Meet the candidates for Monroe mayor and where they stand on the issues
Monroe Mayor Stephen Dalina, a Democrat, and Republican Ward 3 Councilman Charles Dipierro are on the township’s mayoral ballot this year.
Dalina was appointed interim mayor in January 2021, following the death of Mayor Gerald Tamburro in December 2020. He defeated Republican challenger Steve Martin for the two-year unexpired term in 2021.
Stephen Dalina (D)
Age: 56
Years residing in town: My wife and I have lived in Monroe Township for 25 years, since 1998.
Previous government service (boards and elected office): Before being appointed mayor, I served on the Township Council since 2011, with the opportunity to serve as council president. I’ve also served as chair of both the Zoning Board and the Recreation Advisory Board. For many years, I was a member of the Monroe Township Baseball Association Executive Board, volunteering as league president in 2007 and 2008. When I was a councilman, I sat on the Monroe Township Library Board, the Citizens Review Board as chairman and the Affordable Housing Commission as chairman.
Other experience: I earned an undergraduate degree in History from Rider University and a graduate degree in Library and Information Science from Rutgers University. At Rutgers University, I am the Director for Business Services and oversee the University Record Management Program. I also serve as a part-time faculty member at the School of Communication. In addition, I serve on several academic and professional boards and associations to remain current in my profession.
Why are you running for mayor?
First appointed and then elected as mayor in 2021, my goals for Monroe were clear from the beginning, to keep Monroe affordable, to keep our township safe, and to draft a new Master Plan with the help of our citizens that would be focused on the preservation of open space. I’m very proud to say that we have met those early goals. Monroe’s municipal tax rate is the second lowest in Middlesex County, with no municipal tax increase in the last three years. We’ve made critical investments in public safety, including additional police officers and crime-fighting technology; and the Master Plan review was completed in 2022 with over 85,000 suggestions from our residents. But our work is not finished. I am proud and prepared to lead this community into the future and vow to continue to control taxes, and to ensure Monroe remains one of the safest and most affordable municipalities to raise your family and to retire.
Why should people vote for you instead of your opponent?
I stand by my record as a council member and as mayor. I have listened to our citizens and taken action. Public safety remains a top priority, and I also want to further strengthen our superior township services, continue to stabilize municipal taxes, fight truck traffic in residential neighborhoods, preserve at least 50% of Monroe’s land area as permanent open space, and work with the community to find new opportunities to improve our quality of life. My team has taken residents’ requests and incorporated them into new facilities, services, and programs to serve them, such as adding sports fields and playgrounds, building affordable housing for veterans, and improving small business areas and other places where our residents want to be.
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After talking to residents, what is their biggest concern?
I believe residents across New Jersey all have similar concerns: high taxes, safety and the build out of our state. People choose Monroe because of its beautiful landscape, excellent schools, top-notch municipal services, high property values, the second lowest tax in the county, and because it is a safe and affordable community in Central Jersey.
What are the three biggest challenges facing your town and what is your approach to solving them?
Keeping municipal taxes under control. My team keeps tight control over our municipal finances, which has led to three straight budgets without a municipal tax increase. We have an AA+ Bond Rating, this allows us to borrow money more affordably when necessary. As an example, we must continue to improve our infrastructure and services, so I work closely with Trenton to secure grant funding to support these improvements.
Keeping our community safe. Recently, there has been an increase overall in New Jersey in scams, auto thefts, and catalytic converter thefts. While we continue to be one of the safest cities in New Jersey, we have intensified our policing efforts and heavily invested in new technology to help fight crime. As mayor, I directed the increase of our police force to 67 sworn officers, outfitted our officers and patrol cars with cameras, and installed license plate readers on our township roads and patrol cars. Our detectives are out in the community speaking to citizen groups about fraud, scams, and personal safety. Our EMS ambulance answers over 11,500 calls annually, caring for each patient in a professional and compassionate manner.
Overdevelopment plagues all communities in New Jersey. Houses and warehouses are moving through the state, taking acres of land with them. Like other municipalities, Monroe is required by state court order to allow affordable and market rate housing in the township. Over 96% of all new residential construction over the next five years is the result of the state court order. One goal will continue, to purchase as much open space as possible. The township is guided by the 2022 Master Plan and continues to purchase areas of open space as they come to market. I directed immediate investment into our Parks and Recreation facilities. Our professionals are keeping an eye on our environment to make sure we are keeping sensitive wetlands and animal habitats safe for future generations.
Do you have any special projects you would like to achieve in office?
One of the largest areas of concern brought forward by residents in the Master Plan review was the desire to have additional parks, playgrounds, and fields in the township. Additionally, folks called for new sports accommodations to be built including volleyball, pickleball and cricket.
I took immediate action, assembling a team of professionals to help design a multiyear recreation investment plan. This continued work that started while I was on council when we began to build restrooms and concessions in some of our major sports complexes. I am proud to bring this to fruition, to keep all Monroe residents, from kids to seniors, moving and well.
How do you intend to stop overdevelopment in the township?
Again, our best defense against overdevelopment is working with our local and state partners to secure additional acres of open space. We will continue to fight to reduce the effects of our affordable housing obligations, and to reduce the number of units we are required to build in this and future rounds of affordable housing mandates. We will be guided by the Master Plan to ensure that our infrastructure is improved and maintained to its maximum lifespan.
Charles Dipierro (R)
Age: 62
Years residing in town: I have lived in Monroe Township for 62 years.
Previous government service (boards and elected office): Current Councilman Ward 3 for the past five years and current Fire Commissioner District 1 from 2004 to current.
Volunteer activities: Co-chairman Monroe Industrial Commission and Co-chairman Economic Development; coached baseball and basketball.
Why are you running for mayor?
I am running for mayor because I have the knowledge and experience of the past and current administration in Monroe Township. I have a bachelor’s degree from Stockton State College in business. At a young age I always had a passion for our township. I am a local businessman for over 40 years and have attended many meetings watching our past and current mayors change the landscape of Monroe. I understand progress must take place, but with controlled growth. Our overgrowth is due to the disconnect between the various boards in Monroe. As mayor, I will bring together all boards, (planning, zoning, education, and council) to better our township.
Why should people vote for you instead of your opponent?
I do believe my experience and knowledge can keep our growth and taxes controlled. As a Monroe Township graduate, I understand and acknowledge that our schools are overcrowded. As a councilman for Ward 3 and commissioner for Fire District 1, I see the challenges our township faces daily. As a local business owner, I would support our local businesses. I would include residential trash pickup in our property taxes.
After talking to residents, what is their biggest concern?
Monroe Township residents have many concerns about our current administration. The overcrowded schools continue to grow from year to year under this administration. The overbuilding has changed our township, and continues every day, including the infrastructure. Residents continue to have concerns with the truck traffic throughout Monroe. The residents are very concerned about their safety in Monroe. Taxes are also a big concern, as many of our residents are on a fixed income.
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What are the three biggest challenges facing your town and what is your approach to solving them?
Monroe has continued overbuilding but has only fulfilled 25% of 2015 affordable housing obligation to date. The developers/professionals make political donations to my opponent’s team to assure approvals. I do not accept political donations from developers and wouldn't allow them to control Monroe's growth. Our current mayor doesn't sit on the Planning Board but appoints his party’s committee people to zoning and planning boards. I would work hard for the hardworking people of Monroe to stop this procedure. The continued truck traffic throughout Monroe is growing every day. The current Master Plan fails to address this along with no future school sites, first responder sites, and main street. We need to have local road delivery only, with truck weight limits. We need to work with State Police for truck safety stops. Monroe flooding issues have continued to expand as the overbuilding continues to grow. The infrastructure throughout Monroe needs to be addressed as builders construct but don't contribute to our infrastructure. We need to control future growth and ask builders for a fair share of infrastructure including traffic lights and expanding lanes.
Do you have any special projects you would like to achieve in office?
As mayor there are many special projects that I would work on every day, such as taxes, safety, overbuilding, truck traffic and overcrowded schools. I have the knowledge and experience in all to make Monroe a better township for our children, families, and seniors. Our township used to be the Middlesex County town with the lowest taxes, and I would work hard on returning us back to No. 1.
How do you intend to stop overdevelopment in the township?
The current administration continues to blame the 2015 affordable housing for being the main reason for overdevelopment, yet, they failed to meet the quota and only have 25% of the 800 homes constructed. The next phase (3) of affordable housing will be in 2025. The current administration has allowed the developers to overbuild marketable homes but not affordable homes. This has resulted in overcrowded schools (trailers as classrooms), traffic, and infrastructure. Their poor planning and accepting political contributions for their campaigns have sold out our residents. As mayor, I would have more commercial zoning on state highways, and a Master Plan that doesn't negatively impact our township.
Email: sloyer@gannettnj.com
Susan Loyer covers Middlesex County and more for MyCentralJersey.com. To get unlimited access to her work, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Monroe Township NJ mayor election candidate profiles
