Couuncilmembers Nancy Facey-Blackwood and Ben Forest inaugurated the council access time at the Senior Center last week.
Expanding a program launched last week, Red Bank’s borough council has added evening hours, during which residents can buttonhole an elected official with concerns, questions and suggestions.
Taking a cue from Mayor Billy Portman, members of Red Bank’s council will begin hosting weekly public access sessions this week, Councilwoman Nancy Facey-Blackwood announced last week.
Mayor Billy Portman with Governor Phil Murphy at the ceremony. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy helped launch a new era in Red Bank government, swearing in Billy Portman for his first full term as mayor Saturday.
At an open-air ceremony held outside borough hall, Murphy also mildly roasted Councilwoman Kate Triggiano, the local Democratic party chair who helped engineer the change.
With little more than a week to go before an overhaul of Red Bank’s government begins, the incoming mayor and council are still seeking volunteers for boards and committees.
Mayor Billy Portman meeting with a borough resident during his weekly open hours Monday night. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Coming off a slam-dunk win in the May 9 election, Red Bank Mayor Billy Portman says he and his council running mates are gearing up to use the ‘mandate’ given them by voters.
That includes setting new priorities, he told redbankgreen in an interview Monday night.
Thirteen candidates for Red Bank council, and two for mayor, crowd the May 9 ballot. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
See UPDATE below
With a record 15 candidates to select for seven seats in the historic May 9 election, Red Bank voters may feel a bit like they’re looking at the menu of a Jersey diner: overwhelmed.
So to help voters decide who they want to establish a new form of government July 1, redbankgreen invited all 13 council candidates and both mayoral contenders to offer information about themselves and their positions in written Q&As.