RED BANK, N.J.—The Democratic mayoral primary here has Councilman Michael K. Ballard and challenger Billy Portman in a contest centered on the borough's form of government, its future development and its transparency to the public.

The two candidates participated in a polite but direct dialogue organized by the League of Women Voters of Greater Red Bank and Southern Monmouth County Tuesday night, May 24.

The league solicited questions from the public sent in advance to the debate organizers, including questions about the Red Bank Charter Study Commission's review of the form of government, affordable housing and taxes, among other issues.

The two are running for the seat currently held by longtime Mayor Pat Menna who was not endorsed by the Red Bank Monmouth County Democrats and chose not to run. Ballard is supported by the Red Bank Democratic organization and is running with the Monmouth County Democrats slate that includes incumbent Councilwoman Angela Mirandi and newcomer John J. Jackson. Portman is running for mayor on the Democrats United for Red Bank line.

In opening statements, Ballard, who has served one term on the council, portrayed himself as the candidate of change for Red Bank. But Portman, who has not held previous office, did not accept that characterization, saying Ballard creates "chaos" not change.

"I saw the ugliness of local politics and I ran for office. I said 'enough'," Portman said. He said residents he has spoken to "thank me for running."

But Ballard said the council this year "is already correcting the direction of the borough," with plans to restore staffing vacancies created by the departures of various professionals, such as the chief financial officer, the IT director and others. "I am proud to be on the new council. We are focused on residents."

Here are highlights of some areas raised at the debate. A recording of the debate can be seen on the League's website.

A major difference between the two candidates is as basic as the form of government each favors for the borough.

Portman said he fully supports nonpartisan election reform, with a council/manager system, in which "everyone runs with an equal chance without a thumb on the scale." Ballard, he said, "benefits from having his thumb on the scale."

The council now has too much control over the professionals in government. "They feel like they have six bosses, " Portman said. The council would still set policy and budget, but a strong manager would oversee the day-to-day operations of the borough.

But Ballard supports the current form of government. "The residents elect the council members that they want to see run the town. The mayor, he said, is the "CEO of the borough." The business administrator "executes the council's policies and wishes."

The charter study commission was formed in 2021 and is currently studying various forms of local government as it develops its proposals.

Ballard, however, said it "feels cooked in the cake" to recommend a nonpartisan government. He said most commission members seemed to support that.

But Portman said residents supported establishing the commission by a 2-to-1 margin. He said nonpartisan towns such as Asbury Park and Ocean Township are "successful" towns with a strong Democratic influence on policies.

Ballard, however, questioned the extent of voter turnout under a nonpartisan government and said he would like to see data that studied disenfranchisement.

These issues struck a chord with both candidates.

Portman said he is a great believer in communication. "I like to listen to people. I want to hear what residents are saying." He said that for the local Democratic organization to reject Menna is favor of Ballard seems like a "dirty trick."

But Ballard countered that "Democracy is not a dirty trick. The people voted for County Committee members" who then choose candidates. He said Menna had four terms and "benefited from the system."

Ballard added that he would support more "hybrid" meetings that could be accessed remotely by residents, such as the first hybrid Borough Council meeting that took place May 25.

(Note: While Portman has no running mates, he is supporting a slate of County Committee candidates who hope to unseat Councilman Ed Zipprich as chairman of the Democratic organization, Red Bank Green has reported.)

Portman noted that businesses not only pay taxes to the borough but also to RiverCenter. Rather than a fairness issue, he said the number of tax-exempt properties is a "challenge" for the borough.

Ballard said he sees the tax burden skewing more toward the residents.

Payments in lieu of taxes:

Portman is not in favor of payments in lieu of taxes across the board, unless applied to affordable housing projects.

Ballard agreed that 30-year tax abatements are a "nonstarter" but affordable housing projects can be granted them for five years.

"Red Bank has a small town feel and any developers have to fit that character," Ballard said.

But Portman said the borough has not updated the master plan since 1995, and Ballard voted against revising it. He said the former Mayor Ed McKenna now represents developers as an attorney and supports Ballard's candidacy. "It's the old Red Bank," Portman said.

Portman said he understands people have a right to sell their homes for fair market value. "But we can't leave the less fortunate behind." He added that this has been a concern of his not only on the local front but also as a Democrat working on the national scene.

He said affordable housing can be achieved by meeting the state-mandated formula; finding developers who specialize in that area, and creating private-public partnerships to meet or exceed the requirements.

Ballard said he also supports expanding affordable housing, and recommends working with the Housing Authority to possibly expand on existing affordable housing locations, such as on Montgomery Terrace.

Local measures to combat climate change:

Ballard pointed to the plastic bag ban the town had implemented and storm drain improvements to address environmental concerns. But he did not feel the infrastructure was in place for an electric mobile fleet for the borough as yet.

Portman said there were "clear areas" where the national and the local merge on this issue. The borough can set emissions reductions, transition to electric vehicles, make building more efficient and train staff in these areas, he said.

In closing remarks, the candidates summarized their positions and reasons for running, including these partial comments:

"We have a real opportunity to make some changes. This may be the best chance we have to put an end to machine politics," Portman said, reiterating that he supports nonpartisan government and updating the master plan, which, he said, Ballard has voted against.

But Ballard said Portman was not previously a presence on municipal issues. "Apparently, he was happy with the way Mayor Menna was running things, and found it offensive that anyone would dare to try and change the leadership. I'm the next leader to lead Red Bank in a new direction. "

The candidates provided Patch these bios, slightly edited here:

William J. "Billy" Portman: "I am 53. I have been married to my wife Emily for 29 years and and we have three children, ages 15 to 26. I am a general contractor, specializing in medical office fit-ups. I graduated from George Washington University with a B.A. in Literature. I sing in a local cover band called So Watt, and I also write and record original music."

Michael K. Ballard: "I am 59 and have worked as an accountant/financial analyst for the past 22 years. I've been married to my wife Rose, who was born and raised in the borough, for seven years with one stepdaughter and three grandchildren. I enjoy traveling, attending baseball games and spending time with my family."

The Red Bank primary is June 7. Although there is a Democratic contest for mayor, there is no Democratic contest for Borough Council. Democrats Angela Mirandi and John J. Jackson are running for two seats on the council. On the Republican side, Brian Irwin is running unopposed for the mayoral nomination. Christine Stout and Jonathan Penney are running unopposed for the two council nominations.

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