Manalapan, NJ Democratic Club

Rick Klauber

Candidate Bio: Manalapan Township Committee

Name: Richard H. Klauber
Age: 50
Born: Brooklyn, NY
Married to Amy Klauber. We have 2 children ages 9 and 11. My wife was raised in Manalapan and is a graduate of Manalapan High School. We moved to Manalapan to raise our family in 1997.

Professional:

I am a partner with my wife in the law firm of Klauber & Klauber, LLP. This is a general practice law firm specializing in matrimonial/family law, real estate, wills, business formation, contracts, personal injury, construction litigation and dispute resolution. I am also a Court appointed mediator. We have offices in Ocean Twp, NJ and New York City.

College:

I graduated from the University of Buffalo Law School in 1987 and am admitted to practice law before the Courts of the State of New York and New Jersey. I am also admitted to practice law in Federal Court. I am a member of the Monmouth County Bar Association.

I graduated from Oswego State University in 1980 with a BS degree in Business Administration, concentrating in accounting.

Government Experience:

I was elected to the Manalapan Township Committee in 2006 to serve a 3 year term ending December 31, 2009.

I was unanimously elected to serve as Mayor for the year 2009 by my peers on the governing body.

I have been a member of the Manalapan Planning Board from 2008 to present.

I served as the police commissioner in 2007 and was a member of the finance committee and the Environmental Commission

I am currently the liaison to the Manalapan Arts Council, the Public Works Department, Office of Emergency Management, Recreation Department and Administration Department.

Volunteer Experience:

I have been a volunteer to the Manalapan Soccer Club acting as a Coach and Assistant Coach of both the boys and girls divisions.

I have been a volunteer member of the Manalapan Baseball Association serving as both a Coach and Assistant Coach of the boys division.

Platform:

In 2001, I was an attorney working in a law firm at the World Trade Center. After the destruction wrought on 9/11, I became more focused upon what truly matters in life, family, friends and community. I became active as a volunteer and was asked in 2006 whether I would consider running for elected office on the Manalapan Township Committee. At the time, I was like many residents who were fed up with the partisanship and bickering on the governing body. Instead of merely complaining, I chose to get involved to try to change the public discourse and get things done for our town.

When taking office, I was presented with the dilemma of having a $4,000,000 budget shortfall that was caused as a result the prior governing body overestimating revenues and underestimating expenses. They had depleted the town’s surplus leaving the finances of our town in ruins. My experience as an accounting major provides me with a philosophy that we must act in a financially conservative manner. When we spend the taxpayer’s money, it should be spent wisely and as an investment in our town, not frivolously. I was able to help foster a bi-partisan working relationship with other members of the governing body that has now enabled us to make Manalapan one of the most financially secure town’s in the State. I have been able to place Manalapan in the unique position that allows us to be able to deal with the current economic crisis without having to resort to huge tax increases, budgetary gimmicks, pension deferrals, layoffs, furloughs and cuts in services that were implemented by most town’s in the State.

My goal when re-elected is to continue this smart strategy of conservative financing to ensure that all of our taxes remain stable and that the services that make Manalapan such a wonderful place to live remain in place.

Since taking office, I have confirmed my belief that most politicians govern with an eye on their re-election and do not always do what is needed to solve a problem. I use the analogy that when the roof is leaking, our elected officials will move the furniture and put a bucket under the leak, then argue over the size of the bucket. I believe in common sense approaches and that we should just fix the leak.

When re-elected, I plan on pursuing the following agenda:

Continue my efforts to streamline government to become more efficient and economical.
Implement the recommendations of our energy audit to reduce township expenses.
Continue to find alternative revenue streams so we become less reliant on taxes.
Pursue an incentive based recycling initiative that will put $540 of recycling credits back into our residents pockets while at the same time pump $1,500,000 back into our local economy and reduce township expenses by up to $250,000 per year.
Continue to pursue open space and farmland preservation opportunities which will prevent overdevelopment of our town.
Increase our commuter parking facilities.
Continue to implement the 10 year road maintenance program that I developed.
Continue to provide common sense leadership on the governing body that has enabled us to implement new and better ways of governing.

Questions:

1. To date, what do you feel have been your two (2) greatest professional accomplishments? And two (2) greatest personal accomplishments?

A. I believe that my greatest professional accomplishment to date is taking the risk of leaving a secure 6 figure job at a New York law firm to instead hang my own shingle and start my own successful law practice. This has allowed me to devote more time to my family and to try to make a difference in our community.

Another professional accomplishment I am very proud of is agreeing to get involved in public service to try to make a difference in the lives of the residents of Manalapan. I am proud to have been to be able to use my accounting background to navigate the current economic downturn with the loss of millions of dollars in township revenues to place Manalapan in one of the most secure financial positions in the State. We are now on the right track and I hope to be able to continue to implement my strategy and conservative economic philosophy to have stable municipal taxes far into the future.

A. My 2 greatest personal accomplishments are being a loving husband and father to my children.

2. What new accomplishments do you hope to have achieved by the end of your career in public service?

A. I hope by the end of my time dedicated to public service that I have been able to make a difference for the better in people’s lives. I hope that I have been successful in changing politics for the better. The path that this country is currently on cannot be sustained. Partisanship, personal agendas, pursuit of power, corruption and egos can no longer be the basis of how our government operates. It must change and I hope to demonstrate that here in Manalapan we have some common sense and found a better way to govern. We have begun this trend and are receiving recognition throughout the State for our innovative ways of governing.

3. Assuming that your bid for election is successful, what do you feel are the three (3) most important issues that your office can have an impact on, and what can/will you do to start impacting those issues?

A. I believe that the 3 most important issues currently facing our community are taxes, quality of life and creating jobs for our residents. I pay taxes like every other home owner in town and I have seen taxes triple since I moved here. Most of our taxes go to paying for education. Only 16% of your property tax bill goes for Municipal services. I am dedicated to ensuring that the township continues to operate in a fiscally conservative and responsible manner so that we maintain and improve upon the financial position we are in. We live in a wonderful town that provides us all with terrific services. The continuation of those services has helped us maintain, better than most towns, all of our property values. I intend to preserve those services and make the necessary infrastructure and road improvements so that Manalapan continues to be a desirable place to live. Lastly, many of our fellow residents are facing difficult economic times with the loss of their jobs or the uncertainty of keeping their jobs. While your local government has limited options to address this problem, I believe that we must do what we can. I have initiated a plan to promote our local businesses in an effort to keep them afloat and attract new businesses to our empty malls. My proposal for incentive based recycling also would help in this regard and serve to save and create new local jobs.

4. Where do you see yourself and what will you be doing five (5) years from now? Ten (10) years from now? And why?

A. No one can tell what the future holds for any of us. What I hope is that my family will be blessed with health and happiness. I hope that I will be able to continue to be an active member of my community and continue to touch people’s lives and make a difference. I believe that we have an obligation to give of ourselves to make this a better world for our children and grandchildren.

Rick welcomes the opportunity to get to know you better,

and invites you to contact them to meet with you and your friends to discuss his vision for Manalapan.

Watch this website for event details.

We Need You! Help us help make Manalapan even Better than it is. Please Volunteer. Put Up Signs, Design Campaign Fliers, Make Phone Calls. No Experience Necessary, Just A Positive Attitude! Vote for Rick Klauber!

To help make a difference - contact:

President: Rick Aaronson; Vice-President: Rick Klauber; Secretary/Webmaster: Larry Sherman

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