Election 2023: Kristina Bonatakis, 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 Kristina Bonatakis of the Red Bank's Ready team is featured.

Bonatakis has served on both the Environmental Commission and the Planning Board, including on the steering committee for the newly adopted Master Plan.

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

• Name: Kristina Bonatakis
• Address: 122 Riverside 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 have served over five years on the Environmental Commission, and over two in the Planning Board, including on the steering committee for our newly adopted Master Plan.
• Campaign website: redbanksready.com
• Background: I’ve lived in Red Bank since 2010, originally from Massachusetts and engaged to be married this year to a Jersey native. I graduated magna cum laude from Rutgers University with a BA in Economics. Today I work as chief of staff for a New Jersey based software company, which means I sit on our executive leadership team and jump in anywhere across our business to address emerging issues and lead strategic projects.

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 seeking office to give back to the Red Bank community, which has given me so much. My experience as an operations professional has given me many opportunities to tackle and solve complex problems involving people, process and strategy. I’ve used those skills for years as a volunteer, and I show up for my town.

My most fundamental value is a respect for the environment, which motivates my sense of urgency around complete streets, transit-oriented development, and investment in green spaces.

I believe this election will usher in an era of revitalization for Red Bank after a period of ineffective leadership and divisiveness. I am eager to collaborate with my Red Bank’s Ready running mates to steward this rebirth, steering our community on the best course for the next generation.

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?

In regard to short term rentals (STRs), the current council majority proved themselves unable to distinguish between an isolated enforcement issue and a crisis warranting restrictions on homeowner rights. They asserted wrongly and publicly that STRs had a significant impact on Red Bank housing prices to justify their actions. Moreover, they chose to forego the moderate path - acceptable to most residents and operators - of limiting STRs to owner-occupied scenarios. The outcome is a loss for owners using STR income to afford their homes, and to the variety of communities who relied on STRs to enrich Red Bank: traveling nurses, performance artists, families reuniting.

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

The current council majority had an opportunity to add clarity to our cannabis policy, and to better communicate the process and its reasoning to businesses and residents alike. Instead they used the opportunity to sow fear among residents, attempt to score political points, and introduce policy that virtually ensures the borough will face litigation.

Not once have they articulated the potential benefit to the town from cannabis tax revenue and the balance we must therefore strike. No, I do not think that the ordinances - or the communication thereof - are to the benefit of residents or prospective businesses.

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.