Beach Haven residents and officials were not interested in show business when they gathered at Surflight Theatre Saturday morning, Sept. 27. Rather, they were interested in hearing from the four candidates running for office on the Beach Haven Borough Council. Two councilmen, James White and Edward Kohlmeir, are set to end their terms after the November election.
The contenders – Don Kakstis, Tom Lynch, Ken Muha and Bob Wynkoop – each gave opening and closing statements during the meeting hosted by the Beach Haven Taxpayers’ Association.
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| Photo by Barbara Cona The contestants answer questions devised by the Beach Haven Taxpayers' Association. |
Rob Weinman, BHTA secretary, moderated the event, for which questions from local residents were sent in advance to the contenders to prepare their answers. The discussion ranged from property tax reform, shared services across Long Beach Island and creation of a paid, professional fire department and emergency medical service to open space and town-owned property, an updated, comprehensive recreation plan, and thoughts about closing the 102-year-old Beach Haven School.
The first question, which focused on each candidate’s top five priorities in town, best summarized their individual campaigns.
Don Kakstis, retired executive director at Johnson and Johnson Corp.’s worldwide engineering and construction services, said his priorities involve preserving the past and revitalizing the future by maintaining and improving the beaches and parks as well as the local programs, including those at the museums and Surflight Theatre. Maintaining and improving roads and infrastructure, as well as the electrical grid, “to ensure they’re reliable and safe,” is also imperative, he said. He said he is also dedicated to improving the business climate by finding out what is missing from the community, and developing a long-term strategy of capital improvements programs.
He wants to find out what is important to “all homeowners, not just voters, especially the younger ones in their 30s, 40s and 50s.” He referenced his neighbor who purchased two homes in the area; the owners of Pearl Street Market, who have a home on Fairview Avenue; and a neighbor down the street who owns an Internet company and comes to the Island on weekends to surf.
“I’m approaching 70; they are really the future,” Kakstis said. “I can only help if I reach out, hear from them and get other people involved.”
Tom Lynch, who has more than 40 years in business management and retired from BDP International as global director of human resources, administration and employee relations, said he is dedicated to continuing beach replenishment.
“Obviously this is a critical thing. ... I want to make sure it’s done correctly,” he said. “Beach Haven has a wonderful beach. It’s great. It’s an opportunity to really bring more people to the area.”
To learn more about the operations of the beach, he became a badge checker this summer, where he met many people from surrounding areas, including Pennsylvania and New York.
“They all love the beaches here, so I really, really want to make that a shining example of Beach Haven.”
Lynch is also interested in promoting the town’s 125th anniversary next year; growing the business and retail community; rebuilding the town hall; and making sure the new pump station is effectively constructed.
Ken Muha, owner of the local Bagel Shack, spent 15 years as an engineer building plants all over the world. He is committed to “looking into each individual situation as it stands on its own, evaluating it as such, and then making any decisions based on the merits of that particular situation.” He said he is dedicated to working with town officials to reduce unnecessary fees and taxes, as well as making sure the municipal services desired and required by the residents and businesses are maintained and improved. Attracting new business and retaining existing business, including beautification and other organized efforts, is also “near and dear to my heart,” he said. Separating the tax revenue-generated decisions from the non-revenue objectives – including attracting new investments, social issues or goals, or recovering capital costs such as large-scale infrastructure investments – will make for rational and economically sound decisions, he added. He said he is also interested in looking into the feasibility of a fishing pier in the bay to be a point of interest to attract families.
Bob Wynkoop, retired senior director of compensation and benefits at Ball Corp., as well as regional human resources director at Middle East of Bechtel Corp., said he is dedicated to focusing on the government’s core responsibilities – including provided services, citizen protection and the maintenance and safety of roads, water and sewers – all in a cost-effective manner.
“If we don’t do those well, than nothing else will get accomplished, or will matter,” he said.
Empowering residents is especially important, he added, referencing the local pickleball group that formed this summer and worked with the council to facilitate better recreational use.
“That’s a small thing,” he said. “There’s lots of other things that I think we can do as a government that will empower our citizens, (and) the businesses, to accomplish things.”
Following the meeting, Nancy Taggart Davis, one of the current council members sitting in the audience, told The SandPaper she thought all the candidates seemed committed to the job and she would be happy to work with any of them.
“Getting people to go anywhere but the beach on a glorious Saturday in September isn’t easy, but we’re thankful we had a great showing,” Barbara Cona, BHTA president, said in a later email. “Our four candidates gave us exactly what we’d hoped for: an opportunity to get to know them and where they stand on some key issues.
“I entered the meeting Saturday morning with no idea who I would vote for. And by the time the event ended, I had my two votes set,” she added. “The taxpayers in our town should expect our town to be the best Beach Haven it can be. We’re fortunate to have people willing to take on this difficult position. We’re blessed with a hard-working council, but there’s always room for improvement.”
— Kelley Anne Essinger
This article was published in The SandPaper.
This article was published in The SandPaper.
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