Tarantolo would tie up loose ends in third term
Gerald J. Tarantolo Grant Avenue

Gerald J. Tarantolo

Democrat

As he campaigns door to door for a third consecutive term, Mayor Gerald J. Tarantolo said he hears the same plea from Eatontown residents.

"Their message is loud and clear: 'We need tax relief,' " said Tarantolo, the town's Democratic mayor for eight years.

"If there is anything at all that we can do as a municipality about property taxes, we should," Tarantolo said. "We should try to take the appropriate action to relieve some of the tax burden that is being imposed on our residents."

Retired since 1999 from his career as an electrical engineer with Bell Laboratories and its successors, Tarantolo said he views the mayor's office, a part-time position, as a full-time job.

With a list of to-do projects to complete, Tarantolo hopes to fend off the challenge from Republican mayoral candidate Anthony "Bubba" Gaetano.

"We have so many projects that have been started over the years," said Tarantolo, a borough resident for 41 years. "I feel obligated to see them through to completion."

Property taxes are "not an Eatontown problem, but a state of New Jersey" problem, he said.

Nonetheless, the borough needs to keep tabs on its portion of the tax bill through frugal budgeting and "striking a balance" between maintaining municipal services and keeping taxes within reach.

"Our budget over the past several years has essentially remained unchanged," Tarantolo said. "Where we do fall down is in our obligations for pensions, salaries and benefits."

Because the amounts paid out of municipal budgets for pensions and benefits have escalated, Tarantolo would like to address those topics when negotiating contracts with police and other public employees.

To save money, the borough has entered a joint medical benefit plan with other municipalities, he noted.

"This year, we made an issue at negotiations that employees would have to pay something toward their medical benefits," Tarantolo said.

A member of both the New Jersey Conference of Mayors and the League of Municipalities, Tarantolo said he attends many conferences pertaining to property tax reform.

"I'm trying to learn as much as I can in the hope that maybe I'll find a solution to the tax issue in Eatontown," said Tarantolo, who serves on the board of directors of the mayors' group.

With the 2011 closure of Fort Monmouth approaching, Tarantolo wants to help craft a reuse plan for the Eatontown's portion of the base.

If returned to office, Tarantolo would continue to represent Eatontown on the public-private Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Planning Authority (FMERPA).

"I will be monitoring that particular authority very carefully and will oversee Eatontown's interests very carefully," he said.

The visioning plan crafted with the input of residents for the borough's downtown between Throckmorton Street and Broad Street represents progress in trying to create an attractive business district, Tarantolo went on.

The proposal, now on hold because of the pending fort closing, has not been abandoned, he said.

"We put a hold on it until we get a handle on what is happening at Fort Monmouth," he said noting that a planning consultant will address the proposal with borough officials soon.

Tarantolo points to an improved Wampum Park and creation of a veterans' plaza there as projects he started several years ago as a councilman and saw to completion.

Using funds from the state's Green Acres program, the borough purchased the former Stella and Capilupi farms off Grant Avenue for open space, he added.

In addition, Tarantolo said he led efforts to convince the New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT) to reconfigure the intersection of state Highways 35 and 36, a project slated to begin in late 2007.

The borough's engineers have started working with the state and county officials to alleviate congestion at Highway 35 and Industrial Way, Tarantolo explained.

Late last month, the borough opened Frankel Way, a new feeder road leading from Industrial Way East to Highway 35 northbound. The small roadway is intended to relieve traffic back-ups at Industrial Way East and Highway 35, the mayor has said.

Tarantolo also serves on the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) committee of the League of Municipalities.

Since 1990, he has also served on the executive board of Spring House, a residential program for single mothers with young children.