Marlboro Town Council Primary Election 2025: Michael Milman

MARLBORO, NJ — This year’s Republican primary race is packed in Marlboro Township with six candidates competing for three of the party's open spots in the race for Town Council.

Candidate Michael Milman is running for re-election with incumbents Juned Qazi and Antoinette Dinuzzo against challengers Nicholas Stella, Charles Anastasia and Oleg “Alex” Gampel.

In the town’s Democratic primary, David Fisher, Peter Bufano and Aleksandra “Sana” Simanovsky are running for the three spots open for their party’s nomination.

Early voting for the Primary Election will run from June 3 through June 8. Primary Election Day is June 10.

Are you running for the Town Council in Marlboro? Contact Sara Winick at sara.winick@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Marlboro-Colts Neck Patch.

Michael Milman

Age: 39
Town of Residence: Marlboro, NJ
Education: Rutgers
Occupation: Media Specialist

What drove you to seek public office?
Back in 2020, I remember expressing my concern in a Marlboro-based Facebook group. Someone replied that I should run for public office if I wanted change. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but here I am.

In 2021, the team of DiNuzzo, Milman, Qazi defeated three incumbent Democratic council members. This was the first time in 16 years that three Republican council candidates won together in a majority-Democratic town. The people felt it was time for change. We ran on transparency, checks and balances, and improvement beyond mediocrity.

What sets you apart from the other candidates?
Where were the other Republican candidates in 2021 — or even before that? The Marlboro Republican Party had been abandoned when we stepped in. Now that we’ve won, suddenly everyone else wants to come out and play.

We care about Marlboro and govern by putting people above party politics. The Democrats have worked well with us to achieve goals that benefit our residents. It seems the other candidates aren’t aware of what’s happening in town, as they’re running on a platform to improve things we’ve already addressed — such as roadwork and support for our police.

What do you see as the biggest issue Marlboro is facing, and how will you resolve it?
Although we’ve approved a $35 million road improvement project over the next several years, I want to explore the possibility of expanding it further to pave even more roads.

Due to state-imposed COAH (Council on Affordable Housing) requirements, Marlboro has become increasingly crowded, leading to more traffic congestion. Energy costs have also risen sharply, which is unacceptable and is affecting the quality of life for our residents. While these issues are largely out of our control, that doesn’t mean we can’t continue to advocate for a better quality of life on behalf of the town.

For example, as a result of the state’s soft-on-crime policies, we experienced an increase in car thefts. In response — and with Marlboro continuing to grow — we approved the addition of more police officers and plan to gradually increase staffing over the next few years.

What are past accomplishments or experiences that make you qualified for this position?
As incumbents, we’ve accomplished many great things for this town. We upgraded our township communications equipment, including the 911 system, which remains under local control and kept our dispatchers in town.

We passed a $35 million capital road improvement project, which will take place over the next several years. We maintained our AAA bond rating, which is vital for capital improvement projects such as the road work.

We also hired an independent accounting firm to review the town’s finances prior to our election. We added more police officers to serve an expanding Marlboro. We built pickleball courts, a cricket field, and improved our local parks.

There are many accomplishments we’re proud of, but we know there’s still more work to do.

If elected, what do you most hope to achieve in Marlboro?
Historically, our team has prioritized community engagement and responsiveness to residents’ concerns. As mentioned in the previous question, we passed a $35 million capital road improvement project, which will take place over the next several years. We added more police officers to serve an expanding Marlboro and plan to add more in the coming years.

When we ran in 2021, internet quality was a major concern. Once elected, we addressed it by hosting a digital town hall — due to COVID at the time — where representatives from Optimum faced us and the public to hear our concerns. Since then, Optimum has gradually been upgrading its infrastructure in Marlboro to fiber-optic technology, which is a game changer.

If re-elected, we remain committed to focusing on community-centric issues that enhance township services and improve resident satisfaction.

Name one thing about Marlboro that always makes you smile.
There are a couple of things. First, Big Brook Park — I love going for a hike and breathing in the fresh air. I enjoy taking in the natural surroundings. And of course, the restaurants — I think Marlboro offers a great selection of places to relax and unwind in the evening.