My Platform

A Practical, People-First Plan for Highlands

As a candidate for Mayor, I am committed to keeping Highlands a place where people of all ages and backgrounds can not only live, but truly feel at home. I want our town to be a place where families grow, neighbors connect, and everyone feels welcome. Here is what I hope to accomplish:

Keeping Property Taxes Manageable

Property taxes are one of the biggest concerns for families and seniors in Highlands. Rising costs can make it difficult to stay in our homes, especially for those on fixed incomes. We need to explore practical ways to ease this burden while keeping services strong.

My plan includes:

• Explore Opting Out of Annual Assessments
  Look into the possibility of opting out of the county’s yearly reassessment program and moving to assessments every 3-5 years.  If we can stabilize taxes over a few years, it can bring some predictability and smooth out large increases.

• Regionalization Without Waste
  Continue advancing regionalization efforts with Sea Bright and other shore towns to share resources and cut costs, while avoiding wasteful spending on legal fees. This initiative, which I’ve already worked hard on as a Board of Education member, has been decades in the making. Regionalizing the tri-district has already resulted in tax saving for Highlands’ residents. Regionalization is a very complex and time-intensive undertaking, requiring persistence, collaboration, and a shared vision for the future of our schools.  

• Unlock New Revenue Streams
  Explore untapped opportunities with strategic paid parking and bulkhead advertising generating new revenue without raising property taxes.

Smart Growth Initiatives

Highlands deserves a clear, community-driven plan. Growth should be thoughtful, transparent, and shaped by the people who live and or invest here.

My plan includes:

• Create a 5-Year Strategic Plan
  Hold planning sessions with residents, business owners, and community leaders to identify priorities and guide decisions with community input.

• Cut Red Tape
  Review and simplify local processes and codes to make it easier for people to invest in Highlands while keeping protections in place.

• Review Permit Parking
  Take a close look at parking rules in high-traffic areas to make sure residents still have access to spots near their homes.

Encourage Volunteerism

Volunteers are the backbone of Highlands. They give their time and energy to support neighbors, events, and services that make our town a great place to live. We should recognize and support their efforts.

My plan includes:

• Reward Volunteer Service
  Offer tax credits or other incentives to attract and retain first responders who dedicate their time to helping our community thrive.

• Recognize Individuals who serve our community 
  Create a monthly service award to acknowledge our neighbors that dedicate their time and expertise to improve our town. 

Recreation and Access to the Water

Highlands is a waterfront town with a strong sense of community. To make the most of what we have, we need to improve recreational opportunities and expand access for everyone.

My plan includes:

• Improve Kavookjian Field
  Repair dugouts and spectator areas to make the field safer for players and more enjoyable for families. Improving access with sidewalks or a pedestrian bridge mean nothing if improvements to the facility aren’t included in that plan.

• Create Indoor Recreation Options
  Explore finding or building an indoor space for activities like pickleball or tennis, so residents of all ages can stay active year-round. Space could also be rented out to leagues to help offset costs and pay for maintenance.

• Expand Access to the Water
  Support the Open Space Committee’s work and identify the right location for a new kayak ramp, giving more residents a chance to enjoy our waterfront.

• Look Into a Spray Park for Families
  Consider building a spray park, a safe, fun place for children to play and for families to gather during warmer weather. This would also draw more families to town to shop in our stores and eat at our restaurants.

• Repair and maintain 
  Develop a plan with the recreation department to repair the sports courts at the rec center and ensure proper maintenance so the facilities are able to be used by our residents. 

Flood Mitigation

While we must continue planning for "once in a lifetime" storm and flooding events, it's equally important to take immediate action on nuisance flooding that consistently impacts residents and business owners.

My plan includes: 

• Fix What’s Broken
  Repair the duckbill valve at Snug Harbor and other flood valves as needed, investigate adding additional pump stations and ensure all are properly maintained and working.  Ensure that Jones Creek is clean and maintained. Explore the possibility of working with the Department of Transportation on adding a retention basin under 36 to slow down the run off from Monmouth Hills.

• Create a Resiliency Task Force
  Bring together residents, business owners, and local experts to develop practical flooding solutions and explore working with neighboring towns on regional efforts and grants.

• Support Green Infrastructure
  Encourage private and public participation in projects like rain gardens, permeable parking areas, and green roofs that naturally absorb stormwater and reduce flooding.

• Integrate Flood, Mitigation into Town Projects 
   Ensure new development projects within the Borough include flood mitigations measures (retention basins, rain gardens, swales, etc)   

My thoughts on other challenges unique to Highlands

Short-Term Rentals: Fairness, Accountability, and Community Balance

Short-term rentals can play a role in our local economy—but only when they operate responsibly and within the rules. As Mayor, I will make sure that every short-term rental in our community is properly registered, compliant, and accountable.

Right now, too many properties are functioning less like neighborhood bed-and-breakfasts and more like unregulated mini-hotels. That’s not fair to residents, and it puts unnecessary strain on our borough’s infrastructure.

We must enforce occupancy limits to protect our neighborhoods, prevent sewer and trash system overuse, and preserve the character of our community. Responsible owners have nothing to fear—but those who ignore the rules must be held accountable.

I’ll also explore fair, higher fees for short-term rentals to offset the added impact on our communities’ services and help fund enforcement efforts. This is about balance—supporting tourism and economic opportunity while keeping our neighborhoods livable and strong.

Sewer Bills

While some progress has been made in improving our sewer infrastructure, our pump stations are increasingly overburdened by rapid development. I believe it’s only fair that new developments contribute their share to maintaining and expanding this critical system.

That’s why I support implementing appropriate connection fees for new construction. Right now, developers are benefiting while taxpayers bear the cost of the additional strain on our sewer system. We must also take a closer look at adjusting sewer rates to more accurately reflect individual water consumption, ensuring a system that is both fair and sustainable for everyone.

Parking     

There is no reason residents should be prohibited from parking in public lots overnight, especially on designated street-cleaning days. I will work to implement a twelve-hour parking limit in these lots to ensure regular turnover and availability for everyone.

Additionally, we should consider introducing metered parking along Shore Drive or in municipal lots, paired with a residential permit program that provides free parking for residents during the summer months. This will effectively address overflow parking issues stemming from Sandy Hook visitors.

It’s essential that we engage directly with the neighborhoods most affected to develop practical, people-first, community-supported solutions.

Encouraging Public Participation and Engagement of Governing Body Members

As Mayor, I will foster meaningful public participation by hosting a five-year strategic planning meeting to bring our community together in shaping our shared vision for the future. This process will allow residents to identify priorities, voice ideas, and help establish actionable goals that reflect the community’s needs and aspirations.

To ensure sustained engagement, I will encourage open communication and collaboration between residents and governing body members, promoting transparency and accountability. By working collectively, we can set clear priorities, track progress, and celebrate achievements that strengthen our community and its long-term success.

We need to bring back our committees that have helped so much in the past. Currently, very few are even active anymore -- and that’s a shame.

Attendance and Accountability

Regular attendance at all meetings is a fundamental responsibility of every governing body member. Active participation ensures informed decision-making, transparency, and accountability to the community we serve. Members are expected to attend all scheduled meetings unless an absence is unavoidable due to extenuating circumstances.

Any member unable to attend should notify the mayor or designated official in advance, providing the reason for the absence. Repeated or unexcused absences may be subject to review by the governing body and could result in appropriate action as outlined in applicable bylaws or regulations.

Let’s face the facts -- if you ran for the seat, you need to be there!