By Mark Rosman
Staff Writer
JACKSON – Voters will elect three members of the Jackson Township Council when they go to the polls on Election Day, Nov. 8.
Incumbent council members Ken Bressi, Barry Calogero and Rob Nixon were the only residents to file nominating petitions to seek the three available four-year terms on the governing body.
Jackson has a nonpartisan municipal government and candidates do not run under the banner of a political party. However, a political party may endorse a candidate or candidates for office.
Asked to comment on his service to the community, Calogero said, “During my first four years as a councilman, I along with my colleagues have been steadfast in protecting quality of life concerns of Jackson residents. We have introduced many ordinances that protect and preserve the landscape we all call home.
“Our financial discipline and diligence have resulted in a positive increase in our bond rating. We have hired more police and ensured our public works infrastructure has reliable equipment, all while staying under the 2 percent state mandated budget cap.
“During the next four years I vow to fight harder to push back on overdevelopment of residential building imposed on us by the state and its archaic affordable housing requirements. (I will) work smarter to reduce spending and continue to stay true to my commitment to make every resident feel they have a voice in local government,” Calogero said.
Calogero moved to Jackson 21 years ago with his wife and three young children. The couple’s children are grown and Calogero said he and his wife will soon be moving into the South Knolls adult community. Professionally, his career spans 35 years as a senior vice president and managing director in brokerage and banking finance and operations.
Bressi has lived in Jackson for 43 years and has been involved in local politics and community service for many of those years. He is retired from his position as the facilities manager at St. Veronica Church, Howell.
Bressi said he finds running unopposed to be “astonishing” and said he cannot locate another example of that occurring in Jackson, where contested elections are almost always the rule.
However, Bressi said running unopposed does not mean he, Calogero and Nixon will sit back for the next four years following their re-election. He said the council members will have to continue to prove they can run Jackson in a way that has led people to have faith in their abilities and actions.
Among the accomplishments of the past four years, Bressi said the council has stabilized Jackson’s budget and municipal taxes. Personnel has been added in the Department of Public Works and the Jackson Police Department. He said the council has taken action to address quality of life concerns that residents have expressed.
And residents play a role in Jackson’s governance, he said.
“We are working for all 56,000 residents in Jackson,” Bressi said, “but when someone comes forward at a council meeting the idea is to focus on them. We have no problem with people coming to speak to us. Different areas of town have different issues. When one or two people from a neighborhood come forward, they may be talking about something that affects many people in their area. We need to talk back and forth with people. That has been a plus.”
Looking ahead to the next four years, Bressi said council members will continue to focus on quality of life issues and do what they can legally do to address situations that may arise in the municipality.
He concluded by saying, “We have to make certain we maintain quality services without busting the bank. There are always things to be watched and to be addressed within the confines of the law. People have had faith in what we have done the last four years. The pressure is on to keep doing it.”
Nixon has been a resident of Jackson for 11 years. He has been a government relations professional for 22 years and also serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was recently honored with a Distinguished Teaching Award.
Asked why he is seeking to continue his service on the Township Council, Nixon said, “I am running for re-election because I have a passion for public service. I enjoy helping people and serving as a voice for those who come to me to make our town a better place to live.
“Over the last four years I have been fortunate to help enact laws that seek to preserve our quality of life. In that time we have expanded township services and our police department. In doing so, I have also sought to ensure our tax dollars are protected as well by promoting budgets that are under the state tax cap while building the largest budget surplus in a decade.
“Over the next four years I hope to build upon those successes by standing up for what is right for the future of Jackson and ensuring that our laws are enforced, our natural resources are protected from overdevelopment and that we focus on smart commercial development that provides services and benefits to our residents,” Nixon said.
