This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Politics & Government

Five Candidates Vie for State Senate Seat in District 13 Legislative Race

Incumbent Republican Joe Kyrillos, Middletown, is seeking his sixth term.

Four people running in the District 13 Legislative race on Nov. 8 are facing a formidable incumbent in Republican incumbent state Senator Joseph Kyrillos, Jr.

The five-term state Senator, of Middletown, known for his support of Gov. Chris Christie's "Tool Kit" initiatives to reform state government, is considered a very strong candidate for re-election in a Republican-leaning district. 

But his opponents say anything can happen, if enough people desire change. Running against him is Democrat Christopher G. Cullen, and three independents: Karen Anne Zalatel of Keep Monmouth Green; Stephen J. Boracchia of the Constitution Party, and MacDara F. Lyden of Jobs-Economy-Honesty.

Find out what's happening in Middletownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Earlier this year, the 13th district was redrawn. Matawan and Democratic-leaning Old Bridge were dropped. Several small towns along the Navesink were added. Observers say it is now solidly Republican territory. "The areas in this map have a history of voters preferring Republican to Democratic candidates," said John Weingard, the associate director of the Eagleton Institute at Rutgers University.

The new District 13 now encompasses the Monmouth County communities of Aberdeen, Atlantic Highlands, Fair Haven, Hazlet, Highlands, Holmdel, Keansburg, Keyport, Little Silver, Marlboro, Middletown, Monmouth Beach, Oceanport, Rumson, Sea Bright, and Union Beach.

Find out what's happening in Middletownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Kyrillos, a 51-year old Middletown commercial real estate broker, is an active legislator who has had a hand in the economic revitalization plan of Fort Monmouth and a business employment incentive program for state job creation. He was behind the establishment of the New Jersey School Report Card, and is the sponsor of the legislation promoting eco-tourism and the closing CAFRA loopholes permitting inappropriate coastal development.

If re-elected, Kyrillos said he would continue his work to incentivize businesses to move to New Jersey by keeping taxes low an regulations out of the way. "Over time, we have to reinvent Fort Monmouth," he said. 'We have to fill the empty office space in Holmdel and Middletown. This is all part and parcel of a strong economic environment."

Kyrillos said he would concentrate on continuing to provide property tax relief in the form of the Governer's "Toolkit" that allows public agencies to be freed of "old archaic laws" that prevent them becoming streamlined like private enterprise.

Other issues include school reform, more charter schools choices and teacher tenure reform. "We also need to nominate better judges to the State Supreme Court," he said.

Kyrillos's main challenger is Cullen, a 61-year old resident of Hazlet who has retired from UPS and works as a facilities manager at the Marine Academy of Science and Technology on Sandy Hook. He is also a former mayor of Hazlet and active in Democratic Party organizations.

Cullen feels strongly that the high burden of property taxes could be lessened by a broadening of the system. For example, he said, people in Virginia famously pay far less in property tax than New Jerseyans. But unlike New Jerseyans, they pay tax on food, clothing, and automobiles. “I would like to look at other states and see how they do it,” he said.

He would attack unemployment, and a cleaner environment, in the same stroke. 

“Every municipality in the district touches a bay or ocean,” he said. “A healthy environment is important to our area. New Jersey has an opportunity to be a leader in alternative energy. We should try to do research and develop wind, solar and alternative energy solutions, and give them tax incentives. The jobs created will offset the costs."

Cullen is keen to see manufacturing return and stronger right for unionized workers. “I can’t believe they took bargaining power away from police and teachers by mandating they pay more towards their health benefits, which they were already paying,” he said. “That’s always something that’s been negotiated.”

Cullen said he is not in favor of school choice and school vouchers. “I don’t see how it will help failing schools,” he said.

The District 13 challengers face several obstacles at getting their point across in this election, said Ingrid Reed, a policy analyst and New Jersey project director for the Eagleton Institute.

Political observers say that going up against a GOP favorite like Kyrillos is just too difficult for newcomers without war chests or fame. "I think it’s complicated for the Democrats because Joe is so well-known," Reed said.  "It's not the easiest thing to do and you have to admire the people who try."

Among the independents are Stephen J. Boracchia, a 50-year old oil industry sales manager in Atlantic Highlands, who is running on the Team 13 "Constitution Party" ticket. Boracchia is fed up with "politicians who cheat and violate their oath of office." He believes that judges should be taken out of school funding decisions, and that all bond debt must be voter approved. To learn more, visit his website.

And MacDara F. Lyden, 70, of the Belford section of Middletown, is a labor arbitrator with the Federal and New York State Mediation Boards. He is running under "Jobs, Economy and Honesty." He has a lot of ideas about how to return prosperity to the state, including a NJ savings bond program, making reverse mortgages available to people under 62, hiring the best and brightest to teach New Jersey classrooms via television, and bringing back every job that went overseas. "I would decline salary and benefits until all citizens in New Jersey have health insurance, and I would ask other politicians do cut their salaries as well."

Karen Anne Zalatel of Keansburg, a 49-year old stockbroker, is running under the banner, "Keep Monmouth Green." She has run most recently for Marlboro Town Council.

A state senator gets the chance to have a say in the writing of state laws and how the state spends taxpayer money. The job pays $49,000 a year and requires attendance in Trenton a few times a week.

Drumming up awareness of the contest in the 13th has been difficult, said Sharon Steinhorn, the president of the western Monmouth County League of Women Voters. 

She invited Kyrillos and Cullen to participate in a public forum on Oct. 30 at Temple Shalom in Aberdeen, but neither could attend. None of the candidates filled out the League's questionnaire on the issues either, she said.

"The League is trying very hard to convince people that this is important, that our whole state Legislature is being reformed. People are talking about Presidential stuff a year from now, and now what is happening right, right now, in New Jersey," she said.

Only a third of registered voters typically participate in these state Legislative races, which are normally held every four years, except for years after a Census count like now, when there is a two-year term.

"We are likely to see a record low turnout across the state, below 30 percent of registered voters," said Patrick Murray, the director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, about November 8. He predicted Kyrillos would win by 20 percentage votes.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?