Ammiano, Kershaw seek to continue serving town
BY ELANA ARON
Correspondent

Anthony Ammiano

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP - Anthony J. Ammiano and Raymond A. Kershaw love their public service jobs.

And although the two Republicans are running uncontested in the Nov. 7 election for two three-year terms on the Township Committee, that fact did not stop them from reaching out to residents.

"I still went door to door to talk to people," Ammiano said. "I'm a people person. I started volunteering at 15 and became politically involved. To me, it's giving back to the community."

Ammiano moved to Freehold Township from Newark 11 years ago.

"We wanted a better life for our family. One of the things that moved me about Freehold Township was the school system, the parks, and recreation. My wife was very impressed," he said.

Ammiano won election to the committee in 2000 and took office in January 2001. He was re-elected to a second term in 2003. He served as deputy mayor in 2003 and is serving as mayor in 2006.

"We like to run [Freehold Township] like a business," he said. "That business approach allows us to offer the services that we do."

Raymond Kershaw

Ammiano said he likes to hear from residents.

"We (the committee members) are open-minded individuals," he said. "We enjoy the residents coming to the meetings. Sometimes we agree, sometimes we disagree, but we want to hear them."

According to Ammiano, a poll taken a year ago targets traffic, open space and development as the primary concerns for residents. To that end, the mayor said the state has spent $48 million to improve roads in Freehold Township.

"Traffic has gotten a lot better," he said. "There's a light at the end of the tunnel, but we still have other things to work on."

Ammiano said the township is dedicated to maintaining open space and pointed to efforts officials have made to reduce the number of homes that could have been built in the municipality.

But Ammiano has some concerns as he looks to the future, primarily issues that are financial in nature.

"The township is trying to live within its budget with the cutbacks from the state," he said. "Working on the budget last year was excruciating. The biggest challenge is the budget for the upcoming year. We're trying to get our arms around it while giving residents what they deserve."

Kershaw has served on the Township Committee since 1991 and has previously served as mayor and deputy mayor. He said part of what makes his job so rewarding are his fellow committee members.

"All five of us come from different walks of life," he said. "We all get along great and we want Freehold Township to be the best. We love the residents here."

In addition to Kershaw and Ammiano, the other members of the Township Committee are Dorothy Avallone, David Salkin and Gene Golub. All five members of the governing body are Republicans.

Kershaw believes in communication. He said that when residents have complained about a particular problem, he has knocked on their doors and joined them for coffee to discuss the issue.

"We always respond to our residents," he said. "We want to hear what they have to say."

Kershaw said part of the success of Freehold Township is due to strong leadership within the departments that make up the municipality.

"Our department heads are first class. They all care about their jobs and about Freehold Township," he said.

According to Kershaw, the township is dedicated to the protection of open spaces.

"We have 7,500 acres of open space. No one beats that," he said. "Thirty percent of the acres in Freehold Township are open space."

In terms of the township's finances, Kershaw said, "We have to pay wages, we have health and fuel costs, and the state gives us very little to finance these things. Property taxes are a big concern. We can't fund education with taxes. The state must find another way.

"Seventy percent of taxes go to the schools, 10 percent goes to [the municipality] and 20 percent goes to the county. It's out of our control. People don't want to pay school taxes, but we all have a responsibility to fund education. All the communities in Monmouth County are facing the same problem," he said.

Kershaw teaches in several area high schools and serves as assisting minister at Hope Lutheran Church, Freehold Township. As a minister, he has performed almost 60 marriages.

In that same vein, Ammiano said that officiating at 15 weddings this year has been one of the most enjoyable aspects of his position as mayor.

"I still get goose bumps," he said of performing the ceremonies.

Ammiano and Kershaw said they will strive to make Freehold Township even better in the coming years.

"We have great residents in Freehold Township and we want to serve them in the best way we possibly can," said Ammiano.