Election 2023: Billy Portman, Candidate For Mayor Of Red Bank

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.

Billy Portman of the Red Bank's Ready team and Tim Hogan of the Red Bank Together team are the two candidates for mayor.

Leading up to the election, profiles of all candidates who responded to a Patch questionnaire have been published, ending with this profile. The responses were received by April 16 and reflect issues as of that date.

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 about their vision for the borough.

Today, mayoral candidate Billy Portman of the Red Bank's Ready team is featured.

Portman is the current mayor of Red Bank, elected unopposed in November after defeating Councilman Michael Ballard in a hard-fought primary election. It was his first election. He has been a consistent supporter of a nonpartisan form of government. Portman is also a musician.

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

• Name: Billy Portman
• Address: 90 John St., Red Bank
• Position sought: Mayor
• Are you an incumbent or have you been involved in other positions in borough or schools government? I am the incumbent.
• Campaign website: www.redbanksready.com
• Background: I am a general contractor. I graduated from The George Washington University with a BA in Literature. On the weekends I play in a local cover band. I have lived in Red Bank since 2015. I grew up in nearby Ocean Township. I have been married for 30 years and I have three kids, ages 16, 23, and 27.

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?

Before running for mayor last year, I had never run for public office. As a resident, I was watching the dysfunction unfold like everybody else. I decided I would try to make a difference, so I jumped into the race.

Apparently the voters of Red Bank were also sick of the way things were going, and I pulled off a surprise upset in the primary, beating Michael Ballard in a landslide. I ran unopposed in the general election, and in both elections I ran as a big supporter of nonpartisan elections and switching our form of government. Both of these referendum questions were overwhelmingly supported by Red Bank voters.

That's why this May 9 election is so important. It will give us a chance to correct so many ongoing problems in our government. We can reject the business as usual politics of the current majority, and really get things done. Marine Park, the DPW, complete streets, there are so many issues we can tackle just by having a council of selfless individuals who are willing to work as a team.

2. The short-term rental ordinance recently adopted by the Borough 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?

My solution was simple: Short-term rentals should be allowed anywhere in the borough as long as the property is owner occupied. We heard from seniors and single moms who rent out a room in their homes to help make ends meet. Without this income, they may not be able to stay in their homes. I've heard the other slate speak about affordable places to live in Red Bank, and yet this ordinance that they passed is doing the opposite for some of our residents. I am not in favor of investor-owned, short-term rentals.

But my bigger concern is this: There are maybe a dozen short-term rentals in Red Bank. We wasted an incredible amount of time discussing this issue. If the current majority was serious about tackling housing issues, they would have focused on all of the investor-owned, long-term rentals, particularly on the West Side. We have numerous landlords who have allowed properties to fall into disrepair, and yet we have focused all of our energy on a topic designed to be a wedge issue. It must be campaign season.

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

They do neither. We have had an ordinance on the books for over a year that was completely rewritten at the 11th hour. These last minute changes have sowed confusion and fear. This current ordinance seems to want to push cannabis just to the West Side, or push it to the edges of town, so that people looking to purchase cannabis won't come into town, and god forbid, go to a restaurant, or shop in a clothing store.

With any other business, the goal is to bring people to town, have them spend their money here, help us to remain a vibrant place. Cannabis is being treated differently.

I understand some of the concerns people have. But the decision to have cannabis in Red Bank was supported by 70 percent of voters. It should be the job of the governing body to make this process go as smoothly as possible. But as we have seen time and time again, that's just not how this majority operates.

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 have been 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.