By PAUL BOOTH
Tinton Falls Councilman Michael Skudera announced his intention to run for mayor in the borough’s upcoming May election this week, setting the stage for a possible challenge with incumbent Mayor Peter Maclearie.
Maclearie said he has not made a formal decision on whether he is going to seek re-election at this time.
“I have been so focused on all of the issues facing the borough that I haven’t given much thought to it,” Maclearie said. “But I will pick up [the petition] in good time and return it in good time if I do choose to run.”
Petitions for the mayor and council positions are available at the borough clerk’s office beginning this week.
Skudera joined council in 2005, the same year Maclearie, who had served eight years as a councilman, took office as mayor. They did not run on the same ticket.
Along with the mayoral seat, two positions on council are up for contention this May, and Skudera has already announced his team. Nancyanne Fama and Scott Larkin, both first time office seekers, will join him on the ticket.
Fama, an assistant vice president for the Food Circus grocery chain, serves on a committee focused on the civilization of Earle Naval Base and its affect on the Tinton Falls school system.
Larkin, the son of longtime Ocean Township Mayor Bill Larkin, is an assistant principal of Monmouth Regional High School, where he also serves as director of student activities.
Councilman Paul Ford, who occupies the other council seat in contention this May has said he will not seek re-election and has offered an early endorsement for Skudera.
“I think he’d make a great mayor, and I think he has put together a good team. He works hard and has good ideas,” said Ford, who ran against Skudera four years ago on mayor Maclearie’s ticket.
“Once we got onto council together and started working on things I realized we had a lot of the same ideas,” Ford said. He also gave Skudera high marks for the way he operated as Council President, a position Skudera held for a year. Ford went on to say that he thinks change would be good for the borough, which is one of the reasons he has chosen not to run again.
“I’ve had four great years on the council, but now it’s someone else’s turn,” he said.
Ford has served as a liaison to the school board as well as to the library board in his time on council. Skudera, while happy with his ticket, said he would have gladly run with Ford if he had chosen to seek re-election.
Skudera said the main issues of his campaign will be those most crucial to the borough, namely doing more with fewer tax dollars, concentrating on Fort Monmouth’s impact, stopping over development and promoting green technologies in the borough.
Maclearie said he takes umbrage with some comments Skudera has made publicly concerning his administration.
Skudera has been quoted as saying that Maclearie failed to deliver on campaign promises of lowering taxes, curbing overdevelopment and maintaining open government, statements the mayor says are disingenuous at best.
“I’m no fool,” Maclearie said. “Show me where I said I would reduce taxes. I never claimed that. But we have controlled them better than most towns.”
He said borough residents will have seen close to a zero sum tax increase over the last three years.
“I just don’t appreciate it when someone runs for office and the first two or three things out of their mouth are wrong,“ Maclearie said of Skudera’s remarks.
The town’s nonpartisan election will be held on May 12.
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