Mayor, two council seats up for grabs in Matawan BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer Two sitting members of the local government are battling it out for the mayor's seat, and four more candidates are vying for two seats on the Matawan Borough Council. Mary Aufseeser Democratic Mayor Mary Aufseeser has served in the position since January 2006. An employee with the Matawan branch of Edward Jones Financial, Aufseeser is looking for another chance to sit at the helm of the borough. She faces Republican Councilman Paul Buccellato, 53, a consulting architect in Red Bank. Buccellato has served as a councilman for seven years and says it's time for a change in leadership. Buccellato and Aufseeser recently butted heads over the borough's undocumented worker population. The workers, mostly day laborers, congregate each morning outside the 7- Eleven near the train station. Due to traffic complaints and health code violations, Buccellato called for the borough to organize an effort to provide photo identifications to the undocumented workers. The proposal, which is currently stalled, would be to have the police department conduct criminal background checks on the workers, not immigration status checks, as Buccellato has emphasized. The program would be voluntary and would cost a small fee. Aufseeser took the position that the measure would fail due to a lack of interest; the workers would be too scared to allow a police officer to do a background check, and there was not enough manpower for the project. Paul Buccellato Another point of contention between the two candidates is their view on the redevelopment of the train station area. Buccellato has pushed for a mix of housing and commercial while Aufseeser favors a commercial only approach. "I'd like to form a residents committee regarding the transit village project," Buccellato said, adding he feels more feedback from the public is needed regarding the project. Aufseeser is against housing of any kind, even small apartments, saying they will add children to the school district. Buccellato disagrees with this point, saying studies have proved that the small condos proposed in the transit village plan would attract empty nesters and young singles. Robert Bunyon "If you want to raise children in a closet, you can do it," Aufseeser said. "If you're forced to do something, you'll find a way." If re-elected, Aufseeser hopes to continue her efforts to beautify the town's parks and sidewalks by encouraging cleanup efforts and cooperation with the parks and recreation department. Far too many of the town's parks are still in a neglected state, Aufseeser said recently, and she needs time to get them all in order. "There's something wrong with a town like this that you'd let the parks go," Aufseeser said. The state of the police department is something both candidates agree upon. "We have to stop talking about the building needing to be renovated and do it," Buccellato said. "It has to be a phased renovation to reduce the burden on the taxpayer." "The police station is a disgrace," Aufseeser said. "If we can't keep our police safe and healthy, how do we expect them to take care of us?" Buccellato has also made the fire department's needs a top priority, noting the borough is in desperate need of new equipment. He said the company has to call surrounding towns to borrow a ladder truck whenever one is needed. In cases of emergency, this results in up to 20-25 minutes of lag time. Kevin Mendes "They need a ladder truck," Buccellato said. "We can't keep talking about these things." Borough Council Also up for grabs are two seats on the council. Running are Democrats Robert Bunyon, 43, and Kevin Mendes, 50, along with Republicans Councilwoman Debra Buragina, 50, and Linda Clifton, 48. Buragina is the council's longest-serving member. Elected in 1999, she is vice president of sales for a marketing company in Colts Neck. "I only have one agenda - the redevelopment," Buragina said. "The appeals process is really not what's been dragging is out. It's a lack of the council working together that's held everything up. Buragina feels that a mix of residential and commercial are "the only things that can work down there." Debra Buragina Clifton is concerned about a downtown revitalization study that went missing for several months. The report, commissioned by the borough with state grant funds, recently resurfaced. "That report is a gem," Clifton said. "It's basically an outline, a plan for us to follow." Clifton feels the downtown revitalization report works in harmony with the proposed transit village project. "If we follow it and really implement it, we can really move forward," Clifton said. Mendes boasts deep roots in Matawan, with family in the area for several generations. A two-year member of the Unified Planning Board, he works in town at Key Auto Body, which is owned by his family. Mendes was out of the country on vacation and could not be reached for this article. However, according to his running mates, Mendes is committed to property maintenance and building up the downtown business area. As a local business owner himself, he understands the hardships facing the local business community, they said. Bunyon has also served on the Unified Planning Board for two years. The soon-tobe wed resident is employed by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. He has lived in the borough 20 years and plans to raise a family in town. Linda Clifton Bunyon said he chose to run for office to help bring the downtown back to life. "Now that I'm getting married and having a family, I want to stay in Matawan," Bunyon said. "I would like to see my taxes slow down a bit. I want to be able to afford to live here."