By Matthew Sockol
Staff Writer
MILLSTONE – Two men are vying for one three-year term on the Township Committee in Millstone Township in the Nov. 8 election.
Democrat Ray Dothard is seeking the seat that is held by Republican Bob Kinsey, who is running for re-election.
Dothard did not file a nominating petition in April to seek the committee seat, but he received write-in votes in the June primary and accepted the nomination, according to the Monmouth County clerk’s office.
“This is my third year running for Township Committee,” Dothard said. “If elected, I will bring a much needed different voice to the committee.”
Dothard has been a resident of Millstone for more than 25 years. He has held many aviation positions, including FAA safety inspector, chief pilot of the U.S. Airways shuttle, U.S. Airways captain, director of operations for the New Jersey Air National Guard and squadron commander of the 119th Interceptor Squadron. He is a Vietnam War veteran.
“When I moved (to Millstone), it was a growing town,” Dothard said. “Now it has become stagnant. Once a town becomes stagnant, it is on its way to decline. This is evident in the local housing market and the decreasing school population. The more the township’s population trends down, it will be unable to support commercial development and businesses.”
To address issues facing the township, Dothard spoke in favor of officials changing the township’s zoning regulations and increasing the amount of services.
“The 10-acre zoning should be reduced,” he said. “This will make it possible to develop more middle to upper income homes in Millstone. This will increase the tax base and add some vitality to the township and reduce the drop-off in school enrollment.
“Only a stabilized or increasing population will save our schools. If we become totally a sending township (to another school district), this will have a negative effect on property value.
“There is a need for an increase in municipal and regional sharing of services. Our power grid is still too exposed. We are losing services we found very valuable, such as brush pick-up.
“These are some of the problems I have observed happening over the last 10 years. If elected, I will do all I can to address these issues,” Dothard said.
Kinsey has been a member of the governing body for 12 years. He has served as mayor since 2014. He served as deputy mayor from 2006-10.
Under Millstone’s form of government, voters do not directly elect a mayor. Each January, the members of the Township Committee select a member of the governing body to serve as mayor for the year.
“I am honored to have had the broad support of residents throughout my 12 years of service on the Township Committee and privileged to have been selected by my peers on the committee to lead the community as mayor,” Kinsey said.
“The financial issues facing our country, state and municipality will require tough decisions as we move forward and I would like to be able to continue to be a positive influence in crafting workable solutions which benefit our residents while enhancing our quality of life in Millstone Township.”
Kinsey has been a resident of Millstone since 1994. He is a certified public accountant and the founder and CEO of a real estate consulting and advisory firm.
“My background in the financial services industry and experience running complex organizations has provided me with a unique set of skills which allow me to quickly identify the issues, evaluate the alternatives and craft workable solutions,” Kinsey said.
“I have consistently demonstrated my ability to lead and make the hard choices. My candor and ability to do the right thing, as opposed to the popular thing, for all residents has earned me their respect and unwavering support over the years, even though we may not always see eye to eye on the issues.”
Kinsey said he considers one of the most important issues Millstone will face over the next three years to be finances.
“Finances, without a doubt, will continue to take up a majority of my time as we move forward,” he said. “Operating issues and capital budget issues are ever-changing and nonstop throughout the year.
“We need to constantly be positioned and prepared to take advantage of opportunities, as well as to defend the township from ever-changing government regulations, like affordable housing, at a moment’s notice, and assemble our team of professionals to develop workable solutions to those regulations to protect the residents and their quality of life here in Millstone.
“Safety is also high on the list of priorities and we will continue to work with our partners to raise awareness and punish offenders who threaten our quality of life,” Kinsey said.
Republicans hold all five Township Committee seats.
