Politics & Government
Red Bank Candidate Profile: Sean Di Somma
Republican Sean Di Somma is seeking a term on the Red Bank Borough Council.
Red Bank voters will head to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Two seats on the Red Bank Borough Council are up for election.
Democratic incumbent Councilwomen Kathleen Horgan and Sharon Lee are being challenged by Republicans Cynthia Burnham and Sean Di Somma for the full-term, three-year seats.
Red Bank-Shrewsbury Patch asked each candidate to respond to the following questions.
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NAME: Sean P. Di Somma
AGE: 31
OCCUPATION: Vice President, Alliance Advisors LLC
1. Please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your background and why you should be elected
My name is Sean Di Somma and I am the Republican candidate for Red Bank Borough Council. I am a Vice President for a shareholder communications firm called Alliance Advisors. I am running to restore honesty, integrity and responsibility to Red Bank’s municipal government. I will work hard for EVERYONE in Red Bank and will always be accessible to the community. I always publish my phone number and give it to anyone I meet. 732-784-8270. In short, I am just a regular guy with a strong background who is trying to make my community better.
2. What do you think distinguishes you from other candidates? What do you bring to the table?
First of all, I am not a politician. I am running against two long time politicians who have adopted the tricks of that trade just like those in Washington. They have raised property taxes by an average of 53% while employing dubious accounting tricks in the budget. They have ballooned our debt load to almost $30 million with no end in sight. We are on a fast track back to "Dead Bank" under their leadership.
I, on the other hand, have brought real ideas to this campaign. I want to create a municipal employee rating system to track performance and constituent service levels here in the Borough. I will never vote for any budget that raises taxes on hard working people here in Red Bank. I will trim the fat from town hall and believe me, there is a lot. I will end the practice of nepotism in hiring at town hall.
In short, there is a stark contrast between my ideas and record and those of my opponents.
3. What are the most pressing issues facing Red Bank today? How would you approach and resolve these issues?
First and foremost, we need to find a way to solve the issue of the water and sewer rates. We are dealing with a 100 year old system which can collapse at any time, is riddled with debt and provides a poor product. We need to look into a potential public-private partnership to solve this problem before we get to the point where we are responsible for tens of millions of dollars in repairs. We have a property tax crisis. I will bring Red Bank municipal government out of the 1940’s and into the 21st century.
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