Voters 'Can't Afford Inexperience' in Election, Chester Incumbent Says

The longest-sitting member of the Chester Borough Council is hoping to extend that title by winning re-election in 2014.

For Gary Marshuetz, that task begins Tuesday in the June Primary Election, as the 10-year councilman seeks another three-year term. He’s one of four residents vying for two seats up for grabs in the November General Election.

Fellow incumbent Tim Iversen and newcomers Melinda Scotti and Laura Schurter are the other Republicans looking for votes.

Marshuetz, a law enforcement executive, has lived in the borough since 1999. He and his wife lived in Chester Township eight years prior to that. He served on the borough’s planning board before becoming a councilman and has coached a variety of youth sports in town.

Mendham-Chester Patch caught up with Marshuetz recently and asked a few questions. His answers are below, unedited.

Mendham-Chester Patch: Why have you decided to run for re-election?
Gary Marshuetz: Although the assignment of council member is considered a part time job it involves dealing with complex issues and making decisions.  I firmly believe members should possess real experience and training prior to accepting this position. The Borough is at a critical point in history and I feel that the borough residents cannot afford to bring in inexperienced members to their council.  My experience as the executive officer of a large police department and leadership and command training has been serving Chester Borough well.  My work knowledge, borough experience, and public administration as my formal education gives me a large advantage over the other candidates.

MCP: How do you plan to keep the town’s services intact while abiding by the state’s 2-percent tax levy cap each year?
GM: My experience as the council’s president and chairperson of the financial committee and my knowledge of the budget, and the state’s financial laws allows me to make sound financial decisions.  I hear other candidates saying that the answers are in keeping the capital budget lean, but an experienced person knows that you cannot stay below the 2% cap without addressing issues on the operating side as well.  If re-elected I will continue tackling all of the items that negatively affect the taxpayers. I agree with my opponents on capital projects, but I am surprised on the absence of discussion on other operating issues.  The current services provided to our residents have been in existence for a long time.  I feel that these services do not necessarily need to disappear or be reduced, however, we need to continue looking for new ways to provide the same level of service for a reduced rate by cooperative pricing or shared services.   

MCP: What is the biggest issue in town that needs to be addressed by the governing body? How will you propose to fix it?
GM: Without a doubt the biggest issue is Chester’s infrastructure. Everyone, including myself, is interested in maintaining the rural atmosphere that surrounds Chester Borough. However, we should be equally concerned about our downtown area being left behind in the slow economic upswing. Other towns are achieving great success in reinventing themselves with mixed-use retail, dining, and living areas and I am afraid that our lack of sewer, water, parking and other transportation issues will slow Chester’s development.  We have been proactively trying to address these issues, but the wastewater issue has been by far the most difficult. We looked into addressing this issue on a back portion of the Larson’s property, but to no avail.  Larison is also a vital key to enhancing the downtown.  The development should be something that draws visitors to the area and does not just replicate something we already have in Chester today.  I see the Larison building on the corner as a building that should be saved and serve as the gateway for downtown. The building is not adequate to fit the ADA or fire safety needs of a modern restaurant or banquet faculty, so it is my belief that the restaurant and banquet facility should be incorporated with the new development where visitors can spend the night.  The historic building should be a tie in with the downtown with boutiques and possibly a Chester Museum room.  The way to fix the infrastructure issues is through being fiscally responsible now for future investments and by being proactive and aware of opportunity not to vacillate in decision making on great opportunities.

MCP: What service, product or business would you like to see more of in town?
GM: I would welcome an upscale family friendly restaurant that would draw people from the region. As a proponent of health and fitness I would also like to see a Whole Foods, Trader Joes, or Wegmans.  On the municipal end of things I think we need more programs for seniors and young adults.  People who know me know that I am community oriented and would like to see more opportunity for community based leisure activities to give us a break from our busy lives.

MCP: Where can the town cut costs to save in the budget?
GM: This is the area where my experience is advantageous. I have had great success helping taxpayers by proactively pursuing grant monies. We have purchased land, repaired roadways, and paid for shared service studies all with grants monies saving the taxpayers thousands of dollars.  I am proud to say I was directly involved in these successes by rolling up my sleeves and serving on the committees that accomplished the feat. I also hear all the other candidates commenting about shared services. For example they talk about the municipal court merger, however, I actually put pen to paper with Mendham Borough.  They also talk about leasing property and solar projects that I am in favor of, but some of the other candidates didn’t support the land acquisitions necessary to make these ventures even possible.  My experience does not stop there. I will continue to serve on the committees that will manage labor contracts and employee health benefits where great success was achieved.  The council and residents applauded the financial committee on how we managed debt with low rate BANs and bonds over the past several years.  There is a lot to know about running a Borough and my opponents are being vague and only scraping the surface.

MCP: Considering this is currently being handled by government officials, what is your stance on the proposed feasibility study being pursued by four of the five towns that send students to the West Morris Regional High School district?
GM: I am a big proponent of shared services. The proof is in my involvement and record. I have served on the four town shared recreation committee, the consolidation committee of the two Chesters, the shared municipal court committee, the shared police services committee, and the shared agreements between the Board of Education and Chester Borough. I see the regional high school district on face value as potentially a failed shared service.  Having two sons in the high school, I know personally they are turning out a great product and would never do anything to jeopardize this outcome, but we should not enter into a shared service if it will result in our costs rising.  The sole purpose of shared service agreements is to cut costs. If there was only one high school we would not even be having this conversation, but with two schools we need to at least look at the funding issue and consider the two Mendhams and the two Chesters supporting only Mendham high school.