VOTE411 Voter Guide

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The greatest challenge to the community is affordability, primarily caused by the skyrocketing rise in real estate taxes that not only impacts homeowners, but renters as well as landlords are also faced with increased costs and raise rents. Much of this was caused by the wide use of PILOT programs, as well as dwindling enrollment in our schools. Everything must be faced with fresh eyes. It is not sufficient to continue the finger pointing. Elected officials, whether on the city council or school board, are elected by the people to provide solutions. That is the job. We cannot harp on old mistakes, but move forward together, whatever that takes. We can no longer exist in a bubble, this is an issue that will take concerted effort on a local, county and state level. We must sit down and START the conversation and not continue to kick the can down the road or bury our heads in the sand. While there is no magic wand to solve these problems, we must realize that the current path we are on is unsustainable. If we do continue down this road, it will endanger the ability of many of us to stay in Asbury Park. That includes those who never left this city and did not quit, and those who came here years ago when not many would. I believe that we able to walk and chew gum at the same time. We can fulfill our obligation to provide public education to our children and do it in a fiscally responsible manner. Every development project should be evaluated based on its net benefit to Asbury Park taxpayers, not simply on the size of the investment or the number of units constructed. I propose an Economic Development Commission that would identify underdeveloped and commercially viable areas outside the waterfront and develop strategies to attract businesses and investment to those locations—particularly where the city can take advantage of infrastructure that already exists. I will promote more commercial ratables. More year-round jobs. More economic activity. Less dependence on homeowners. Grow the tax base—not the tax burden on residents. Before major projects are approved, we ask how much net revenue will the project generate after accounting for municipal services, schools and infrastructure? How much will it contribute to the city’s tax base? What will the project cost existing taxpayers? Will it create permanent, year-round jobs? Does it require a PILOT or other tax incentive—and if so, is that incentive justified by a measurable economic benefit?

I have been a resident of Asbury Park for over 22 years. I have been on the Planning Board since 2022. I have been involved in the NYC real estate industry for nearly 40 years as a professional appraiser and hold the prestigious MAI designation from the Appraisal Institute. I have been in my own business for 46 years. I am a past president of the Metropolitan NY Chapter of the Appraisal Institute (the largest chapter), as well as past Chair of the Appraisal Committee of the Real Estate Board of New York. I am also on the Roster of Neutrals of the American Arbitration Association and have presided over many proceedings. I have been qualified as an expert in real estate in a variety of local, state and federal courts and have testified as such in excess of 100 times. My real estate work has involved me in many of the largest projects in the metropolitan area, primarily focused in NYC. These include the 42nd Street Redevelopment Project, Hudson Yards Rezoning, the 2nd Avenue Subway, the Gateway Project (bringing a new tunnel under the Hudson River in Penn Station) and many others, including acting as the real estate appraiser for the consortium of insurers for the World Trade Center in connection with the damages from 9/11.

In fact, it is my real estate experience with large redevelopment projects that brought me to Asbury Park in the first place. I have been both a fan and critic of the redevelopment for over 22 years and I have consistently spoke out in favor of saving our history and restoring what is left of our historic waterfront buildings. I am not anti-development. I am for smart development that moves this city forward for the good of all.

Personally, I am concerned that too much focus has been placed on our waterfront to the detriment of other areas, especially the westside of Asbury Park. Asbury Park does not end at the boardwalk, nor does it end at the railroad tracks. The westside of Asbury is fertile ground for grassroots development - development that does not uproot longtime residents, but development that empowers those who have devoted generations. I see the westside of Asbury as a vital resource that must be respected and harvested to the benefit of us all. We can be a city that welcomes newcomers, but also does not forget those who never lever or quit.

I have not been a quiet citizen of Asbury park. Any review will discover that I have consistently spoken out for the mutual benefit of residents.

As a planning board member I know that we take environmental concerns very seriously and have a number of ordinances and requirements that promote green initiatives, including storm water management. These need to be expanded and strengthened. It is apparent to any reasonable person that human activity and especially development is having an impact on our environment and climate. We witness the continuing flooding of areas in our community. It is frustrating that solutions have still not been found to alleviate this flooding. If it is beyond our local power, we must find who has the power to fix these issues. We have to make sure that new development does not exacerbate these issues. This is especially important as we are a seaside community. We should encourage environmentally friendly materials in all development as well as energy efficiency. All city government facilities should set a standard for these factors. We must lead by example.

As I indicated above, my professional background over four decades makes me ideally suited to deal with current and future development. Our focus must not only be on the waterfront, although it is imperative that our historic waterfront buildings be restored as promised 24 years ago and be open to the public. We are simply wasting great resources. The biggest problem facing Asbury in terms of development is growth. We must recognize that we are not the same city we were two decades ago. Parking has become a finite commodity, and in fact has in some respects become a lightening rod. It is clear that garages are needed at the waterfront as well as downtown. I had suggested a parking garage at on the city hall site over a decade ago. That needs to be reexplored. In fact, we should consider moving the municipal complex to the westside of the city and selling the current site for redevelopment. Development should pay its own way—and, where possible, help pay for the services and infrastructure that every Asbury Park taxpayer already supports. Taxpayers deserve to know exactly what they are getting in return for every incentive and every major development agreement. The goal isn’t to stop development. The goal is to make development work for Asbury Park.

Progress must benefit everyone in Asbury Park, not just a few. It is clear that many residents, including those on the city’s West Side, feel that their voices are falling on deaf ears. We are one Asbury Park, no matter what neighborhood we’re talking about,. Any progress we make must lift all boats and improve the lives of everyone who lives here. That will be my focus as mayor.