Election 2023: Erin Fleming, 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. For those who responded later, the dates of those responses will be noted in future stories.

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 Erin Fleming of the Red Bank Together team is featured.

Fleming is an independent producer and director. She has not held a borough office before, but she says she is an involved resident.

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

• Name: Erin Fleming
• Address: 284 River Road, Red Bank
• Position sought: Councilmember
• Are you an incumbent or have you been involved in other positions in borough or schools government?: No.
• Campaign website: redbanktogether.org
• Background: I am the director of Production Services at Monmouth University. We are a full service production company producing documentary and marketing content for the nonprofit community. As an independent producer and director, I have also worked with international NGOs in Africa and Southeast Asia in a volunteer capacity to assist with internal and external communications. I have an MA in Communication, Monmouth University; BA Film and Video Production, Penn State University.

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?

Taxes. Why are they continually rising without much to show for the increase? Yes, home prices are increasing and the effect is an increase in tax but how is the money being utilized? I live on a street that borders Red Bank and Fair Haven. My taxes have caught up to Fair Haven/Little Silver rates and yet, the management of my tax dollars is not consistent with the neighboring towns.

Fair Haven residences have gained new sidewalks, new lighting, newly replaced water lines and paved roads. We have not. Where are our tax dollars being spent? I want to see the hiring of a dedicated business manager and a budget that is managed and utilized for the benefits of the residents burdened with the tax bills. Let’s see our tax revenue be put to good use in the neighborhoods.

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?

Knocking on doors in the neighborhood reveals that residence disapprove of STRs (short-term rentals). Not everyone, but most. One teenager said she sleeps in the basement when the renters across the street are too loud. Another resident said that they like the owners but the problem is that when something happens in the middle of the night there are no repercussions until the next day, by then it’s too late.

It’s never a problem until it is in your own backyard. Limit the rentals to owner-occupied only in resident areas. Yes, there are large profits to be gained by having a short-term rental but at what cost? Do we want to be a town of transient visitors or maintain our community with long term renters and owner occupied homes? The decision is ours.

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

The council’s number one concern should be for its people. The ordinance restricts cannabis retail sale to a distance of 1,000 feet from schools and parks protecting our children. At less than two square miles, we don’t have the capacity to permit unlimited licensing. Yes, 79 percent of residents in New Jersey voted to legalize cannabis. However, 61 percent of New Jersey towns ban adult-use cannabis retail. This pushes the buying public to a town like Red Bank out of simple supply and demand.

As one of the few towns in Monmouth county that will issue licenses, we stand to profit from the sale of product. By limiting the licenses we can manage the outcomes of this new venture and then make future adjustments as the residents see fit. We are just going to do it in a responsible manner, restricting the number in an effort to evaluate and make adjustments when results are available. Profiting and protecting. That is a win/win.

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.