Election 2023: Kate Triggiano, 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.

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 Kate Triggiano of the Red Bank's Ready team is featured.

Triggiano is an incumbent, serving her second Borough Council term. She is also the chairperson of the Red Bank Democratic party. She is on the Red Bank Code Blue Committee, among other positions. She is also an active volunteer firefighter for the Westside Hose Company.

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

• Name: Kate Triggiano
• Address: 22 Leighton Ave., Red Bank
• Position sought: Borough Council
• Are you an incumbent or have you been involved in other positions in borough or schools government?: I am currently serving my second term on the council, after winning a primary and general election in 2021.
• Campaign website: redbanksready.com
• Background: I graduated from The School of Visual Arts with a BFA in photography. My husband and I have owned our home on Leighton Avenue for 10 years and our son, Otto, attends the Red Bank Public Primary School. I am an active volunteer firefighter with Red Bank Fire Department Westside Hose Company, and also serve as chair of my firehouse’s fundraising committee.
• I serve as chairperson of the Red Bank Democratic Party; on the Health and Safety Advisory Council of the NJ State Fire Commission; on the Red Bank Code Blue Committee; and the advisory board of the Indie Street Film Festival.

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 my first term on the council, it became clear that no meaningful progress could be made unless we changed the way in which our borough and government operated (See the Management Enhancement Review.). I am proud that I voted "Yes" to authorizing the charter study, and I am proud to have volunteered for the Yes campaign to change our form of government. This historic reform fixes the foundation on which we will operate.

My top priority is showing our residents that our government can operate and function beautifully. Myself and our slate have spent so much time and effort to get us here, now it’s time to get to the good stuff.

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?

As a sitting councilperson, I was the lone “no” vote against this ordinance. I am against investor-owned short-term rentals. I am for owner-occupied short-term rentals, and the ordinance in effect banned them from the borough. There was clear consensus and support for an ordinance that allowed owner occupied, which helps residents afford to stay in our town.

The majority, led by Councilman (Michael) Ballard, did not listen to this consensus, and claimed their ban was necessary to keep Red Bank affordable. Its effect is quite the opposite. In my four years on council, this was the first time residents showed up in person and said that the council’s actions were going to have a direct adverse effect on their ability to afford to stay in their homes and in Red Bank. My vote was for their voices.

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?

The way both the cannabis and the short term rental ordinances were handled and created are perfect examples of why our new form of government can’t come soon enough. Legislation is being written behind closed doors in sub-committee without any transparency.

Instead of making simple modifications to the existing ordinance as requested by the Planning Board, the current majority rewrote the entire ordinance, spot zoned the borough, and created a mess. I am all in favor of regulation for cannabis, but this isn’t how you go about it.

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 K. 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.