Little Silver Council Candidates: Donald Galante

Patch asked each of the four candidates running for a seat on the Little Silver Borough Council to tell voters a little bit about themselves and to answer a series of questions outlining their thoughts on issues facing the borough.

We will run the profiles over the course of this week and begin with Donald Galante, who was appointed to complete the term vacated by Robert C. Neff Jr. when he ran for mayor in 2011, is running unopposed to continue to finish out that term through the end of 2013.

Donald Galante

I have lived in Little Silver for 26 years with my wife Mandy who currently is a teacher at Red Bank Regional High School. We have brought up three children in Little Silver, my oldest son Greg is married to Mrs. Galante (previously Miss Berube) of Markham Place School and they also live in town. My other two children Cassie and Scott work and reside in Manhattan. My in-laws recently moved into town and live on Markham Place.

I was a sitting Councilman on the Little Silver Borough Council from 2000 until 2008 and then re-appointed in 2011. During my tenure I chaired the Finance Committee, the Personnel Committee, the Fire and First Aid Committee and resided on many sub-committees. I have coached soccer for 14 years and sat on the recreation committee at that time. I have volunteered for the Community YMCA by serving on the Board and, in that capacity,  headed the Audit Committee. I am a member of the Little Silver Business and Professional Association.

I am a 32-year veteran of the Financial Industry and currently I am the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Investment Officer for ED&F Man Capital Markets Inc. I am an expert consultant on the Fixed Income Market and advise a Fortune 500 firm. I am a Board Member on the Elon University Business School Advisory Board.

I enjoy time with family, volunteer work, working with my hands, and I am a student of the financial markets. Lastly I am a very enthusiastic Rutgers fan!

1. Why are you running? What do you feel are the top challenges for Little Silver's governing body?

I am running for town council because when I see something, I don’t just say something, I want to do something.  Over the 26 years that I have lived in Little Silver that “do something” has translated into many volunteer opportunities from coaching rec sports to helping with neighborhood projects to serving on town committees. Little Silver has become a special part of me as my wife and I raised our family and it is where we have made so many wonderful friends. I am invested in Little Silver and I truly want to keep it special for my family and friends and neighbors for the next 26 years of my life.

In the time I have lived here, Little Silver has come through some difficult times — wars, tragedy, and tough economic times.  But as a town we have come together to help our neighbors when needed both financially and socially. We come together because Little Silver is rich in social capital and the challenge we face as a Governing Body is to support that structure.  Council members must commit to keeping the basic core characteristics of our town in mind when making the difficult decisions and focus on keeping Little Silver a special and safe place for our families.

2. Town governments are under increasing restraints due to budget caps and growing fixed costs. What would you do to keep budget growth down while keeping services stable or enhanced? 

I would continue the work that the council has begun this past year. In essence this has been to study the finances of the borough, look at what has been successful in other towns, and look for more efficiency in how we run the different departments in our town.

Examples:

• We are doing a complete review of our health care costs which have increased over 260% in the past 10 years. That review is happening now and we believe we will be able to maintain the same high level of care for our employees and cut costs by doing the hard work to research and find similar but less expensive policies.
• We have sought the input of our professionals and used that input to make adjustments in work hours as well as provide the tools which allow them to be more efficient. Recent examples of this approach are the security cameras at the train station and in Borough hall as well as the new benches and tables which replace old and broken ones which needed to be patched every year.  On the drawing table are more efficient grass cutting equipment and better snow removal and recycling equipment. Our goal as council is to find ways to do more with less and as a result we have less fulltime employees now than we have had in recent decades.
• We have inserted capital spending plans in every department so we can plan our expenses and not be overwhelmed in one year. It also keeps our equipment safe and up to standards.

3. The Seven Bridges Road project has been a headache for drivers and required police participation to keep traffic, especially to schools, flowing. How can the governing body work most effectively with other governmental entities to schedule such projects with minimum inconvenience to residents? Is there anything officials could do to relieve increasing traffic congestion through town?

 This is a difficult question as it necessitates a larger view of how our town works with other government agencies.  The council has met regularly with the county over six years to represent the concerns of Little Silver.  We have been diligent in our efforts to ease the impact on Little Silver, but we are also aware that Little Silver is part of a larger county community.  The deteriorating wood bridge in question has been a safety issue for many years and Seven Bridges Road is an important road for the entire peninsula. It is a reality that infrastructure needs to be updated and this project had to be done.  The council has supported the police as they work with input from residents and the traffic and safety committee on optimization of detours and traffic patterns.  The council will continue to hold the county and their professionals accountable as to the pace of the project so that it can be completed at the earliest possible date. As always, communication is the key to resolving problems and we are willing to listen to well thought out ideas either to the Governing Body or through the Police Department.

4. What can the governing body do to fill the proliferation of empty retail/commercial space in town? How crucial are ratables to the overall budgeting process?

As a member of the Little Silver Business and Professionals Association I am constantly trying to gauge the economic activity in town. I work with a local Realtor to monitor commercial properties that are vacant in our area and speak with local business people about the opportunity of establishing themselves in our wonderful community.  The governing body must work to keep our town fresh and desirable so people will want to live here and maintain their businesses here.

The budget reality is that the state provides very little aid to Little Silver which means the town’s primary income source is real estate taxes.  Although our residents pay a tremendous amount of money in state income tax, we receive limited resources back from the state because we are categorized as a wealthy community.  If a property is vacant it still pays taxes although that burden is carried by the landlord. Having said that, smart development does bring in new ratables which potentially may ease every resident’s burden as the town budgets of schools and municipalities are spread over a larger group of ratables.

5. Local governments are under increasing pressure to share services wherever possible. Are there opportunities to cut costs by working with other towns that Little Silver is currently not taking advantage of?

 Little Silver has always had an open mind as to solutions which will maintain the level of service and reduce the cost burden on tax payers. We work with surrounding towns to find efficient ways to combine services. The governing body has always worked hard at outsourcing services in a competitive landscape to get the best pricing. Some of that outsourcing actually is done with other towns and some is done in the private sector because municipal government it not always the best and most efficient solution.  In business I am always looking for more efficient ways to provide services and I do the same as a Councilman, why wouldn’t I? I live in Little Silver, pay taxes in Little Silver, work in Little Silver, am invested in Little Silver and love this town.