GOP incumbents point to experience, record

GOP incumbents point
to experience, record
By elaine van develde
Staff Writer

Patrick Parkinson

MIDDLETOWN — Experience to the Republican Township Committee incumbents Mayor Patrick Parkinson and Committeeman Raymond O’Grady is golden. So are quality of life and fiscal responsibility.

They say they are proud of their good record and want to keep it going.

The two call themselves a good team, filled with experience that Middletown thrives on. The running mates said they complement one another in vision and strengths. And while opinions may differ on how to attain the goals they share, team spirit remains.

Parkinson is seeking his sixth three-year term on the committee.

Raymond O’Grady

Middletown Township Sewerage Authority’s executive director, the 54-year-old resides at 15 Ravine Drive. Parkinson said after investing 15 years on the dais, he’s not tired but more energized about his political career than ever.

"I’m really proud of our record," Parkinson said. "I think it speaks for itself and warrants more time on the Township Committee for both Ray (O’Grady) and me. Municipal taxes have remained stable for two years in a row. I can’t think of any municipality in Monmouth County that has done so. Also, our record for open space acquisition is aggressive. We’ve acquired well over 100 acres of land just this year and 150 in all. The people I’ve served with for more than a decade are dedicated, and I intend to stay with them next term to see things to fruition that have been set in motion."

Keeping what he calls good company, he is sticking with longtime incumbent and running mate Raymond O’Grady.

O’Grady, 53, lives at 783 Park Ave. in the Belford section of the township.

Calling Middletown home for 27 years, he is director of the Division of Central Motor Pool at the Monmouth County Department of Public Works and Engineering. He is seeking election to a fifth three-year term.

O’Grady has an associate of arts degree in management and an associate of science degree in computer science from Brookdale Community College, Lincroft.

For both, quality of life is a key issue. O’Grady agrees with Parkinson that the committee’s record on aggressive acquisition of open space has been integral to advancing that issue.

In addition to acquisition of space, Parkinson credits the present governing body with boosting recreation initiatives.

"Kids need nice, safe places to play," Parkinson said. "We have beautiful parks and fields. Soon we’ll open a skate park. We recognize the needs and respond. It’s all a quality-of-life issue that goes from generation to generation. What we’re doing in the way of passive and active recreation will endure and benefit residents for many years to come."

Parkinson is proud the committee put an open space tax question on the ballot this year that would add 1 cent to the existing 1 cent per $100 of assessed property valuation open space tax. The first question passed in 1998.

Effective revamping of the township’s master plan, Parkinson added, will also have a major impact on quality of life for years to come. He wants to see residents involved as much as possible. The last master plan review was in 1993.

While Parkinson says advancement of open space acquisition and recreation are high on the quality-of-life agenda, O’Grady agrees, but concentrates more on reaching out to youth.

"I am very dedicated to the youth in this township," said O’Grady. "They are our future. The upgrading of recreation fields and parks are things that make young people happy and everyone in Middletown can see."

He pointed out that while open space is important, the people benefiting from it is even more important.

"The parks are tangible things," O’Grady said. "The spirit of the people enjoying them is most important. Not letting these kids have idle time enhances their quality of life as well as those around them and future generations. Giving to the youth is enhancing the township’s future by creating motivated, good citizens."

In keeping with premium quality of life, both Parkinson and O’Grady think citizen outreach is critical, though they concentrate on different approaches.

As mayor, Parkinson prides himself in having hosted 15 neighborhood meetings this year. At those meetings problems common to different, more intimate neighborhoods in the large 40-square-mile town are aired most effectively, he said.

"Middletown is so large. It’s very important for each neighborhood to know it has a voice and for us to be there to listen and respond," he said.

O’Grady, too, is supportive of the neighborhood meetings and calls them effective.

However, he believes more in the one-on-one approach.

"I’m involved in so many organizations. I’m always out there and accessible," he said. "I listen very carefully to people in my travels. I get feedback from my involvement, then I try to intervene before issues get unmanageable.

"I find this method very effective. It’s old-fashioned accessibility. I’m always out around and listening and not afraid to take action."

What keeps him out and about consistently is his involvement in Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Monmouth County as its board president; Middletown Helps Its Own, a longtime township food donation organization; VFW Post 2179 as a past commander; and membership in the American Legion, Elks, Knights of Columbus and St. Mary’s Catholic Church. He has helped raise money for the Boy Scouts, American Cancer Society and Red Cross.

"I’ve always felt it’s very important to pay back the community in which you live with kindness," O’Grady said. "It’s how I was raised. Seeing a smile on one kid’s face is enough to make me happy and realize I have a lot to be grateful for and share with others."

Fiscal responsibility is also point of pride for the Republican team.

While both incumbent candidates take pride in the committee’s ability to hold the line on municipal taxes in the past couple of years, each has his own method for saving money.

Parkinson said keeping township operating expenses down is important.

Effective time management and successful municipal governing can save money.

He also said participating in interlocal agreements will create greater savings to the township.

Developing smaller scale initiatives, such as reducing township staffing and seeking corporate sponsors for entertainment with the summer concert series as well as other events, will also bring savings.

"Being creative in keeping costs down for taxpayers is critical," Parkinson said.

O’Grady, on the other hand, said his fiscal expertise lies more in the public works end of spending. He said through his professional background he’s been successful in slashing the township’s public works expenses via better equipment and less manpower.

By bringing new technology into town "we’re working smarter not harder," he said. "We’re keeping costs down while the job is well done. We’ve saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in the past decade. With better technology we can clear more and do more work with less personnel. The workforce is 20 to 30 percent less than it was 10 years ago. We’re doing more with less."