Neighbor News
Fair Haven Herald Endorses Chrisner-Keefe and McCue for Council
Fair Haven Council Race: Looking for Political Change
Fair Haven Herald
October 22, 2019
Fair Haven, NJ
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Election Battleground: Fair Haven
Fair Haven Residents Hoping for Change on Borough Council
Find out what's happening in Rumson-Fair Havenfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Story by Jeremy Chandler
Wondering about those political signs popping up around yards around Fair Haven? You’re not alone. Although completely ignored on the Borough’s website and email bulletins, the upcoming election on Tuesday November 5 will help decide the future direction of the Borough. Meghan Chrisner-Keefe and Mike McCue face off against incumbent Council members Jonathan Peters and Jacqueline Rice.
Time for a Change The Fair Haven Herald officially endorses Chrisner-Keefe and McCue for Borough Council. This is based on the fiscally irresponsible track record of Peters and Rice, and the current Council’s opaque operations, aggressive tactics, and anti-business actions. In response to questions submitted to the Peters/Rice Council regarding the Yacht Works litigation and the Borough Hall plans (see below), the Council was presented with the opportunity to take a second look at their actions and to re-evaluate questionable decisions. Instead, the Council members and Borough representatives responded in a vindictive and defensive manner, choosing to attack the messenger rather than answer legitimate questions. When government officials like Peters and Rice choose to ignore concerns of their constituents, and instead attack those who dare to question their decisions, it is time for a change in our local government.
The Candidates Incumbent Council President Jonathan Peters has been on the Council since 2005, and under his direction property taxes have risen to among the top rates in the area, while as shown below the Borough provides a poor level of service for the premium tax levels paid by residents. In addition, the Council’s claims of open government are belied by the consistent effort by Peters to hide the Council’s actions in closed sessions. Local taxpayers are upset that many important decisions being made on how to spend their money are taking place behind closed doors.
According to the Borough’s website, Councilwoman Jacqueline Rice’s only apparent qualification for her position is the fact that she has been living in Fair Haven since 2005. She has no relevant personal or professional experience listed that would qualify her to run a local government. Further, Rice's lack of analytical abilities and angry demeanor were on full display when in response to the questions raised about the Fair Haven Yacht Works litigation, Rice’s online commentary was angry and defensive, and demonstrated a lack of understanding of the issues involved.
On the other hand, Fair Haven resident Meghan Chrisner-Keefe is an experienced lawyer practicing employment law, and her legal background will be a key factor in her ability to analyze issues and solve the problems facing the Borough. She has been active a recent Borough meetings, and has shown a passion for solving the challenges facing Fair Haven. Mike McCue is a former US Marine who has demonstrated through his service a willingness to sacrifice and a love of our country. He is a trained educator who will bring a common sense approach to Borough issues.
Property Taxes Fair Haven property taxes continue to rise annually, currently 1.9%, among the highest levels in Monmouth County. Instead of looking for ways to slow or stop the increases, Peters and Rice propose to vastly increase spending on their poorly thought out Borough Hall plans. In 2019 with the ongoing shift to online operations, Peters and Rice propose to demo the cavernous and half empty Borough Hall to rebuild a bigger and more expensive version. Another reason for the unusually high tax rate is the oversized Fair Haven Police Department. Even wonder why there are routinely a dozen police vehicles parked outside the station? In a town with essentially one main street and a nonexistent crime rate, Peters and Rice have been wasting taxpayer money on this unnecessarily large expense for years.
Another egregious example of the fiscal waste and mismanagement of the Peters/Rice Council is the Fair Haven Yacht Works litigation.
Sub-Par Borough Services Despite paying among the highest property tax rates in the County, Fair Haven provides public services which are vastly poorer than those of surrounding towns. Trash and brush removal, the two main public services the Borough provides, are severely lacking when compared to neighboring town Rumson, which has a much lower tax rate of 1.469%.
Like twice a week trash pickup? Fair Haven only does it for part of the year, while Rumson provides those services year-round. Brush pickup services are limited and infrequent in Fair Haven, while those in Rumson can put nearly anything at the curb and it is picked up within
days. Bulk trash pickups in Fair Haven are expensive and severely limited in scope; in Rumson there are no charges for this service and very little restrictions. Have a zoning question or issue? The Peters/Rice Council hired Nick Poruchynsky as Zoning Officer, whose poor command of English and lack of legal training make him a questionable choice for an important position which requires interpretation and enforcement of complicated legal codes.
Unfriendly Business Environment Under Peters and Rice, many local businesses have complained to The Herald about bureaucracy and poor treatment. Instead of helping cultivate the special local businesses which help to give Fair Haven its charm, the Borough makes business ownership difficult. Local businesses have described to the Herald a pattern of poor treatment and negative attitude from Poruchynsky and other Borough officials.
In addition to the Yacht Works litigation discussed above, the ill-conceived Peters/Rice borough hall plan is a fiscal boondoggle that could cost taxpayers as much as $20 million for an
unnecessary borough hall upgrade. Making matters worse, discussions on these issues have been taking place primarily behind closed doors.
Open Government? In response to questions submitted by The Herald about the issues raised in the Pocket Park/Yacht Works and Borough Hall articles, Borough officials have responded in a defensive and angry manner, refusing to answer a single question. Borough Administrator Theresa Casagrande, after receiving a list of questions as requested in the Borough's weekly newsletter, was especially nasty, responding that "I
will not consider addressing your questions below, or answering any of your future emails." She continued, "engaging you in this manner would be nothing but a waste of my official time."
This was Casagrande's only response to a list of questions, despite the posting promising to "maintain open and honest communication" on the Borough's website.
On behalf of the Governing Body, I am pleased to announce the first
release of Fair Haven's Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) public
forum. This question and answer format is another feature of
the Borough's ongoing commitment to maintain open and honest
communication with our residents. If you have a question that
you would like answered in a future FAQ posting, please email it to
me at tcasagrande@fhboro.net
Best regards, Theresa Casagrande, Borough Administrator
Promising open and honest communication is easy, but it appears Fair Haven's secretive government culture has not changed.
Local Elections Matter In the end, voters will decide the future direction of Fair Haven. The current administration has been carelessly wasting taxpayer funds without conducting proper due diligence, and it is doing do in many cases in secret. The Peters/Rice administration responds in an angry and defensive matter when confronted with questions about their actions. In a representative democracy, our elected officials ultimately answer to their constituents. After holding their positions for a long period of time, the Peters/Rice Council apparently feels they don’t have to answer for their actions. Given the reasons cited herein, The Herald believes it is time for a change, and we encourage you to vote for change and support Meghan Chrisner-Keefe and Mike McCue for Borough Council on November 5.
Questions, comments, or concerns?