Election 2023: Tim Hogan, 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.

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

Leading up to the election, profiles of all candidates who responded to a Patch questionnaire are being published. 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 Tim Hogan of the Red Bank Together team is featured.

Hogan, president of Riverview Medical Center, has been active in various community programs and is making his first bid for elected office. For example, he has chaired boards at both the Community YMCA and the Monmouth Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

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

• Name: Tim Hogan
• Address: Hudson Avenue, Red Bank
• Position sought: Red Bank Mayor
• Are you an incumbent or have you been involved in other positions in borough or schools government? No. I have volunteered in many capacities, including serving as a past chair of the KaBoom fireworks committee and have chaired boards at both the Community YMCA and the Monmouth Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
• Campaign website: www.RedBankTogether.org
• Background: My wife Eileen and I have lived in Red Bank for 22 years, raising our four daughters here - and we have three grandchildren and another grandchild expected in September. I am president, Riverview Medical Center, Red Bank, and New Jersey Executive Vice President of Care Transformation Services, Hackensack Meridian Health. I have a Bachelor of Science, Psychology, from St. Bonaventure University, Olean, NY, and a Master of HealthCare Administration, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO.

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've had the good fortune of living in Red Bank for 22 years. My wife Eileen and I have raised our four daughters here. We've made many friends. Over the years, I’ve been very heavily involved in the community in many aspects and I’ve watched the town grow.

In looking at Red Bank affairs and observing what's going on, I’ve been largely troubled by the political dissension and negativity that I've seen increase over the years and I think that has prevented us from working as effectively as we can to move Red Bank forward.

I want to see Red Bank continue to be vibrant and successful in the future and I think there are critical issues that are coming up in this town that are going to need to be addressed and resolved.

In order to do that, we are going to have to turn to people who have track records of proven leadership and the skill sets needed to bring people together and effectively problem solve and reach agreement in order to protect and preserve the best interests of Red Bank and its residents.

So, that was one of the more compelling reasons why I decided that now was the right time for me to get more active on this front and to stop observing from the sidelines.

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 ordinance? If you are an incumbent, why did you vote for or against it?

First and foremost, I am supportive of protecting our residential neighborhoods from further commercial encroachment. As they say, “It’s always a good idea until it's happening next to you.” During this campaign, I’ve knocked on a lot of doors and the overwhelming majority of our residents do not want short-term rentals (STR) in their residential neighborhoods.

Additionally, the biggest obstacle to “grandfathering” existing STR businesses in residential neighborhoods is consistent code enforcement, which, quite frankly, we do not have. If you don’t have effective code enforcement, the STR issue will get out of control very quickly.

Based on that, I feel that the plan that has been incepted has taken into account most, if not all, of the issues that need to be addressed, and STR should move ahead as expressed in the approved ordinance.

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 of both the public and the businesses seeking approval?

First of all, I find it regrettable that Red Bank is allowing cannabis retail when the majority of local municipalities have rejected bringing cannabis into their town. Again, I can tell you from knocking on a lot of doors during this campaign, the residents are very upset and do not support any kind of cannabis presence in the residential zones or near their schools, parks and churches.

When the original ordinance was passed in 2021, the genie was effectively let out of the bottle. I don’t think that issues such as the potential number of stores that could be set up or establishing limits on where these stores could be placed was well thought out or considered, and that’s resulted in the dilemma we are now facing and the discussion currently underway.

I do know this. More dissent is non-productive. Red Bank has opted to be in the cannabis business, but we must work to find reasonable middle ground and identify ways to protect and satisfy our resident’s interests while honoring previous cannabis business commitments.

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.