Election 2023: Jacqueline Sturdivant, 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. The responses here were received April 21 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 their vision for the borough.

Today, candidate Jacqueline Sturdivant of the Red Bank Together team is featured.

Sturdivant is currently a member of the Borough Council, and is chairperson of the Education and IT committees.

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

• Name: Jacqueline Sturdivant
• Address: Red Bank, NJ
• Position sought: Borough Council
• Are you an incumbent or have you been involved in other positions in borough or schools government?: Yes. Member of Borough Council for 16 months.
• Campaign website: redbanktogether.org
• Background: I am Councilmember Jacqueline Sturdivant and chair of the Education and IT committee. I was originally attracted to Red Bank by its diversity and inclusion in the neighborhoods and decided to make this my home. I am a homeowner for over 20 years and love everything about our town: our diversity, our families, our downtown, theaters, parks and riverfront. Red Bank thrives on diversity in race, culture, ethnicity, socio-economic status - and the residents work together. This is Red Bank’s appeal.
• I am a corporate strategy, product management, and leadership development executive with experience in education and EdTech in higher education and K-12, digital publishing, and telecommunications industries. I have worked in four continents and lived in two.
• I am a Wharton MBA of the University of Pennsylvania. I also have an MS in Systems Engineering from the University of Virginia, and BA degree in Mathematics and History from Boston College.
• I get things done -in multiple business models, for profit, not-for-profit and government.

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?

In 2021, I was elected to a three-year term on my 10-point plan. During my 16 months on council, I have:

• Successfully launched hybrid events for all borough meetings, ensuring the largest resident participation in person and live online streaming.
• Assisted in securing full funding for the repair of the Senior Center.
• Supported careful budgeting and flat tax initiatives.
• Led the charge to disband the Redevelopment Agency saving taxpayers hundreds of thousand of dollars.
• Honored existing civility rules to ensure all residents and business owners are treated with courtesy and respect.

When re-elected, I will complete my 10-point pledge including plans to:

• Update public works facilities.
• Increase affordable housing.
• Preserve open spaces.
• Refurbish Marine Park.

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?

This is a quality-of-life issue for Red Bank residents and neighborhoods. As a councilmember, we want to protect our residential neighborhoods from commercial encroachment. Collaboration and compromise led to the current ordinance, which I support.

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?

All of the councilmembers have received countless emails and held may conversations with residents who do not want cannabis retail in our town. In 2021 the majority of the council rushed through a decision without any due diligence and with no plans and rules for implementation.

At this point, now is the time to implement sensible rules around these establishments in our town. The process is to carefully consider how to effectively manage the rollout of a new type of retailer in our town and manage it correctly. We also must address the safety of our schools, places of worship and neighborhoods.

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.