April 30th, not by uh June 30th. Uh and we included a capital budget that uh provided funds for new equipment uh and vehicles for the DPW departments. Uh we finally started the water meter replacement project after there wasn't

any movement last year at all. Uh we moved forward the battery storage project which was delayed last year. Uh we requested and we received again a million dollars in lead line replacement from the state uh for the burough residents as needed. Uh at the next council meeting uh we'll probably have the uh OPIU agreement. Uh we negotiated and adopted it uh not two years later as in previous years. Uh and we're going to negotiate and adopt a new PBA contract by the end of this year. So in my opinion, we've arrived at a crossroads. Um the Ford Avenue situation has been resolved. Uh for any folks that know what's going on with Fort Avenue, October 6th is a big day. Um we'll know on October 6 what the timeline is going to be uh for the Ford Avenue redevelopment plan moving forward. Uh and before the end of this year, if not sooner, my goal is to make a request for a proposal to be sent out for bids to anyone who wants to develop the old Main Street Firehouse. Uh let's send out the information. Let's see what we get back and and let's uh move forward. I'm confident that this can be accomplished uh in a way that keeps Middletown's history intact and moving forward. And in closing, let me just say this. If you trust what Councilman Zambbrana has done over the last 5 years and you have faith in the energy and enthusiasm that Rachel Freed will bring to the council, then I ask you to vote for us on November 4th. Have a great night.

Thank you. And John,

thanks Rick. I'd like to thank Russ, Dawn, Rick, my opponents, uh Rachel, Phil, Debbie, for uh participating in the uh forum tonight. It's uh not so easy to sit up here, but you get used to it. Uh I'd also like to thank our police department for the excellent job they do keeping us safe in town. Without them, you know, everybody wants to come to Miltown. I have people from all over the state say, "Oh, yeah, I want to move to Miltown. I want to move to Miltown." and they all come here usually from the surrounding towns. But what you need up here is someone to listen to the residents and someone who's going to fight for their cause and also to get along. Like I say, I don't agree with Bill and Eve sometimes, but we we all get along. And who's that lady? Oh, that. So, uh you know, you have to stand up for the right thing. Sometimes you're going to be, you know, 5 to one, sometimes you're going to be 3 to three. Uh we have to just do the right thing and, you know, be aware that that we have to, you know, try to lower utility costs, try to lower taxes, and also to help the residents out. Uh it's, you know, it's it's a thing we're here to do. We work for the residents. You're our bosses. And uh we have to, you know, people have to know that that we work for them and that uh the burough employees in turn work for the council, not the opposite way around. And we have to stand up for the council. And I uh I know we stood up and uh the last meeting we fought for our rights to speak at after the uh during council comments and you know it came down a close vote, but we had to do the right thing because we have to address the resident's concerns when they come up and speak. We want to address them. We don't want to just say, "Well, go home and, you know, maybe we'll call you." We want to do it right now and we want to get the problem solved. That's what you're hiring up here is a problem solver. You want

somebody to solve the burrow's problems. We try to look at everything we can to, you know, with different opinions to get the right answers and sometimes they're not right and sometimes they are right. But we try our best and uh that's what we do. And I'd just like to say don't forget to vote for myself and uh Debbie Miller and John Collins on November 4th. And I thank you uh to the audience for participating.

Uh thank you all one and all for being here tonight. Thank these four great candidates. I feel sorry for those of you in Miltown that you can only vote for two of them. Um, I I I study democracy and democracy doesn't work without people like you all willing to to serve as candidates and run for election and and you know serve as council members if you get elected. and thank all of you out there in the audience who came out on a crummy rainy night to be here and and hear about what the candidates are saying and that's a vital part of democracy as well and thank also people who might couldn't get here tonight but will be watching this uh sometime in the next few weeks on YouTube or on uh channel 15 and thank Russ for being the chief organizer of this. Um, and um, how about a hand for all of us

everybody stay there. You want to see a picture all you should be going. So, thank you. Good luck. Thank you. You want to get up here for a picture? [Music] I think