By JF Grodeska
The Borough of Sea Bright has a weak mayor/strong council, partisan form of government. Six elected members sit on the council; the mayor is directly elected by residents as well. The mayor is elected for a four-year term; council members serve three-year terms on a staggered basis. The mayor makes committee and liaison appointments but only votes in the event of a tie.
Nominees for the two open council seats in this election cycle are Republicans Samuel Catalano, an incumbent, and Marcela Rincon-Tomassetta. The Democratic Party made no nominations for this election cycle. The Republicans are challenged by Heather Gorman, an Independent.
Samuel Catalano (R – incumbent)
Overcoming divisive rhetoric and animosity is always a challenge, but by working hard and listening to the Sea Bright residents, I find a way to get things done. In my first term as Councilman, I used common-sense leadership that always puts Sea Bright first. My main focus is to keep this town a great place to live. Holding the line on property tax increases and enhancing our flood protection infrastructure is a top priority for me and our residents. From my experience in my professional life in running a construction company, I understand how working as a team can get more accomplished. We are all individuals that share different professions, experiences, and educational backgrounds. We don’t need to work alone to shine! Communication and listening to our community’s concerns is key to overcoming any obstacle.
No matter what side you are on politically, you can agree that Sea Bright Beach has the best and most beautiful beaches in the entire state of New Jersey. As Beach Chairman for the last two years, my main focus has been to make sure the beach has everything it needs to be safe, clean, and enjoyable for ever y resident. It all star ts with our team headed by Beach Manager, Don Klein. The lifeguards and crew run a top-notch program that is thriving and truly something to be proud of. Sea Bright Ocean Rescue is an outstanding group with great skills paired with state-of-the-art equipment to be ready for any situation that may occur. Working alongside our great Mayor Brian Kelly, we reach out to either side of the political parties to make sure Sea Bright has what it needs to succeed. If I were Re-elected as Councilman, I would continue to work through any sort of obstructionism for the betterment of the town. Sea Bright is a resilient town that deserves strong and dependable leadership. I would be grateful to serve a second term as Councilman because there is no place like Sea Bright!
Heather Gorman (I)
I am well positioned for this challenge as I come to the table as an Independent who is known to be a strong communicator and team member. Multiple parties have asked me to be a running mate, but being true to my Independent nature, I had to decline.
I bring no party capital and have no intention to “vote down the line.” My interest is entirely local in that I want to support the town that I love and be of service to my neighbors.
In order to fulfill that obligation, I believe you must understand what your community needs. I walked door-to-door, and the residents shared their priorities with me. I feel confident that if elected I will lead with the priorities of the people at heart allowing me to be Independently Responsible to Sea Bright. This will guide conversations back to Council’s principal purpose, answering to the residents, when met with obstruction or grandstanding.
Maintaining an open line of communication with the community is therefore paramount. We need to make sharing of information and ideas easy, accessible, welcoming, and productive. I believe there is an opportunity to improve our Council to Community engagement in Sea Bright which again will continue to identify and move past politically based obstructions.
In Sea Bright we are in an interesting moment; we are 1 seat away from an entirely 1-Party Council. To me, any overwhelming party majority is not beneficial for a community.
We need to ensure Sea Bright’s Council answers to Sea Bright’s residents. And that decision resides in the hands of who the public elects. I would be humbled to be elected and be Independently Responsible to Sea Bright.
Marcela Rincon-Tomasetta (R)
It does seem that the national political stage is filled with partisan-based divisive rhetoric and animosity. Unfortunately, it seems that this has made enemies of previous neighbors and friends everywhere. When I made the decision to run for Sea Bright town council, it was based in my strong belief in the service to family and country and that strong community participation make communities strong.
As I walked and knocked on doors around town, I knocked on every door, regardless of party affiliation, regardless of whether the resident is an owner or a renter, regardless of whether they have lived here all their life or are a new neighbor. I wanted to confirm whether my priorities for our town were things our community shared or whether I needed to be better informed and add or change those issues. I wanted to talk to everyone, especially those who have a different point of view, a different take on the issues, and their importance. I enjoyed and learned from those exchanges and must thank our residents for spending time with me. As one resident said to me, “I don’t care what party you represent, I care whether you want and will do the best for Sea Bright.” I do and I will.
As a representative of the people, it will be my job to understand and analyze the issues or policy before I can have a position at all. Most importantly, I will be accessible to our community to hear and discuss with our residents, our business owners, our municipal staff any idea to determine what would be the best decision or choices for the town. I will be guided by the many varied points of view from our community and encourage everyone to work together to ensure Sea Bright continues to thrive.
I will strive to meet as many of our residents because I believe it is critical to understand the issues and concerns from their perspective. I will serve the community by listening to them. Should I win in November, I will honor their trust in me to be their voice.
The article originally appeared in the October 20 – 26, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
