Three vie for two open seats in Upper Freehold Former mayor teams up with longtime resident to try to best Moslowski BY JANE MEGGITT & JENNIFER KOHLHEPP Staff Writers "The Township Committee has an obligation to run the township like an effective, fiscally responsible business." - LoriSue Horsnall-Mount If elected, LoriSue Horsnall-Mount would be the first-ever Upper Freehold Township committeewoman. However, before she can earn that title, she will have to get the Republican Party's nomination in the June 5 primary as well as win the November election for one of the two open Township Committee seats. Republican John A. Mele, a former committeeman, and Republican Stanley Moslowski Jr. are also seeking election. Republicans Mayor Stephen Fleischacker and Deputy Mayor William Miscoski did not file to run for re-election. Horsnall-Mount, 42, the director of sales operations at Allentown Inc. in Allentown, said she decided to seek election "in order to help find the answers to the issues that our town is currently facing." A graduate of Allentown High School, she has lived in Allentown and Upper Freehold Township all her life with the exception of having lived three years in Michigan during grade school.  "Our ties to the area remained while we were in Michigan, and it was our desire to return to the same school/area," she said. "My parents were very active in the community." Horsnall-Mount said her parents' involvement in community affairs influenced her decision to run. Her mother served on the Board of Education and her father served as committeeman and mayor in Upper Freehold. "I am hoping that my experience in serving in the governing body will unite our community." - John A. Mele "My parents were also active in the local emergency service organizations (fire department and first aid squad for many years)," she said. "I joined Hope Fire Company in 1982 and served as an active firefighter for 10 years and also held the office of corporate secretary for two years." She served on the Allentown Borough Council while living in Allentown. Horsnall-Mount sees uncontrolled growth as the most important issue facing the community. "Upper Freehold is a treasure in this state," she said. "The open space and quality of life that it affords is what drew most of us to this area in the first place. We need to look no further than Washington Township to see what the future holds if we don't do something now." Horsnall-Mount does not support the Planning Board's idea of creating town centers, which are high-density developments, in Upper Freehold. "These high-density developments will continue to escalate costs absorbed by township residents," she said. Instead, Horsnall-Mount wants to focus on creating more open space and preserving more farmland. "We need to tap into all of the state and county monies that are available to us," she said. "You only have to pay to preserve land once. Every large development creates major costs that must be paid for in perpetuity." Noting that residents have seen significant tax increases over the past several years, Horsnall-Mount said, "The township is currently bonded to the maximum tolerable allowable. Therefore, we have limited flexibility for long-term financing of any initiative." She said the township could control taxes by controlling growth with a master plan that is supported by the residents. "Again, I believe town centers and high-density developments will only exacerbate the tax problem," she said. "They will create a major influx of students into a school system with major fiscal problems (over-budget middle school). They will create the need for increased municipal services, administrative services, emergency services and public works support." "While realizing that we cannot prevent development, I'd like to see reasonable, controlled growth." - Stanley Moslowski Jr. She further believes that quality education, effective emergency services, and public safety issues should be among the Township Committee's highest priorities. "The Township Committee has an obligation to run the township like an effective, fiscally responsible business," she said. "Using this analogy, I would consider the township residents as shareholders and our taxes and property as the stock. Every decision needs to be focused on overall shareholder value." Mele, 49, the other candidate running on the Republican ticket in the primary, is the area sales manager for Hobas Pipe USA, of Houston, Texas. He has studied mechanical technology, business management, and construction management at Union and Middlesex county colleges and has had professional sales and marketing training through his employers. He has also earned a certificate for completing a program for municipal elected officials, co-sponsored by Rutgers University and the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, he said. Mele has actively worked with the state's Water Environment Federation, Government Affairs Committee, New Jersey Water Environment Association, Watershed Planning Committee, Safety Committee, Constitution and Bylaws Committee, and the New Jersey Water Environment Association. He has also served on Monmouth County's Regional Environ-mental Planning Council, Transfer of Development Rights Committee, Water Resources Associ-ation, Stormwater Advisory Committee, and Conservation Foundation. He served on the Township Commit-tee from 2002 to 2004 and served as deputy mayor in 2003 and mayor in 2004. He has served on the township's Board of Health since 1993 and the Open Space Committee since 2000. He served on the Planning Board from 1994 to 2002 and on the Agricultural Board from 2002 to 2004. "I am hoping that my experience in serving in the governing body will unite our community," he said. Mele said he hopes to once again gain the opportunity to work "on the vision of Upper Freehold as a rural community with a dedication to open space, slower growth and a community with a continued commitment to the agricultural industry." Like Horsnall-Mount, Mele also sees growth and taxes as major issues the township is facing today. "I know this sounds very typical, but if we do not think through our decisions, the true cost of growth to our community, it will very much impact our ability to maintain our taxes here in the township," he said. Mele said the town not only needs long-term financial planning but also needs to take responsibility. "I believe that there is a silent majority that want to see Upper Freehold Township remain a rural community, and I hope they come forward and work with Mrs. Lori Horsnall-Mount and me to see that vision and lifestyle remains here in our township," he said. Moslowski, 43, is an excavating contractor and farmer who graduated from Allentown High School. "I decided to run for Township Committee because I am a lifelong resident of Upper Freehold, and my family has lived here since 1918," he said. Moslowski served the past six years on the Upper Freehold Republican County Committee. He served the past two years as the committee's chairman. Moslowski has also taught religious education classes at St. John's Church in Upper Freehold and has supported Allentown/Upper Freehold recreation programs by sponsoring teams and donating materials for the construction of a parking lot for the soccer fields. Moslowski said he has seen many changes to the community in the past 30 years. "As a child growing up in the township, when there were fewer people, I thought it would be nice to have more neighbors and friends to play with," he said. "Since then I've seen many new people move in that have helped make the community a better place to live." Moslowski said the township now faces becoming overbuilt in a short amount of time. "While realizing that we cannot prevent development, I'd like to see reasonable, controlled growth," he said. Moslowski said the township needs to build a new middle school to alleviate overcrowding at the existing elementary/middle school. "I believe the Township Committee should work closely with the school board to build a facility that will meet the current and future needs of the school district," he said. He also sees rising property taxes as a concern the governing body needs to address with the help of the town's Economic Development Committee. He would like to have the opportunity to bring in nonresidential ratables "to help bear the tax burden without jeopardizing the quality of life that has attracted so many residents to the township." Moslowksi said Upper Freehold should also look into sharing services with neighboring communities as a way of saving money. "Finally, I believe the township should continue its efforts to preserve as much of its farmland as possible by working to obtain more funding from the county and state," he said. He continued, "Giving farmers a financial incentive to keep farming their land will help preserve the township's rural character and encourage different types of agribusiness."   If elected, LoriSue Horsnall-Mount would be the first-ever Upper Freehold Township committeewoman. However, before she can earn that title, she will have to get the Republican Party's nomination in the June 5 primary as well as win the November election for one of the two open Township Committee seats. Republican John A. Mele, a former committeeman, and Democrat Stanley Moslowski Jr. are also seeking election. Republicans Mayor Stephen Fleischacker and Deputy Mayor William Miscoski did not file to run for re-election. Horsnall-Mount, 42, the director of sales operations at Allentown Inc. in Allentown, said she decided to seek election "in order to help find the answers to the issues that our town is currently facing." A graduate of Allentown High School, she has lived in Allentown and Upper Freehold Township all her life with the exception of having lived three years in Michigan during grade school. "Our ties to the area remained while we were in Michigan, and it was our desire to return to the same school/area," she said. "My parents were very active in the community." Horsnall-Mount said her parents' involvement in community affairs influenced her decision to run. Her mother served on the Board of Education and her father served as committeeman and mayor in Upper Freehold. "My parents were also active in the local emergency service organizations (fire department and first aid squad for many years)," she said. "I joined Hope Fire Company in 1982 and served as an active firefighter for 10 years and also held the office of corporate secretary for two years." She served on the Allentown Borough Council while living in Allentown. Horsnall-Mount sees uncontrolled growth as the most important issue facing the community. "Upper Freehold is a treasure in this state," she said. "The open space and quality of life that it affords is what drew most of us to this area in the first place. We need to look no further than Washington Township to see what the future holds if we don't do something now." Horsnall-Mount does not support the Planning Board's idea of creating town centers, which are high-density developments, in Upper Freehold. "These high-density developments will continue to escalate costs absorbed by township residents," she said. Instead, Horsnall-Mount wants to focus on creating more open space and preserving more farmland. "We need to tap into all of the state and county monies that are available to us," she said. "You only have to pay to preserve land once. Every large development creates major costs that must be paid for in perpetuity." Noting that residents have seen significant tax increases over the past several years, Horsnall-Mount said, "The township is currently bonded to the maximum tolerable allowable. Therefore, we have limited flexibility for long-term financing of any initiative." She said the township could control taxes by controlling growth with a master plan that is supported by the residents. "Again, I believe town centers and high-density developments will only exacerbate the tax problem," she said. "They will create a major influx of students into a school system with major fiscal problems (over-budget middle school). They will create the need for increased municipal services, administrative services, emergency services and public works support." She further believes that quality education, effective emergency services, and public safety issues should be among the Township Committee's highest priorities. "The Township Committee has an obligation to run the township like an effective, fiscally responsible business," she said. "Using this analogy, I would consider the township residents as shareholders and our taxes and property as the stock. Every decision needs to be focused on overall shareholder value." Mele, 49, the other candidate running on the Republican ticket in the primary, is the area sales manager for Hobas Pipe USA, of Houston, Texas. He has studied mechanical technology, business management, and construction management at Union and Middlesex county colleges and has had professional sales and marketing training through his employers. He has also earned a certificate for completing a program for municipal elected officials, co-sponsored by Rutgers University and the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, he said. Mele has actively worked with the state's Water Environment Federation, Government Affairs Committee, New Jersey Water Environment Association, Watershed Planning Committee, Safety Committee, Constitution and Bylaws Committee, and the New Jersey Water Environment Association. He has also served on Monmouth County's Regional Environ-mental Planning Council, Transfer of Development Rights Committee, Water Resources Associ-ation, Stormwater Advisory Committee, and Conservation Foundation. He served on the Township Commit-tee from 2002 to 2004 and served as deputy mayor in 2003 and mayor in 2004. He has served on the township's Board of Health since 1993 and the Open Space Committee since 2000. He served on the Planning Board from 1994 to 2002 and on the Agricultural Board from 2002 to 2004. "I am hoping that my experience in serving in the governing body will unite our community," he said. Mele said he hopes to once again gain the opportunity to work "on the vision of Upper Freehold as a rural community with a dedication to open space, slower growth and a community with a continued commitment to the agricultural industry." Like Horsnall-Mount, Mele also sees growth and taxes as major issues the township is facing today. "I know this sounds very typical, but if we do not think through our decisions, the true cost of growth to our community, it will very much impact our ability to maintain our taxes here in the township," he said. Mele said the town not only needs long-term financial planning but also needs to take responsibility. "I believe that there is a silent majority that want to see Upper Freehold Township remain a rural community, and I hope they come forward and work with Mrs. Lori Horsnall-Mount and me to see that vision and lifestyle remains here in our township," he said. Moslowski, 43, is an excavating contractor and farmer who graduated from Allentown High School. "I decided to run for Township Committee because I am a lifelong resident of Upper Freehold, and my family has lived here since 1918," he said. The now Democrat served the past six years on the Upper Freehold Republican County Committee. He served the past two years as the committee's chairman. Moslowski has also taught religious education classes at St. John's Church in Upper Freehold and has supported Allentown/Upper Freehold recreation programs by sponsoring teams and donating materials for the construction of a parking lot for the soccer fields. Moslowski said he has seen many changes to the community in the past 30 years. "As a child growing up in the township, when there were fewer people, I thought it would be nice to have more neighbors and friends to play with," he said. "Since then I've seen many new people move in that have helped make the community a better place to live." Moslowski said the township now faces becoming overbuilt in a short amount of time. "While realizing that we cannot prevent development, I'd like to see reasonable, controlled growth," he said. Moslowski said the township needs to build a new middle school to alleviate overcrowding at the existing elementary/middle school. "I believe the Township Committee should work closely with the school board to build a facility that will meet the current and future needs of the school district," he said. He also sees rising property taxes as a concern the governing body needs to address with the help of the town's Economic Development Committee. He would like to have the opportunity to bring in nonresidential ratables "to help bear the tax burden without jeopardizing the quality of life that has attracted so many residents to the township." Moslowksi said Upper Freehold should also look into sharing services with neighboring communities as a way of saving money. "Finally, I believe the township should continue its efforts to preserve as much of its farmland as possible by working to obtain more funding from the county and state," he said. He continued, "Giving farmers a financial incentive to keep farming their land will help preserve the township's rural character and encourage different types of agribusiness."