Committeeman Ryan Green Opens Up on Tommy G Radio Show

Internet radio talk show host Tommy G, who broadcasts his show out of his Manalapan home, invited Republican Township Committeeman Ryan Green and his Democratic challenger Seth Ptasiewicz to engage in a friendly debate last week.

Unfortunately, Ptasiewicz was not able to make the show due to a client emergency. “As much as I would have liked to be on the Tommy G show last Thursday, my ethical and legal obligation is to first service my client, much the same as it would be my obligation to serve the township if elected to the position of Township Committee member,” Ptasiewicz told Patch in an e-mail.

Ptasiewicz said he reached out to Tommy G and Green to apologize for the inconvenience and offered to appear on the show at later date in person or over the telephone.  

“It would have been a really great opportunity for people to know him better, get to know his positions, and more importantly, what have you done for Manalapan and what do you want to do for Manalapan,” Tommy G said.

Nevertheless, Tommy G ran the show with Green, asking him questions about what changes he would like to make if reelected to the Township Committee, as well as discussed the standing of Manalapan Township as a whole.

This upcoming election is not only a big one because of the Presidential Election, but this is the first time that Manalapan will have Board of Education candidates on the ballot. The municipal government only controls about 18 percent of the tax bill, Green said, and the largest percent of the tax bill goes to the public school systems, which is why the vote for Board of Education is extremely important. 

During the conversation, the question of Ptaswiecizs’ election forms resurfaced as Tommy G asked Green to explain the importance of financial disclosure.

“I don’t know how you call the law a red herring,” Green said, referring to Ptasiewicz’s comment during the debate about his failure to file the financial disclosure forms.

In New Jersey, all candidates must file forms with the state which discloses who is providing money to the campaign, if it is over a certain amount, and the candidate must disclose what the money is being spent on.

“It’s very cut and dry, it’s not optional, it’s not something you can choose to ignore - you have to file these forms,” Green said, referring to the financial disclosure forms which must be filed before the Primary Election in June and the General Election in November.

Patch reached out to Ptasiewicz for comment who said that all required election forms have been submitted to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission by him personally.

Tommy G also asked Green about the car dealership issue in Manalapan Township and the Committeeman went on the record saying that the Township Committee is “not putting car dealerships in Manalapan on 33 and we’re not putting them on Route 9.”

Green said that he does think that the zoning laws do need to be updated in order to better serve the residents and that it will be done in a thoughtful way. He told Tommy that the southern side of Manalapan is underserved and thinks that a supermarket and more restaurants should be zoned into Route 33. 

Other issues discussed on the show were street cleaning, red light cameras, affordable housing, traffic on Route 9, and commuter parking - which has recently seen an increase in 219 spots. For more information on Green’s stances on these issues and more, please visit his website at www.ryandgreen.com.

Tommy G has been running his internet radio show out of his home since January of this year. His $50,000 studio has been a worthwhile investment, according to Tommy, who said that his broadband keeps increasing every month, indicating listener growth.

The Tommy G show is listed as a comedy show on the Tune In app and can be streamed on your smartphone. The show can also be streamed live online from his website on weekdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.