By Joseph Sapia
In the race for Monmouth County Surrogate, the voter choices are the incumbent who stands by her work or the challenger who wants to improve the office.
Republican Rosemarie Peters, 74, of Middletown is the incumbent with 10 years in office, or two full, five-year terms. Peters, who has a law degree but has never practiced law, is a former 18-year member of the Middletown Township Committee, on which she served four years as mayor and three as deputy mayor.
Vincent Solomeno, 31, of Hazlet has served on his town’s Land-Use Board for three years. He is a captain in the Army National Guard.
“Individuals are unfamiliar with the role of the surrogate and who the surrogate is,” said Solomeno, who would like to educate the public more about the office.
The nature of the surrogate’s work generally keeps it below the radar. The surrogate probates wills; appoints executors to estates without wills; oversees guardianships of minors or those mentally or physically incapacitated; and oversees adoptions.
But Peters showed how she brings the surrogate’s office to the people: having a main office in the county Hall of Records and satellite offices in Middletown, Ocean, Neptune and Wall, along with traveling around the county, giving lectures on surrogate matters.
“A major issue in the surrogate’s office is customer service,” Peters said. “Everything that is done is one family at a time. The quality of that service is really important.”
Peters points to her law degree. “Having a law degree is not essential, but it’s a significant asset,” she said.
Solomeno, on the other hand, points to his background – Truman scholar, Fulbright scholar and service in the military on both active duty and as a Guardsman – to show his ‘can-do’ personality.
A disagreement between Solomeno and Peters concerns death certificates.
Solomeno said he is concerned about privacy, particularly the fear of identity theft. On death certificates, he wants to release “sensitive information” – such as employment, spouse’s maiden name, birthdate and cause of death – only to family members, rather than making it available to the general public.
“That’s not a surrogate’s decision,” said Peters, adding it was a court determination and families do not have to supply all the personal information. “What he is proposing is not in compliance with the law.”
Peters and Solomeno agreed the Union County surrogate’s office is doing it the way Solomeno proposes – with Solomeno saying it appears legal and Peters saying Union County apparently is doing so without judicial authority.
Another area of disagreement is whether the surrogate’s office should be more heavy-handed in overseeing guardianships – Solomeno says yes, with Peters saying her office does enough.
Solomeno said guardians filing annual reports to the surrogate’s office is not enough to protect the 1,800 people in the county under guardianship. Solomeno suggested surrogate worker visits, along with visits by trained volunteers, to those under guardianship.
“The surrogate should be (doing) more than filing paperwork,” Solomeno said.
Peters said Solomeno’s proposal is impractical – her office does not have the authority or the training. Also, visiting would not necessarily detect a problem, Peters said. Instead, Peters said her office reviews guardianship paper work with a staff accountant.
The filing of guardianship papers is at 95 percent compliance, Peters said. For guardians who do not file, the surrogate sends out a reminder letter – something instituted during her tenure, she said. Those that remain in noncompliance must then go before a judge, she said.
“We don’t let anyone fall through the cracks,” Peters said.
The surrogate’s office oversees about 600 accounts, totaling about $26 million, Peters said.
Peters noted other accomplishments in her tenure: upgrading the office’s computer system and computerizing searches of wills and other estate information.
“I think I’ve done so much to improve it,” Peters said. “I think the office has come forward in many ways.”
Peters and Solomeno square off in the Nov. 8 General Election. Polls are open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
