FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP – Incumbent Republicans Lester Preston and Alan Walker are running for two available three-year terms on the Township Committee in Freehold Township in the 2020 election.
Democrat Hassan Shehadeh is also seeking a three-year term and is profiled in a separate article.
Preston, who is serving as mayor this year, has been a member of the committee since 2015.
“I am privileged to serve on our town’s governing body,” he said. “It has provided me the opportunity to meet and interact with many of the residents and staff who make Freehold Township such a great place to live and to raise a family. I am committed to the success of our town and those residents. I feel I can continue to use my life and work experiences to benefit our community.
“This past year has been a difficult one for all of us and the committee has had to make
some unpopular decisions,” he said. “When I was elected in 2015, I stated there would be times when our residents might not agree with every vote I make, but I assured them I would always put the best interests of our town first. I stand by that commitment and will always work toward the best interests of Freehold Township.”
A lifelong resident of Freehold Township, Preston is a certified public accountant and served as treasurer and chief financial officer of D.L. Ryan Companies Ltd. (Ryan Partnership), an integrated marketing services agency providing services to Fortune 500 companies.
“In my role as CFO, I was a key member of senior management responsible for determining and implementing the strategic direction of the organization,” he said. “During my tenure, I gained a significant amount of experience managing a large organization, assuming primary responsibility for key areas including budget and forecast oversight, finance, contract negotiation and strategies, and human resources, all of which complement my role as a member of the governing body.”
If re-elected, Preston said the most important issues he intends to address are taxes and the rezoning of the Freehold Raceway Mall property.
“The most consistent issue I hear from our residents, particularly our seniors, relates to taxes. While the tax obligation for the township accounts for less than 16 cents on every tax dollar collected, we must continue to remain diligent in managing the budget. That commitment has resulted in Freehold Township being assigned Moody’s top credit rating, Aaa, along with a ‘stable outlook’ for its bonds.
“The rezoning of the Freehold Raceway Mall continues to be a priority as well. The
committee is currently working with our planners and the mall’s representatives to ensure the long-term viability of the property through expanded zoning uses, while maintaining the character and integrity of the community,” Preston said.
Walker was appointed to the Township Committee this year to fill an open seat and is seeking his first full term.
He served on the Parks and Recreation Commission from 2011-19 and was chairman in 2018-19. He served on the executive board of the New Jersey Association of School Business Officials Partnership from 2012-18 and was the president of the association during the 2016-17 school year.
“I feel that having only served (on the committee) for a short period of time, it really hasn’t given me the opportunity to fully immerse myself in how we govern our municipality and how we can improve things for the better,” Walker said. “I was barely six weeks into my appointment when everything began to shut down in New Jersey due to the global health pandemic.
“For several months afterward, the majority of the focus for myself and the other committee members was to do our best to assure the community their elected leadership was doing all we could to keep Freehold Township residents safe.
“I would like the opportunity to continue the work I began in January because I feel there are still so many items I have not even begun to scratch the surface on,” he said.
After graduating with a degree in marketing and business management from Stockton University, Walker has been in the office equipment industry as a territory sales representative since 1991 with a specialization in the educational and government markets.
“I feel that interacting with municipal leaders for over three decades in different parts of the state brings me a wealth of knowledge that I can help incorporate into what we do here in Freehold Township,” Walker said.
“We have done a great job of sharing services prior to my arrival to help keep the municipal portion of our residents’ taxes down and I am hopeful that through my contacts we may be able to attract even more opportunities moving forward.
“The world is currently living under some great uncertainty as we are approaching the end of 2020. The items that are on my own personal agenda are to look to attract new business ventures that will benefit our community, continuing to make sure we are providing residents with the exemplary municipal services our community has become known for and trying to find more open space opportunities so we can smartly control growth within the township’s boundaries,” Walker said.
