Two Republicans vie for one nomination in U.F. Committeeman Dave Reed opts not to seek re-election BY JANE MEGGITT Staff Writer "My intentions are to work with our local farmers who are interested in preserving their land, and to obtain the maximum amount of funding from our state and Monmouth County." - Robert Frascella UPPER FREEHOLD - Two Republican candidates will vie in the June primary for their party's nod to seek election in November to the one available Township Committee seat. Newcomers Bryan Scheff and Robert Frascella will contend for the seat. Republican Committeeman David Reed, who was elected to office in 2005 and declined to run for a second term, will vacate come January. The winner of the November election will serve a three-year term. No Democrats filed to run in the primary. Scheff, 43, who is married with two children, owns The Goddard School in Princeton. He served on the Upper Freehold Regional Board of Education's Facilities Task Force to evaluate space usage in the school district. He currently serves on the township's Economic Development Committee. Talking to residents about how they feel regarding township issues inspired him to run for office, he said. "I believe that I can make a positive impact by reaching out to the community, fostering a positive and open government, and by working on ways to find common ground that benefits all of the residents of Upper Freehold," he said. "It was not a decision I made lightly and, if elected, a responsibility I would treat with the utmost respect." "I believe that I can make a positive impact by reaching out to the community, fostering a positive and open government, and by working on ways to find common ground that benefits all of the residents of Upper Freehold." - Bryan Scheff Frascella, 44, who is married with two children, is a dentist and owns The Cosmetic and Restorative Dentistry Center of Central New Jersey in Hamilton Square. He has served on the Planning Board and sponsors two teams and manages and coaches for theAllentown-Upper Freehold Little League. He also supports the Upper Freehold/Allentown Municipal Alliance to Prevent Alcoholism and Drug Abuse and the Give Back Foundation. Frascella said that he expressed an interest in running for the governing body several months ago to Township Committeeman Stan Moslowski, chairman of the Upper Freehold Republican County Committee. "I saw this as an excellent opportunity to continue service to my community," he said. At last week's Township Committee meeting, Planner Charles Newcomb said that he does not think many of the township's proposed master plan revisions would stand up in court. Candidates were asked for their views on the potential revisions and the township's Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) obligation. Frascella, who served on the Planning Board that voted in December to recommend the master plan revisions to the Township Committee, said the proposed revisions include a density transfer element to enhance the viability of the township's farming industry by providing a mechanism to preserve large tracts of land. "This plan was developed by our previous planner and reviewed and accepted by the Planning Board attorney," he said, emphasizing that the hallmark of the revisions is preserving open space and contiguous tracts of farmland. With regard to the township's COAH obligation, Frascella noted that the state has yet to adopt new regulations that define the new COAH obligations. "The town will need to designate several locations that would be suitable because the state of New Jersey mandates that all municipalities provide housing for moderate and low-income families," he said. "Contrary to popular belief, the township does not have a COAH location." Scheff said he has a number of concerns with the proposed master plan revisions, especially since they do not address COAH. He said that in addition to the legal requirements for the township to provide affordable housing there is a moral and ethical obligation to do so. "One such way of doing so is Project Freedom, which I strongly support," he said. Scheff said the density transfers in the master plan also concern him as they may not be consistent with the municipal land use law and current court decisions. He also said that the plan has not been set up properly because it does not designate where development rights would be transferred. "Without this knowledge, you don't know where improvements to the infrastructure will be needed," Scheff said. For Scheff, the clustering option in the proposed revisions essentially leaves the town with the same 3-acre zoning it had all along. "Also, the delineation between small landowners (those with under 20 acres) and large landowners (those with over 20 acres) creates a potentially unfair situation in favor of the large landowners, which may hurt the little guy," he said. Candidates were asked for their stances on the creation of a westerly bypass and/or an I-195 interchange on Sharon Station Road and for the best way to manage traffic issues. Scheff noted that the township already has three interchanges and said an interchange on Sharon Station Road would turn the road into a "mini-highway." "Sure, traffic may improve on Route 526 but what about Route 539?" he said. "The real answer to controlling the traffic in Upper Freehold, specifically the truck traffic, may very well be to divert it at Route 537." He said the governing body should work with Monmouth County to explore its traffic options and to make safety improvements to Sharon Station Road. Scheff said, "I think the folks on the corridor want more immediate relief from the trucks and a Sharon Station Road interchange isn't it. As for the westerly bypass, I believe that present conditions don't warrant it." Scheff also suggested the township hire a traffic consultant to work with the Traffic Committee. Frascella said the westerly bypass plan Monmouth County has proposed for the township is seriously flawed because it creates a dangerous situation for local schools and recreational parks. "Our traffic problems are a result of regional thru-traffic, not from our local residents," he said. "The key to resolving our traffic issues is to work with Monmouth County's Traffic Department and improve our most problematic roads such as Sharon Station Road." Candidates were asked how they would keep farming viable in the township and how they would be able to continue preserving properties with less state aid for preservation. Frascella said that Upper Freehold residents are very fortunate that the ballot question to fund open space and farmland preservation in the state with $200 million passed in the last election. "Even though the economy is slowing down, Upper Freehold is well positioned to receive future funding from the state and county because of our past commitment to preservation," he said. "My intentions are to work with our local farmers who are interested in preserving their land, and to obtain the maximum amount of funding from our state and Monmouth County." For Frascella, Upper Freehold farmers deserve the full support of the Township Committee because they are the "shepherds of our open space." Scheff said farmers need an incentive to preserve their land and continue farming. "The committee can work locally by ensuring that living in Upper Freehold remains affordable for all of the residents of the township both old and new," he said. "We need to foster healthy and consistent economic development," he said. "Homes alone are not going to keep property taxes down or help the township raise the revenue needed to continue to preserve farms." Scheff also said that the township can help keep farming viable by pressing the state for slot machines at racetracks and support for the Sire Stakes Program as both would support equine farms in the community. The candidates were also asked about how they view Corzine's push for small towns to merge and/or share services. Scheff said the idea of consolidation isn't new, especially for those in the corporate sector. "There could be many benefits to this concept and it is definitely worth exploring, especially if it might be forced upon us by the state at some point in the future," he said. "Regardless if it is pursued with other towns or not, Upper Freehold has grown over the years and we need to ensure that the infrastructure keeps up." Frascella said Corzine's proposal for municipalities to merge and/or share services is not a new idea for Upper Freehold. "For decades our community has shared the expenses to operate the fire department, first aid squad and animal control department to name a few examples," he said. "I would study the economic impact on our community regarding any future merger and/or shared service to ensure that Upper Freehold will enjoy a better quality of life and a reduction of taxes." The candidates also addressed other issues important to them. Frascella said he is big proponent of creating more recreational opportunities for children and offering a helping hand in the expedition of the construction of the new middle school. Both candidates are concerned about the township's lack of a senior center. "It might even be possible to pursue [this goal] through grants available that would result in little impact to the tax base," Scheff said. Scheff also said that he is concerned about emergency response times. "We have volunteers who risk their lives and we need to ensure that we support them properly," he said.