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Politics & Government

Murray's Ship Sails on New Year's Day

Newcomer to township committee ready to serve residents and to explore Middletown's vast history.

Just as was preparing to move from to ten years ago, terrorists attacked the .

When then-New York Mayor Rudolph Guiliani addressed the city's emotionally devastated and frightened residents, Murray felt inspired by his courage, confidence and ability to lead the public even as the twin towers lay in ruins.

That was when the Fordham University graduate knew she wanted to serve the people of Middletown once she relocated there.

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"Mayor Guiliani was right there with the people taking control of the situation," Murray said in a telephone interview on Friday. "That's when I came to realize that I could actually do something besides just listening to the radio and being a bystander."

At that time, only Murray and her husband Ken would be moving to their home in the township's section. Yet, she knew that eventually they would have children that they would raise in their new community.

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Ten years and three children later, Murray, 36, is embarking on what she describes as her "maiden voyage" as an elected official. She will be sworn to her first term on the shortly after noon at Sunday's reorganization meeting.

Keeping the township an affordable place to live for residents of all ages and maintaining its educational, recreational and cultural amenities tops Murray's list of priorities.

"I'm going to do my part to keep the cost of living in the township affordable and to keep the quality of life as good as it is," said Murray, who also runs a small publishing company from home.

While campaigning this past fall with , Murray championed fiscal responsibilty and carefully spending the taxpayer funds that the governing body has been entrusted to protect. Post-election, she maintains that view.

"Every single dollar spent is a taxpayer's dollar," she said. "It's a dollar in and out of someone's pocket."

Like Fiore, Murray would like to push for more with nearby municipalities and other governmental entitites such as the

The township needs to look carefully at its programs to see if any could be condensed or run with lower operating expenses, she added.

"We just have to batten down the hatches in tough times," she said.

Though she endorses smaller, leaner government, Murray wants to avoid handing out pink slips to any municipal employees.

"I hope that there will be no cuts in jobs," she said.

Murray confirmed that she will be named the mayor's designee to the for 2012. Her appointment will be made official during the re-organization meeting.

Cognizant of the despite losing $183,339 in township funding for the coming year, Murray promised to support the board in protecting those jobs.

"I want to make sure that the library stays the great place that it is," she said. "[The township committee] will be looking to see that it is run efficiently.

Moving beyond township lines, Murray would like to lobby state representatives to sponsor and pass legislation that would allow local governments to operate under less pressure from and with fewer regulations from Trenton.

A former member of the , Murray would like to see laws still on the books in the state house changed to allow municipalities to offer their own low-cost housing options.

Although the state has been abolished, state laws still require municipalities to provide a designated percentage of housing for lower income residents.

Because affordable housing is already unofficially available within the township, Middletown should not be forced to build such units because of mandates from Trenton, said Murray, who is also completing a term on the .

"There is plenty of affordable housing as it is," she said. "This community is very diverse. Affordable housing is scattered throughout the town. We're a 40-square mile town. There's so many price levels around."

A former member of the township's and committees, Murray also started Middletown Mornings, a non-partisan group that met with local officials once a month.

A self-described history buff, Murray says she was surprised to learn that pirates once lived in the township hundreds of years ago. She is a frequent visitor to the "Middletown Room" inside the library's main branch on New Monmouth Road.

"There's so much history here. I always feel that it's overlooked a lot," Murray said. "People don't appreciate our town's rich history."

Murray will succeed departing who chose not to seek a third term on the all-GOP committee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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