​Red Bank: 'Grassroots' Candidate Viscomi Takes Independent Path

RED BANK, NJ — Suzanne Viscomi, a candidate for Red Bank Borough Council in the May 9 nonpartisan election, said she is proud to be a "grassroots" candidate, not aligned to a slate or group.

Viscomi is currently the only certified independent candidate on the ballot, she said, running under the "Dedicated To Red Bank" identification.

Two other seven-member teams of candidates have announced their candidacies for the offices of mayor and councilmember.

Apart from Viscomi and the two teams, no other candidates have filed to run in the election as of Wednesday, the borough confirmed.

Viscomi is a 20-year resident of the borough, and she said she "is no stranger to the community, serving on the Red Bank Borough Board of Education for over 12 years, as well as the Red Bank Public Library Board and Animal Welfare committee."

She has also made previous bids over the past 15 years to serve on the Borough Council, but has not been elected to the council.

She said that, as treasurer for the library and finance chair for the school board, she has played a "key role in budget planning by ensuring fiscal responsibility for the borough’s largest budget."

Her understanding of public sector budgeting and planning is enriched by her 25-plus-year career as an accountant and CFO, she said.

“There are hard decisions to be made between needs and wants; this is a pivotal time in Red Bank to elect a council that will represent the entire town and work together. My experiences will be helpful by understanding what happened in the past to help navigate a positive future together,” Viscomi said.

She said she has proven her "dedication to transparency" for the residents of Red Bank by introducing video recordings to borough meetings. For over a decade she has recorded live and shared hundreds of council, zoning board, planning board, and other community event meetings, she noted.

And she said she would be a "watchdog" for residents if she is elected to the Borough Council.

As a watchdog, Viscomi said she "will champion planning that includes enforcement, timelines, and sensible budgeting."

"Please join my grassroots effort, a community-focused campaign to encourage all residents be heard," she urged.

To learn more about Suzanne Viscomi, see YouTube: S Viscomi and Facebook: Suzanne Viscomi. To contact her, email VoteViscomi@gmail.com.

The slates of candidates that have so far filed petitions in the May 9 election include:

• Red Bank Together, led by mayoral candidate Timothy Hogan, along with Borough Council candidates Michael Ballard; Jacqueline Sturdivant; and John Jackson, joined by Sean Murphy, Linda Hill and Erin Fleming.
• Red Bank's Ready team, led by Mayor Billy Portman for mayor, with council candidates Councilmember Kate Triggiano; Ben Forest of the Red Bank school board; former Charter Study Commission Chairperson Nancy Blackwood; and David Cassidy, Laura Jannone and Kristina Bonatakis.