JACKSON – The township’s two mayoral candidates provide a stark contrast in views on where Jackson has been heading in relation to development, tax ratables and its future.
Incumbent Republican Mayor Michael Reina, who has served in that role for about a decade, is seeking re-election and is facing challenger Tracie Yostpille.
Reina is running under the campaign tag line of “Experienced Leadership Moving Jackson Forward.” Running with Reina are GOP council candidates Andrew Kern and Alexander Sauickie, III.
Yostpille is running as part of the “Save Jackson” ticket feeling that the township’s development and other areas of government need some important changes. Running on the same slogan are council candidates Brandon Rose and Paul Sarti.
Reina strongly maintains that the township “has been going in a positive direction for quite some time now…Public safety and the residents’ quality of life are the most important goals and in my opinion, extremely critical to the townships health.
“Commercial growth is next as it affects the financial well-being of the township and as everyone knows has been another long time goal of mine. Since the first ever Business Economic Development Summit that I had introduced in 2011, Jackson has been making strides in attracting clean commercial ratables,” Reina said.
Reina added that shortly after the summit the township was approached by a television network producer to be featured in a nationwide TV show hosted by Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw. “The name of the show was Today in America and it highlights the 10 best places to live, work and play in America. Since that show aired nationally we have been inundated with requests from commercial developers and investors looking to place their venues and opportunities here in Jackson.”
“From casinos and hotels to sports and entertainment centers, we have met developers with very creative ideas. With that being said I am extremely proud and thrilled to say that we finally have reached the point where we can say that it is happening,” Reina said.
Reina said the township has not one but two hotels slated to be built on the Rt. 537 corridor. Next to it will be one of the largest if not the largest sports and entertainment complexes in the north east. State of the art sports fields, indoor and out, dining, shopping and entertainment are all part of the few hundred-acre complex that has started.
“What this means to Jackson and its residents is jobs, which means increased revenue, which means tax dollars, which means the beginning of moving some of the tax burden off the shoulders of the residents and move it to the commercial side of the scale,” Reina said.
Reina clarified that, “a mayor doesn’t have the legal authority to approve a shed in your yard, let alone a housing development. The law does not provide for mayoral approval of residential or commercial applications – those applications fall under the jurisdiction of the respective Planning or Zoning Board. However, under the Faulkner Act which governs Jackson, the mayor is the only one allowed to sign off on court ordered agreements and settlements – one such example would be COAH (the Counsel On Affordable Housing). My opponents have circulated a fraudulent document intended to create fear on every level imaginable.”
Yostpille said that she was “very concerned about the future of Jackson. I do not agree with Mayor Reina’s housing plan to build 4,960 high density family units by 2025. Our schools, our infrastructure, and our tax base will be burdened by this high-density housing.” She noted that in March of this year, the Township Council had approved a zoning change that authorized a development with 1,100 new homes, including 220 affordable housing units for families, on a site on Perrineville Road. Before the affordable housing plan, the development was age-restricted.
“These massive high-density developments will transform Jackson into a city. We have to take action now to immediately stop this overdevelopment,” Yospille said. “Smart growth for Jackson would be ratables that would not burden our schools. I lived in Lakewood for a time. I saw a thriving diverse community in the 1980s. Lakewood development now is not smart. I can certainly see why Jackson would develop but we want it to develop in the right way.”
The candidate said while she has never held an elected office “I was inspired to run because I didn’t have to be backed by a party. I am a registered Democrat but I am not looking for Democrat backing but support from Democrats and Republicans. I can bring my leadership skills to bring the right people in with the right contacts to work together in a non-partisan way,” Yostpille said. “I was also motivated to run by the non-partisan aspect of the election because this high-density housing issue affects all Jackson residents no matter if you are affiliated with a party or not.”
Yostpille is a 7th grade social studies teacher for the Freehold Township School District. “This is my 31st year of teaching. I have lived in Jackson for 30 years. My husband, his father and my three sister-in-laws have lived in Jackson for 57 years. My mom and stepdad and my step brother and his family live in Jackson. So do my nieces and nephews. I even have two grandnephews at Holman School,” the candidate said.
“As President of the Freehold Township Education Association, I represent 557 members and have been negotiating contracts for over 20 years. I served on Governor’s Christie’s Education Task force from 2014-16 and I am a member of the MCEA Legislative Action Team. As mayor, I can use this experience working with Republicans and Democrats in state government to fight for the local issues in Jackson,” Yostpille said.
