Election 2023: John Jackson, 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. For those who did not yet respond, the dates of those responses will be noted in future stories.

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 John Jackson, currently serving on the Borough Council and a member of the Red Bank Together team, is featured:

• Name: John Jackson
• Address: 133 E. Bergen Place, Red Bank
• Position sought: Councilmember
• Are you an incumbent or have you been involved in other positions in borough or school government?: Incumbent. Have also served on Red Bank Municipal Committee.
• Campaign website: redbanktogether.org
• Background: I am a writer and creative director for a pharmaceutical marketing and advertising company. I have been an independent contractor since 2021. I have a master’s degree in Communications from William Paterson University and also a bachelor’s degree in Communications from Seton Hall University. I have a daughter I raised as a single parent. She is graduating college next month (proud dad moment!).

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

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 was elected to office last November, but due to the change in government my term length was reduced.

I ran because I wished to be a leader and decision maker in our community, especially since our town is at a crossroads in terms of leadership and its decisions for our future.

The issue that I see that is the greatest concern is that some leaders are making decisions that push for growth, but in ways that substantially compromise the way of life that Red Bank has come to know and love.

We need a balance. I will support growth and the economic health of our town, while preserving residents’ quality of life.

2. The short-term rental ordinance 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?

I voted for it - and proudly. AirBNBs are a commercial endeavor and therefore should be situated in commercial zones. The other consideration for why now was not the time for AirBNBs in residential neighborhoods is that Red Bank has a significant issue with enforcement.

Until we have the staff and commitment in place to enforce not only STR laws, but traffic, trash, etc., we need to legislate appropriately.

3. Another issue facing the borough is how cannabis businesses are regulated. The recently adopted ordinance requires more regulation, but do you feel it addresses concerns both
of the public and the businesses seeking approval?

I also voted for this, and again proudly. I feel it affords multiple businesses the opportunity to operate in Red Bank. More importantly, it answers the clear resident demand that we don’t want unrestricted cannabis use or sales in our town.

Cannabis is legal, is a useful product for many, and was approved in Red Bank with the 2021 ordinance. That ordinance, however, was far too permissive. We needed regulation, especially for this first-of-its-kind business in our community. As I have stated at council, we will monitor and assess whether the just-passed ordinance meets the needs of our community and Red Bank residents, and revisit if necessary.

Other candidates for the 2023 election

Here is the ballot lineup for mayor and council, chosen in 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:

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.