Residents to Mayor Lucas: Manalapan's Image Has Declined

Some residents feel that Manalapan’s overall image and respectability are declining, and they want their elected officials to do something about it.

During a Wednesday Town Hall Meeting regarding the 2011-2012 budget, Mayor Andrew Lucas and Deputy Mayor Ryan Green heard complaints and suggestions from a small group of residents.

The conversation began when resident Andy Pisani asked Lucas about the types of suggestions that residents can provide as the Township Committee enters the budget process.

Lucas said he would like to hear feedback on services provided. He wants to know if residents can either eliminate or renegotiate services that might keep taxes down.

“We're going to do the people's work so just hearing the big items is very important to us,” said Lucas.

Green highlighted the three key issues of infrastructure, public safety, and garbage. “At the end of the day, I feel that government is about allocating limited resources,” said Green. “We have limited resources here, so what is most important?”

“From my perspective I’d like Manalapan to be trash and debris free,” said John Castronovo, who also serves on the Transportation Committee. “We shouldn’t look like a low-level town, that it’s sloppy from that standpoint; so cleanliness is important.”

To keep costs down, Castronovo suggested asking volunteer groups like the Boy Scouts to help clean up the town. He said that Manalapan should be a beautiful place that will attract good businesses and people.

Pisani, also a member of the Transportation Committee, expressed his frustrations with the illegal posting of flyers on telephone poles and private landscapers who blow leaves and clippings into the street rather than bagging them.  

“Those landscapers are the biggest offenders. I know it’s against the law but I never, ever see them get a ticket,” said Pisani, saying that Manalapan Police seem to drive past this behavior. “The illegal signage and the landscapers, the way they’re blowing leaves in the street - absolutely my biggest pet peeve. Gets me crazy,” he added.

Lucas noted that there is a problem in enforcing the ordinance against illegal signage. He said that many people dodge the $100 fine, and the Township doesn’t normally pursue such fines in small claim courts. “It’s just a real messy issue,” said Lucas; however, he feels that the landscaping issue should be enforced.

Lucas suggested that Pisani report future incidents to the township code enforcement and zoning offier, Nancy DeFalco. Former Deputy Mayor Susan Cohen was in attendance and provided DeFalco’s number: (732) 446-8322.

According to the Township website, residents can also contact her through email at ndefalco@twp.manalapan.nj.us or fill out a code enforcement complaint form available for download from the site.

Resident Ed Sharkey said that he can’t speak for other residents, but said he wouldn’t mind paying a little more in taxes if he knew he was receiving quality in return. He said that in the past, Manalapan has been named one of the best places to live, and he wants to return to that standard.

“Why, do you think we’ve declined since then?” asked Green.

“Well, we certainly haven’t been named,” said Sharkey, joking that they’ll have to take it up with the magazines. “But you’ve seen the changes, and it’s one of the reasons why you probably ran for office. You probably want to see this town to still maintain that type of respectability, that type of quality of life,” he said

Sharkey could have been referring to a 2010 report in New Jersey Monthly Magazine which ranked Manalapan 311 among 556 state municipalities. The magazine said that the rankings were based on “population growth, home values, property taxes, land development, employment, crime rate, school performance, and proximity to services."

This ranking starkly contrasts reports in Money Magazine, which in 2003, named Manalapan No. 2 in its "Hottest Towns" on the East Coast. Since that time, Money Magazine named Manalapan as a contender in its "100 Best Places to Live" from 2007-2009. According to their website, however, Manalapan did not get the honorable mention for 2010.

Castronovo hopes that in this year’s budget, the committee can cut administrative and operational costs while maintaining a stable tax base. He believes that’s a formula for success in keeping Manalapan an affordable and attractive place to live.

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