Marlboro Council Candidates: Bob Knight

Candidate: Bob Knight, Republican

Reader question #1: What are your motivations for running for elected office?

I believe that if one believes that a change is needed one can complain and not do anything about it. I want to do something about it and I was fortunate enough to find likeminded people like my running mates that also want do lead and drive change for a better Marlboro. My other motivation is my responsibility to make this community better not just for its current citizens but also preserve it for my children and grandchildren, so that Marlboro can remain the same great place where I was fortunate enough to raise my family.

I recall an old African proverb that speaks of one responsibility for our planet and I am going to paraphrase it for this occasion "This place does not belong to you or me we are just temporary care takers of this place as it belongs our children."

Reader question #2: What are your new ideas for Marlboro Township?

My ideas as part of Marshall, Knight, & LaRosa for Marlboro are not new or revolutionary they are only an execution of failed and empty promises from the current administration. We need to look at maintaining a good quality of life and value to our community, while reducing the affordability of living factor in Marlboro. For example currently all of the township employees receive township paid medical and retirement benefits I would like to see these employees move to a municipal paid medical system and into an AHCA health care exchange. Have them buy their own insurance and the township would provide a voucher towards the purchase of this insurance.

As far as the pension is concerned I would advocate moving all municipal employees from a defined benefit to defined contribution plans (401K). This approach works well in a private sector and I don’t see any reason why municipal government can’t operate as efficiently.

Reader question #3: What kinds of people are you looking for to be appointed to local boards and committees?

I would only put responsible and mature people that share the same vision of Marlboro that the residents do. I would not put anyone with prior arrest records, or anyone who has demonstrated any unethical behavior, such as bashing citizens publicly, or even anything with the appearance of unethical activity on the boards! We need to find people who will not just rubber stamp everything, but will challenge the status quo, and work towards a better Marlboro. There needs to be better accountability on these boards, if you act inappropriately you will be removed immediately!!

Reader question #4: What do you think is the most efficient means of communication between the council and the residents?

Today most people communicate via social media, therefore I think it is important that all of township meeting get recorded in a cost efficient manner, on a volunteer basis if possible; INCLUDING THE CITIZENS VOICE PORTION! Citizens should be allowed to email their questions concerns ahead of council meeting and be read out loud and have council respond during citizen’s voice.

Therefore citizen’s voice would be split into two sections, the live section and social media section. I think that when major issues will be discussed, such as major bonding issues, that the meeting should be advertised via free media, as we know most residents don’t read the agenda on the township website. This way, in times when it is difficult for residents to attend meetings, they can make it a priority to attend the ones that affect them the most.

#5. What are some of your ideas to make the best of a bad situation, such as the Northpointe Development, which the township is legally bound to build. What ideas would you have to improve that area and cushion the blow?  

First, I think we need to consider if eminent domain can be applied in this case and have the township purchase the property from the developer using open space funds and if not enough floating a bond issue to pay for it. Alternatively I would like to pass an ordinance that would cover any new developments over 5 residential units that would levy an “infrastructure, congestion and services improvement surcharge” on these mega developments to offset reduction in the quality of life caused by additional congestion that could be used to offset current taxes or used to enhance our park systems.

It would also be used to offset the costs of providing additional sewer and water services, additional burden on the educational system, and other new or forecasted upgrades to the township infrastructure that would be required as a result of these developments.

#6. Marlboro is seeing big business come back to the township, what are some of your ideas to make Marlboro Township business friendly to everyone from the local mom and pop shops to big box stores?

If we really want to attract business to our community we will need to offer tax credits, low interest loans, maybe develop some sort of partnership with the SBA and launch pilot support programs for township businesses. Get JCPL, Cablevision, Verizon, to offer start-up discounts and discount programs for professional services e.g. accounting, pro-bono/discounted legal advice, etc. Other things that can be potentially extended to the businesses are their ability join “shared services” with the township.

For instance allow them to purchase cleaning and sundry supplies through the township, office supply, IT and computer hardware, etc. Those are the real support factors and not some gimmicky shop here program. Again I don’t know if the law or our corporate charter allows these things but I think it is worth exploring.

I also feel that we need to look at the types of “Commercial Ratables” that we are currently getting; do we really need more shopping in town?? Maybe open a small office park and try and attract major firms like PWC, D&T, etc, that is what Parsippany has, and they are still rated in the top 100 best places to live, not like us falling from that status in 2008! Having Financial Services firms in town would allow residents with financial careers to work in town and live in town, and not have to spend almost 2 hours each way commuting to and from New York City!

#7. The Marlboro Motor Lodge has become a scene for crime and drug related activities, what are your ideas to clean that area up? How can the township get involved?

Marlboro needs to use its accumulated affordable housing trust fund purchased this property from the owners and used it to fulfill its affordable housing obligations.

#8. Pick something you'd like to improve in the township and tell us how you would.

No more sweetheart deals to builders. The PILOT program (Payment In Lieu Of Taxes) is nothing but a scam to benefit the builder of The Camelot Development, and Marlboro bares all the risk! Under this program we get a portion of the rental income instead of the usual property taxes. What happens if the rents aren’t what we thought they would be, or what happens if space is not rented? Under the current pilot program the current administration boasts about getting in $400,000 where as if it were regular property taxes charged the town would only get $95,000. These were numbers read off at the current Greenbrier Council Meeting.

What they fail to mention is that out of the $400,000 charged to the builder zero dollars would go towards the schools to pay for all the new students coming to our schools, and that the town would get to decide how much of the $400,000 would be allocated towards the schools! This puts too much power in the hands of only the few at the top of our town, and it’s not the way it should be!
 
We took actual tax numbers from similar rentals located on Route 9 as a comparison. They had 90 units which collected taxes of $245,328. Camelot will have 2.8 times more units, so if you do the math that would result in taxes roughly of $686,918. So if you take the current administration’s numbers of $95,000 going to the town that would leave $591,918 going to the schools instead of $0 under PILOT!! It’s one thing to say you care about our schools, teachers, and students, and another to prove it!! This is another example of the "shell game" this administration is playing with our money, and the lack of transparency in government that currently exists with this administration!

#9. What areas of the township budget would you like to improve, and how?

The township budget is quite extensive, yet as with any budget, it should be used as a tool to measure and monitor financial performance. As elected town council members, we would vote to adopt a budget that would not require borrowing or raising property taxes.

We would make the difficult choices to cut expenses where necessary in order to maximize the taxes already paid by our hard working residents. We would not vote to approve any one time revenue schemes to plug the budget, taking over The Water Authority which resulted in recent increases in water rates. We would rely on the advice of expert studies that resulted in advising against this transaction despite the fact that it would provide a respite from an immediate tax increase during an election as was the case. In the words, the millions of surplus dollars from the takeover of the water authority allowed the administration to plug the budget so they would not need to raise taxes with the promise that our water rates would not increase. This was not the desired result. Additionally, the workers became unionized thereby adding to the financial burden of our taxpayers to pay for medical and retirement benefits that was not part of a compensation package prior to the takeover of the water authority.

#10. How does your experience in your life translate to public service?

My professional background includes over two decades in the Financial Services Industry, managing high profile groups, preparing budgets in prospering as well as challenging financial times, conducting major regulatory risk audits, and working in Risk Management for many top financial banks and investment firms on Wall Street. I have also spent 4 years on the Marlboro Township Zoning Board, where I helped introduce ordinances that protected residents and improved various zoning conditions in town.

My skill sets will add the financial expertise currently lacking on the Town Council by helping to reduce current expenditures and taking deep dives into the grey areas of the budget to find alternative solutions and cost savings for Marlboro. Making the tough decisions to reduce unnecessary expenditures is the first step to stabilizing property taxes and restoring a true cash surplus that Marlboro once had. We need to prepare financially for the huge influx of children resulting from all the building in town. We will likely need more teachers and possibly a new school or additions onto existing schools, and with millions of dollars in legal and engineering fees being spent, and borrowing millions of dollars for unsubstantiated reasons, this will be impossibility! We can no longer continue to borrow and live “on plastic” if we want Marlboro to be a place where our children can raise their families and we can retire in! I will not vote for one time revenue schemes that do not offer our residents greater value of services at a reduced cost, such as when the township took control over the Water Authority!



Candidate articles will be published throughout the week of Oct. 21, and will be linked below as they become available.

Council Candidate: Carol Mazzola
Council Candidate: Craig Marshall
Council Candidate: Jeff Cantor
Council Candidate: Marielaina LaRosa
Council Candidate: Scott Metzger
Council Candidate: Bob Knight