As an Independent Candidate for Monmouth County Freeholder this November, I hope to bring a sense of urgency to the position and take immediate action to help our fellow residents during these difficult economic times. Monmouth County Government has become too expensive.
My platform:
15 objectives for Monmouth County Freeholders in 2012 and beyond

Lower county taxes for Monmouth County residents. Tax increases are unacceptable. Our government has become unaffordable. Sounds obvious, but we need to commit to this objective.
Stop using Monmouth County reserves to balance the budget. Using $43 million of our surplus to balance the 2011 budget was an action of fiscal irresponsibility. We cannot continue to simply hope the economy will turn around. Using our reserves leaves us in a “weakened” position and shows residents that our government is overspending.
Stop hiring people who are already “retired” and receiving government pensions in excess of 60K annually. Many of our residents are are struggling and are looking for work. Monmouth County is experiencing a 9% unemployment rate. Hire our residents who do not have the benefit of a large government pension.
Move to a Higher Moral Ground. Stop nepotism/favoritism in Monmouth County government hiring. Demand accountability at Brookdale and at all our county departments. Change the culture in Monmouth County government to become more responsive to its citizens.
Apologize to the students of Brookdale College for the “planned 2011 tuition” increase, and the unethical practices of its leadership. Continue to examine all areas of spending at the school and hold the Brookdale Board of Trustees accountable. How can we consider raising tuition, when the Brookdale president was given a large salary, SUV, money to send his kids to private college, and a credit card for entertaining? Where was the oversight?
Move to outsourcing services where appropriate. Monmouth County government has become too expensive. Let our private sector handle more government functions. County government should provide essential services directly. Golf courses, nursing homes, marinas, etc. are just some of the areas we need to let our private sector handle.
Cut spending. Cut spending. Cut spending. Do not assume the NJ economy will get better. Because if you are wrong, you will leave Monmouth County with another large budget deficit. Many of our residents are cutting their spending due to economic conditions. Follow their lead. Do not hope for the best, then hit residents with another tax hike. S&P has just placed Monmouth County on credit watch; so the stakes are high.

Bring QUALITY jobs to Monmouth County. Committees, job fairs and “toolkits” are nice ideas, but we need much more that. I am committed to creating jobs and by reaching out to Fortune 1000 firms. Monmouth County is a great place to do business. AT&T, Lucent, BRAC are all gone. Monmouth County has now become our second largest employer. This is a recipe for disaster. Our young people will continue to move out of the county, due to lack of viable career opportunities available.
Make sure the county government does the basic things well and does not make excuses. Plow county roads in a timely manner. Ensure that utilities can provide our residents with reliable electricity. Make county government offices more responsive to its residents. Providing essential services is what residents are paying taxes for.
Make Monmouth County government relevant and more appreciated by its residents. Provide services that benefit most Monmouth County residents, and reduce those, that benefit few. Many of our residents, do not have a clue what their county government does for them. That is not a good sign, given we are spending $500 million annually. We need to take step back and engage with our towns to see how they want their county taxes spent. County government needs to serve its residents in a manner they desire, and not be beholden to special interests.
Reduce government borrowing. The $43 million in surplus the Freeholders used to balance the budget , would have been better spent paying down Monmouth County’s $500 million in debt. Our debt service expense has become a major drag on the budget. Monmouth County’s large debt, combined with struggling state and federal budgets, is a recipe for financial disaster. Our borrowing costs will continue to increase, as S&P has already put us on credit watch. Brookdale University is also on credit watch.
Demand shared sacrifice. We cannot ask taxpayers to continue to bear the brunt of our fiscal shortfall, without asking our employees and service providers to make sacrifices also. We are all in this together, and “all” does not mean just property owners. Rising property taxes are driving both commercial and residential real estate prices lower. We also need to continue to raise revenues from alternative sources, other than property taxes.
Encourage Monmouth towns to embrace shared services; for the benefit of their financial future. We can make a difference for our towns, without threatening their independence. This cannot be a hobby for Freeholders, but a mission. Local expenses continue to rise and with over 50 municipalities in the county, we need to become for efficient.
Set priorities when it comes to spending. Monmouth county’s budget is approximately a half a billion dollars. We need to prioritize each line item in the budget. Areas such has helping disabled children and adults, would be a high priority expense that should be protected. Spending on fringe benefits, like the ones given to Brookdale’s president would be low priority item. It is safe to say there are many areas that will be low on our list, and will be targeted for removal. It’s not the Freeholder’s money. It’s OUR money.

Establish a sense of Urgency, and stop wasting time making public appearances. We need to get to work for the taxpayer. Every day we are not addressing our budget deficit, is moving us closer to financial disaster. Make Monmouth County lead the state in fiscal responsibility and job growth.

In the end, I am sure that many of the candidates support some parts of this platform. The more relevant question is can they execute? Do they have the urgency, the desire and the ability to get the job done. Or are they simply going to hope the economy recovers, and then tell us they need to raise taxes?
This is a detailed platform, that I am putting in writing, so residents understand my objectives. The major parties have endorsed their candidates, and are asking you to trust their choice and wisdom. Much like the Obama administration, there is no plan. With a half a billion dollar budget, Monmouth County residents deserve more than public appearances and Facebook postings. Todays’ hard times, demand action, courage and urgency, not old-time politics.
Regards,
Tom Markowski