Election 2023: Ben Forest, Candidate For Red Bank Council

RED BANK, NJ — Voters in Red Bank go to the polls May 9 for the first-ever nonpartisan election for Mayor and Borough Council.

The mayor and council positions are all up for election in May as part of the borough's charter change to a nonpartisan Council/Manager form of government, approved by a wide margin of residents in last November's election. The new government will be seated in July.

There are 13 council candidates and two candidates running for mayor. There is a field of two teams, running as Red Bank's Ready and Red Bank Together, and one independent candidate, running under the designation Dedicated to Representing Red Bank.

Voters may vote for up to six candidates for council and up to one candidate for mayor.

Leading up to the election, profiles of all candidates who responded to a Patch questionnaire will be published. Responses were requested to be returned by April 16, and these profiles reflect issues as of that date. Responses received later than that will have the date cited.

Candidates were asked about their background and experience and their positions on two big issues in the borough - cannabis business regulation and short-term rentals, as well as their vision for the borough.

Today, candidate Ben Forest of the Red Bank's Ready team is featured.

Forest is a longtime member of the Red Bank Board of Education, a representative to the RiverCenter business organization and was elected to the Red Bank Charter Study Commission in 2021 that recommended the change to a nonpartisan form of government.

Candidates provided their own answers to the following questions, presented here with editing for style only:

• Name: Ben Forest
• Address: 16 Locust Ave., Red Bank
• Position sought: Red Bank Council
• Are you an incumbent or have you been involved in other positions in borough or schools government?: Currently 19 years on the Red Bank Board of Education, with three terms as Board President; Mayor's Representative on the RiverCenter Board of Trustees; elected to the Red Bank Charter Study Commission in 2021.
• Campaign website: redbanksready.com
• Background: Ben Forest Consulting LLC. Supported Apple computers and related technologies. Previously a reporter for the Atlanticville newspaper in Long Branch. Married to Amy Goldsmith with two children. Monmouth Regional High School.

1. Why are you seeking office or seeking re-election? Is there a particular issue or concern that you want to see improved in Red Bank that sparks your desire to govern?

I am passionate about our town, raised our two children here and plan to live in Red Bank for the rest of my life. I want great neighborhoods. I want our businesses to be successful. We love living in a real town. I take my many years of service seriously. I have learned to be patient, listen well, as well as apply my critical thinking skills to solve problems. I am far more concerned with doing what’s best for the town in the long run as opposed to being popular, having zero interest in the toxic political gamesmanship we have seen in recent years.

To that end, I have a long-term public record of service to the people of Red Bank. I have served on the (nonpartisan) Red Bank Borough Board of Education for 19 years, including three terms as president. I led our process of hiring our current superintendent, as well as working on the Curriculum, Finance and Policy Committee.

In 2021 I was elected to serve on the Red Bank Charter Study Commission, a nine-month investigation/review process that ultimately recommended the new, more accountable “Council/Manager” form of government, nonpartisan elections as well as fewer municipal elections (every two years). Red Bank voters adopted these recommendations by a 2–1 margin in 2022.

My background as a reporter was useful as I covered local government issues for 17 years. I saw firsthand what works and doesn’t. I do want to see our new government system in Red Bank succeed.

I am honored to serve as a Trustee on the Red Bank RiverCenter board as the Mayor’s Representative. I love our town businesses and they add much to our quality of life, as well jobs and tax revenue. I advocate at RiverCenter for the quality of life of our residents and neighborhoods.

Since buying a home here in 1996, I regularly attend and speak up at Borough Council, Zoning and Planning Board meetings. I have advocated for improvements in our town plan, opposed over-development, and not been shy about taking public positions as a resident on issues we have faced.

Lastly, my current job experience as a computer consultant and running a small customer-service business could prove to be helpful if elected to Borough Council.

2. The short-term rental ordinance recently adopted by the Council brought out lots of opinion from the public, pro and con. What is your position on the adopted ordinance? If you are an incumbent, why did you vote for or against it?

I support the regulations of Airbnb's. I am opposed to non-owner-occupied short-term rentals. With that said, I think owner-occupied, short-term rentals should be allowed. I've listened to testimony from the few residents who have owner-occupied Airbnb's and find their arguments to be compelling - and these cases have a positive impact on their lives as well as the town. I would note there are times when families, health aides and other people need to stay in a less expensive venue. I think that's a reasonable compromise. The current ordinance essentially, in my opinion, is a ban.

3. Another issue facing the borough is how cannabis sales or production is regulated. The recently considered ordinances provide more regulation, but do you feel they address concerns both of the public and the businesses seeking approval?

I have commented at the Red Bank Council meetings on the topic. I do support regulated cannabis sales in Red Bank. I support the 1,000-foot distance requirement from schools. I am OK with limiting the number of dispensaries. No public use; I find the odor of smoking unpleasant.

I have not seen the final proposed map that is going to be in the final ordinance; I do have concerns about the early versions, placing most dispensers on the west side of town. I would prefer a more even distribution. I have concerns about changing the rules this late in the process, concerned a business may sue our town.

Other candidates in the May 9 election

Here is the ballot lineup for mayor and council, chosen in a random drawing last month.

Mayor:

• First position, Billy Portman, Red Bank's Ready
• Second position, Tim Hogan, Red Bank Together

Council:

• First position, Red Bank Together
• Second position, Suzanne "Sue" Viscomi (Dedicated to Representing Red Bank)
• Third position, Red Bank's Ready

Click on the links below to read more about the candidates from past stories. Click on individual names that are highlighted to read their candidate profiles, as they are published prior to the election:

Red Bank Together: Leading the team is mayoral candidate Tim Hogan, Riverview Medical Center president, along with incumbent Borough Council candidates Michael Ballard, Jacqueline Sturdivant and John Jackson. Rounding out the team is Sean Murphy, a Red Bank Zoning Board member; Linda Hill, and Erin Fleming.

Suzanne Viscomi: Viscomi, a Red Bank school board member, is running independently, with the designation Dedicated to Representing Red Bank.

Red Bank's Ready: Mayor Billy Portman for mayor leads the team. Running for council seats are current Councilmember Kate Triggiano; Ben Forest of the Red Bank school board; former Charter Study Commission Chairperson Nancy Facey-Blackwood; and David Cassidy, Laura Jannone, and Kristina Bonatakis.