RED BANK TOGETHER MAYORAL & COUNCIL CANDIDATES MEET THE PRESS

 Portman’s Refusal of one-on-one Mayor’s Debate Prompts Hogan’s Team to Hold Round Table Discussion

April 14, 2023, Red Bank Together Mayoral Candidate Tim Hogan called current Mayor Portman’s refusal to sit for a one-hour face to face a “disservice to the people we seek to represent.”  Hogan said Portman’s decision left him no choice but to gather local reporters together for the round table discussion with members of his Red Bank Together team at the Oyster Point Hotel on April 12.

“Replacing the entire mayor and council in one fell swoop makes this the most important election in Red Bank’s history, and the voters deserve more than the one minute sound-bite answers permitted at the first debate” which included all 15 candidates, said Hogan. He continued, “How can voters understand our visions for the future, capabilities and overall qualifications based on such minimal information?”

Campaigning door-to-door, Hogan’s team indicated that a number of residents are unaware of the changes that will occur as a result of this election and how the newly elected leaders will impact the issues that are front of mind. “People are concerned about taxes, code enforcement, cannabis regulation, development, traffic, parking…it’s wrong to deny them the opportunity to fully understand where the mayoral candidates stand on these issues—they deserve to see how we answer these questions, fully and without a one minute time limit.”

The Two River Times and the Vogel Theater offered to partner and hold a debate. Portman declined. Hogan requested that Portman pick a date, and “we never heard back from him.” Hogan said “That is when I decided to ask members of my team to join me for a round table discussion with the local press.”

Hogan and running mates Erin Fleming, Linda Hill and Sean Murphy engaged in a lively one-hour exchange of ideas and viewpoints with reporters from the Asbury Park Press, Two River Times, and Red Bank Patch with Tri-City News publisher Dan Jacobson representing both his publication and asking questions on behalf of Red Bank Green, who could not attend.

To watch the discussion, please visit:

https://www.facebook.com/RedBankTogetherNJ/videos/799106674412916/