Field of 5 looks to fill Helmetta seats this fall Two incumbents are among those seeking three council terms BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer Three of the six seats on the Helmetta Borough Council will be up for grabs this November. And, as usual, there will be a contest, with five candidates on the ballot seeking two available three-year terms and a one-year unexpired term. John Caputo, an independent who was appointed by the council to fill the unexpired term vacated by Sandra Buchan, is running to serve for the remaining year, challenged by Democrat Gerald Everest. This is Caputo's first run for office. "I'm involved in almost everything that goes on, and I work part time, so I have time," Caputo said. Caputo has lived in Helmetta for nine years with his wife, Theresa. He has four adult children and 11 grandchildren. He has been a member of the Holy Name Society at Most Holy Redeemer Church in Old Bridge for 14 years. Caputo worked as a service manager in the automotive business for 42 years until he retired four years ago. He was in the Army Reserve from 1959 to 1965. He currently works part time as a maintenance person at the Heather Glen condominiums, where he resides. Everest has resided in Helmetta for 16 years. He has a wife, Barbara, and a son, Gregory, 16, and is the owner and operator of Helmetta Lawn and Garden, and Scots Lawn Service of Middlesex County. He ran unsuccessfully as a Republican in last year's council election. He did not return phone calls for this story, but in an e-mail said the current governing body has not made progress, and that any projects being completed were already in place from the prior administration. Everest said he wants more accountability on the parts of elected officials, and better communication between the mayor, council and the residents. He said he offers expertise in business and management, and would strive to cut spending. Current Borough Council President Vincent Asciolla, an independent who was first elected three years ago, is one of the three candidates for the three-year seats, along with fellow independent Robert Janeczek and Democrat Barbara Raczynski. "The positive things we've been doing, we can keep on doing," Asciolla said. He has lived in town for eight years with his wife, Gina, and three children, Michael, 10, Taylor, 8, and Gianna, 6. He coaches baseball in Spotswood and Milltown. Asciolla owns a small trucking company called Bast, which recently moved from Secaucus to Milltown. Janeczek also ran for election as an independent last year, losing by about 20 votes. "It's a tight little town, and I want to get involved. There are a lot of possibilities here," Janeczek said. He has lived in the town for three years and has served on the Zoning and Planning Board for 2 1/2 years. The East Brunswick native has been employed for 16 years with Dennis and Don's Collision Center in North Brunswick. He has two children, T`ea, 7, and Blake, 10. He volunteers his time for recreational events in the town. Raczynski, who ran for mayor as a Democrat two years ago, served as Board of Education president in Helmetta for 19 years. "I think having someone with school board experience will add a new dimension to the council, in regard to financial matters," she said. Raczynski has lived in the town for 21 years with her husband, Tony. She has two daughters, Jessica Thompson, of Brick Township, and Rebecca, of Norfolk, Va. She is a retired dental hygienist. Currently a trustee for an education foundation, Raczynski serves as part of the governing board at St. George's Episcopal Church in Helmetta, and also volunteers for the Middlesex County Flood Commission. Also a member of several professional groups, Raczynski was nominated and appointed to represent Helmetta in the Metropolitan Who's Who Registry, and was also nominated for Greater Media Newspapers' "Greater Women of New Jersey." Property taxes in Helmetta have been on the rise, Raczynski said. While 90 percent of that is due to school taxes, that is a variable that cannot feasibly be controlled, she said. "One thing we cannot do is try to stabilize community taxes by stabilizing school taxes," Raczynski said. Instead, Raczynski thinks the town should better control municipal spending, specifically in the area of recreation. Council members agreed to give up their salaries last year, and the extra money was applied to what she believes was an overspent recreation budget. "Why not give it back to the taxpayer?" Raczynski asked. While she is in favor of recreational activities in town, she said these things only apply to certain members of the community. "When it's time to penny-pinch and really say, 'What do we need, and what can we do without?,' maybe that is one thing we can do without," Raczynski said. "One of the things that I seriously believe needs a lot of accountability is finances in town." Asciolla also said there is a need to stabilize taxes. He cited school taxes as a large part of the problem. It's a statewide problem, causing big businesses and citizens to leave New Jersey, he said. He said that eventually the governor will have to separate school taxes from the property tax bill in order to alleviate the problem. "This year it's the same thing. Something has got to give," Asciolla said. With redevelopment plans for the snuff mill moving along, candidates voiced their opinions on the project and what it would do for Helmetta. "It's a big plus for the town, and being that [the proposed new housing] is age-restricted, it won't impose on our school budget. It will just help it," said Janeczek. Caputo agreed. "It's vacant, it's been sitting there 12 years. I would think that if it was beautiful or had historic value, someone would have done something. [The redevelopment] will be good for us," Caputo said. Asciolla said he, too, supports the mill redevelopment, and that it has been a long time coming. Raczynski, on the other hand, said the mill should have been zoned for more commercial purposes in order to increase tax ratables for the town. She said it should include professional office space, as well as upscale retail stores. "I think putting 200-some apartments there is going to create more problems to the infrastructure of the community than if it was more commercial," Raczynski said. She also said she was not pleased with the designs for the buildings. "I found them to be very generic," Raczynski said. "It did not in any place have a historic look about it. It didn't represent what the town is all about. Whatever we do there, it should do something to honor that area."