Red Bank Mayoral Candidate Hogan Seeks More Debate With Portman

RED BANK, NJ — Mayoral candidate Tim Hogan again called on Mayor Billy Portman to meet him for a debate that would focus solely on the candidates for the top elected post in the borough.

“I think these one-on-one encounters with voters are very illuminating,” Hogan said in a news release Monday.

“And I think, just like I owe it to voters to talk with them and really listen to what they want out of their government, both Billy and I owe it to these same voters to dive in and explain who we are and we how we want to move forward as a community,” he said.

But Portman has referred to the call for the debate as a "manufactured issue." He said he thought the matter was resolved by their appearance at a recent candidate forum where time at the end of the forum was devoted to the two mayoral candidates.

Hogan, Portman and 13 Borough Council candidates are running for election May 9 in Red Bank's first election since voters approved a change to a nonpartisan Council/Manager form in November.

So far, there has been a virtual League of Women Voters forum earlier in April and a "faceoff" sponsored by Red Bank Green digital news site on April 18.

Hogan and Portman agreed to a "carve out" at the end of the last forum, Portman said, where they each spoke for a period of time, expected to be 15 to 20 minutes at the end. The event also featured the 13 council candidates.

But Hogan's team feels more debate is needed.

“I want to have that conversation,” Hogan said. “I’m ready to meet him whenever he agrees, and I hope he will.”

Portman responded to Patch Monday saying that he feels the issue was resolved by Hogan's agreeing to have a dialog with Portman at the Red Bank Green event.

That format allowed for 90 seconds for an opening statement, a one-minute closing statement, and answers of 60 seconds per question. You can see the full forum event here.

The League of Women Voters virtual forum can be found by clicking here.

While there are many issues under debate among the candidates, such as cannabis business regulation, short-term rentals, traffic and development, the mayor's race often focuses on the issue of Hogan's role as president of Riverview Medical Center, part of the Hackensack Meridian System.

Portman said at the last debate that Hogan's position poses a "huge conflict of interest." Hogan has said the hospital has no plans to expand its footprint in Red Bank and he would recuse himself from any vote where there could be a potential conflict.