5 Manalapan candidates discuss municipal issues
Two 3-year terms are up for grabs on Election Day
BY KATHY BARATTA Staff Writer

MANALAPAN - The five candidates running for two three-year seats on the Township Committee met on Oct. 24 at town hall to discuss issues of interest to Manalapan voters.

The debate is expected to be broadcast on Manalapan's municipal access cable television channel 77 several times prior to the Nov. 6 election.

The candidates are Republicans Andrew Lucas and Susan Cohen, Democrats Drew Shapiro and Herb Barrack, and independent Joseph DePasquale.

Lucas is completing his first term on the committee and is serving as Manalapan's mayor in 2007.

Cohen was appointed to an open committee seat several months ago.

Shapiro served on the committee from 2001-06 and is seeking a return to the governing body.

DePasquale is a sitting member of the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District Board of Education who is making his first bid for a seat on the township committee. DePasquale said he is a former registered Republican who dropped his party affiliation in order to run as an independent candidate.

Barrack is making his first bid for a seat on the committee.

In a tightly moderated presentation, all five candidates took questions from a League of Women Voters (LWV) representative who served as a moderator. The questions had been e-mailed several days prior to the event and then forwarded to the township for selection, according to Shirley Steinhorn, who acted as the LWV moderator.

The questions she presented to the candidates addressed standard issues such as how to address rising property taxes, how to cut costs, curb residential development and hold onto preserved land as open space.

Although there was some discussion about improving the tenor of how people conduct themselves and their discussions with and about public officials, it was mutually agreed by all five candidates that Manalapan is a desirable place to live.

Shapiro made the observation that even in today's uncertain real estate market, homeowners in Manalapan are still better off than most people.

"Your property taxes have risen but your values have skyrocketed," he said.

The issue of the ongoing installation of a synthetic turf field at the Manalapan Recreation Center was raised as the candidates were asked if they were in favor of it.

Questions have been raised as to whether health issues could exist at the $850,000 turf field. The concerns center around rubber pellets (ground up tires) which are used as fill between the blades of synthetic grass and whether those pellets might emit a toxic fume if they melt under hot conditions.

Noting that the playing field expansion at the recreation center is a sevenyear dream being realized, Lucas said Manalapan's health officer and the state Department of Environmental Protection have both said there is "no identifiable health risk." He said the turf field will, in the long run, prove more cost-effective than grass fields that come with ongoing maintenance costs and have some limits as to when they may be used.

DePasquale said he would have put the $850,000 toward the construction of a community center. Noting that not everyone is "sports oriented," the candidate said, "With a community center you satisfy the entire community, not just one facet."

Barrack, who is a retired senior official with the federal Environmental Protection Agency, said he researched the issues and concerns associated with artificial turf fields and concluded there are no adverse effects for players using the fields.

Noting that "there are no absolutes available," Barrack said, "There is no demonstrable risk here."

Shapiro said on this issue he was deferring to his running mate Barrack's expertise. He noted that on grass fields children play on fields that have been or are treated with pesticides and fertilizers.

Cohen said she did not believe the expansion of the recreation center was necessary and said she thought the installation of the turf field should be further studied.

All five candidates agreed that Manalapan's summer recreation program is suffering and promised to give the matter their considered attention.

The possible construction of a splash pad water activity met with the approval of all five candidates who agreed the summer program needs to include some sort of water activity for the children.

Barrack, who said although he was "amazed" at what the summer recreation program already offers, took the water activity one step further by suggesting that the construction of a municipal swimming pool should be considered.

Lucas said municipal officials are already talking with officials in neighboring Marlboro, which has two municipal pools which have been underused.

Lucas said mutual overtures had been made and said Manalapan officials are trying to put together an agreement that would allow Manalapan residents to use the Marlboro facilities. He said this is another example of the shared services he would continue to pursue if he is reelected to a second term.

Noting that in addition to having to compete with "air-conditioning and hot meals" that some private summer camps offer to children, Shapiro said the Manalapan summer recreation program would continue to suffer from a diminishing pool of worthy candidates for employment as camp counselors unless salaries that are competitive with jobs "those same kids can get in the malls" are offered to those who are seeking a job as a recreation counselor.

Cohen said the focus should center on "taking stock" of what the program already has and is doing, She said parents who have taken their children out of the summer recreation program should be interviewed and asked what would bring them back with an eye toward making the best use of what the program already has to offer.

Lucas said along with looking to improve the summer recreation program, he would make sure the process itself continued to be streamlined, noting the recent innovation of allowing parents to register their children online for the summer program.

All of the candidates agreed that Manalapan officials need to turn their attention to continuing to provide affordable housing as required by state law.

They all agreed there should be no housing included at the retail center planned for Millhurst Road and Route 33, known as The Village at Manalapan, which has already received preliminary approval from the Planning Board for the commercial application.