Council Candidate Profile: Matthew Sage (D)

Editor's Note: Each of the six candidates running for three at-large seats on the Toms River township council responded to a questionnaire sent by Toms River Patch. Their answers to our questions will be published on our site verbatim. We have disabled comments on profile articles to ensure the candidates' statements speak for themselves and readers can decide, without additional, potentially anonymous commentary, their view on those running for office.

Matthew Sage, Democrat candidate for at-large council seat.

Biography: Point O'Woods Drive, Toms River resident. Attorney, primary office in Toms River.

Please briefly explain what professional and civic/volunteer experience you have. Feel free to include job experience, awards, or schooling.

I have provided volunteer legal assistance for "Wills For Heros" and "A Day of Service", both of which benefit first responders to catastrophic events. I volunteer as attorney coach for the Monsignor Donovan Mock Trial Team. I am a member of Rotary International and the Benevolent Protective Order of the Elks.

What are your key concerns about Toms River? What issues do you hope to address? 

I believe the most pressing issue in Toms River this election season is the unnecessarily high cost of local government.

 What do you think should be done to resolve those issues?

If elected, I will push for the Council to revisit the Open Space Tax, and reduce the amount of taxation on residents to amounts prior to Toms River’s re-evaluation so that Toms River collects the same amount as before.  In the past three years since the re-evaluation, it appears that Toms River residents have been unnecessarily taxed more than 4.5 million dollars. Especially in these difficult economic times, an immediate reduction in this tax is necessary, and a responsible governing body must be consistently thinking of ways to save taxpayer money. 

How do you plan to serve the council and the residents of Toms River in a meaningful way?

Additionally, it is time to take a careful look at how much money can be saved by dissolving the independently operated Toms River Municipal Utilities Authority, and merging any essential functions into town hall.  The TRMUA days of operating as an autonomous “shadow government” must cease. The TRMUA needs to be held responsible to the ratepayers, which can only be accomplished through more transparency.  Certainly, the roughly $25,000.00 salary and benefit packages provided to its Commissioners needs to be eliminated or drastically reduced.

What motivated you to run this year?

In the wake of the recent scandal involving the school board, I believe it is more important than ever to ensure that residents of Toms River can be confident that the days of wasteful “back room deals” are over, and fiscal responsibility returns. 

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