GOP hopefuls in stretch drive before June 3 vote
BY KATHY BARATTA Staff Writer

MANALAPAN - The June 3 Republican primary will give residents of Manalapan a chance to decide who they want to run for two seats on the Township Committee in the November general election.

Four men are seeking the right to run as Republicans in November for a pair of three-year terms on Manalapan's governing body.

The Manalapan Republican County Committee has nominated Ryan Green and William Garcia to run for seats on the Township Committee. Their selection by the county committee is being challenged in the primary by Kalman "Butch" Budai and Steven Johnson.

Budai, 50, has been a resident of Manalapan for 12 years. He is the owner of a ceramic tile company.

Garcia, 42, is a project manager for a major financial institution in New York City. He has lived in Manalapan for two years.

Green, 28, is a 20-year resident of Manalapan. He is a school social worker with the Perth Amboy School District in Middlesex County.

Johnson, 54, is employed in the office automation business, He has been a Manalapan resident for 11 years.

For this final story before the June 3 election, each candidate was asked to answer the following question: "Why would you be an asset to the Township Committee?" The answers are presented in alphabetical order.

Budai said he has already proved his ability as a volunteer in the community. He said, "I have and will make a difference in Manalapan. My successful experiences in business and transportation give me a unique advantage. While volunteering for the past four years, I have been instrumental in creating new services such as the countdown crosswalk signals for commuters.

"I worked together with others volunteers to redesign our summer recreation program. Manalapan residents face challenges every day just going to work. They work hard and we should be fiscally responsible with their tax dollars. I will also work to have an elected mayor during my term so that we can have continuity in our governing body," he said.

Budai was referring to the fact that under Manalapan's Township Committee form of government, residents do not directly a mayor. Each January, the five members of the committee elect one member of the panel to serve as mayor for the year. The mayor runs the committee meetings, but does not have additional powers in this form of government.

In response to the question, Garcia said, "As a project manager, I am skilled in building relationships and creating resolutions for the good of our clients, an asset I will carry with me as a Township Committee member. I believe my honesty and unbiased judgment on our issues will bring harmony within the governing body/volunteer committees.

"My 20-plus years in financial services and my love of Manalapan will allow me to make cost-effective as well as environmentally sound decisions. Additionally, I have never had any personality conflicts that would hinder my judgment or my ability to fulfill my appointed duties for serving the residents of Manalapan," he said.

Green is a member of the Manalapan Englishtown Regional School District Board of Education. If he wins the June 3 primary and is elected to the Township Committee in November, he will have to resign from the school board.

In response to the question, Green said, "I will bring the right experience to the Township Committee if elected. As a member of the school board, I know how to develop a budget. I have fought for cuts in administrative spending and successfully had the school district's Internet Web site redesigned.

"I have shown that I can work with people from any party, keeping Manalapan a great place to live. That means making sure The Village at Manalapan won't cause gridlock on our streets. That means developing more commuter parking lots. That means cutting wasteful spending to prevent our taxes from going even higher. This is what I will bring to the Township Committee," he said.

In mentioning The Village at Manalapan, Green was referring to a 500,000-square-foot commercial project that has received preliminary Planning Board approval for a location at the intersection of Route 33 and Millhurst Road on the south side of Manalapan.

Johnson responded to the question, saying, "I have had a successful business career, where I have significantly reduced costs and created incentives. I can do the same for Manalapan. I have often generated creative solutions to problematic situations. I bring experience from other communities and compassion for our residents, especially our children.

"I won't allow millions of dollars to be spent on projects before assuring that they are safe. I'm not in this to run for higher office. I'm only running for one public office this year. I'm in this to improve our town. I will bring continuity to this government and a focus on Manalapan, not personal ambition," he said.

Regarding a May 21 News Transcript article that highlighted the candidates, Johnson said he wanted to clarify two points contained in the story.

Johnson said it is his belief that the intersection at Route 33 and Millhurst Road should be improved before The Village at Manalapan is completed and he said any commercial ratables brought in to Manalapan must conform to the township's master plan.

Johnson said he believes The Village at Manalapan and other conforming ratables should have been completed before any money was committed for the construction of a synthetic turf field at the Manalapan Recreation Center.

In addition to voting for candidates to run for Township Committee, voters in the primary will also elect members of the Manalapan Republican County Committee.

The county committee is made up of a male and female resident from every voting district in Manalapan. The county committee selects people to run for elective office.

The Green and Garcia slate, and the Budai and Johnson slate, each have individuals seeking to serve on the county committee. Voters in each voting district will be able to elect members of the county committee when they go to the polls on June 3.

Individuals who are eligible to vote in the June 3 Republican primary are those people who are already registered as a Republican, or any unaffiliated individual who shows up at the polls on Election Day and registers as a Republican, according to Municipal Clerk Rose Ann Weeden.

Weeden said that after the primary election, people who switched from unaffiliated to Republican in order to vote in the primary may reregister as unaffiliated.

Polls will be open between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. June 3 at Manalapan's regular polling places.

The Manalapan Democratic County Committee has nominated Township Committeewoman Michelle Roth, who is serving as Manalapan's mayor this year, and Donald Holland to run for seats on the committee. Roth and Holland are unchallenged in the June 3 primary.