Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Middletown Candidates Launch Website




Democratic Candidates for Middletown township Committee, Mary Jo Fabiano and Ralph Borgess have launched their campaign website ABetterMiddletown.com.

The launch of the website was timed to correlate with the beginning of the candidates door to door efforts, which began last night in the Bayshore. For those interested, I suggest you check out the website and learn a little about both Mary Jo and Ralph and what their plan is to make Middletown a better place to live.

Below you will find their bio's from the website to get you started.

Mary Jo Fabiano spent a summer in Middletown in 1967 as her family planned their move from Newark to the suburbs. Mary Jo’s parents, Candy and Ed “Doc” Frable, selected a home in neighboring Keansburg. As her mother delved into community and church service in the Bayshore area, Mary Jo’s father continued to work for the Newark Police Department to provide for his family. Mary Jo first sowed her seeds in Middletown in 1973 when she enrolled at Mater Dei High School. Lifelong friendships and ties to the community blossomed. In a home where education was valued and charitable work was modeled, Mary Jo chose a career in Education. She received her BA in Education from Seton Hall University and an MA in Elementary Education from Kean University. In 1994, Mary Jo and her husband Nick, decided to make his home in Middletown, their family home. They have raised two daughters. The oldest attends college and the youngest is enrolled in the Middletown public school system.

Mary Jo has been a teacher in the Keansburg school system since 1984. Mary Jo is the President of the Keansburg Education Association and is the Corresponding Secretary for the Monmouth County Education Association. The local union raises funds for Cancer, Heart and Autism Awareness and participates in holiday gift drives, community food drives and Jeans for Troops. Mary Jo personally serves on the Keansburg School District Health and Safety Committee, which was formed to reduce injury in the workplace. Her role at the county level brings a unique perspective as she works with educators across the county supporting community involvement.

In addition to her time in the classroom, Mary Jo has organized and participated in community based committees designed to improve quality of life inside and outside of school. Among the committees are the KEA PRIDE in Education Committee, which provides educational information and motivational free giveaways to attendees at school community events, and the KEA Philanthropic Committee, which coordinates scholarships to graduating seniors and has increased donations eight fold over the past 5 years.

Mary Jo’s professional and personal relationships and affiliations have enabled her to gain an understanding of the issues and concerns that are present throughout the Township. As an active member of the Middletown community, she sees firsthand the challenges confronted by residents and has formulated strategies to address these challenges. Transparency, objectivity, collaboration, diplomacy, compassion and knowledge are talents that Mary Jo has used in her advocacy and are easily adaptable to governmental service. Mary Jo anticipates that these talents will guide her in representing all of the residents in Middletown.


Ralph Borgess and his family moved to the Middletown Bayshore community of Port Monmouth several years ago. Like many other Bayshore residents, the Borgess family suffered significant damage to their home as a result of Superstorm Sandy. Ralph is intimately familiar with the struggle residents are enduring as they try to rebuild and restore their lives from the upheaval brought about by Sandy. Ralph feels strongly that the needs of flood victims have not been adequately addressed by the Township Committee and that a much more responsive, organized effort is needed to adopt flood protection measures and to ensure the restoration of shore communities and the rebuilding of lives.

Ralph cites the ongoing neglect of the Bayshore and the lack of support the residents received from the Town during and after Superstorm Sandy for prompting him to run for office.

Ralph is an Occupational Health & Safety Manager and does part-time home inspections as the owner of Borgess Home Inspections. As the owner of a small business, Ralph is acutely aware of the need for sound financial planning and execution of the plan to make his business successful. Indeed if sound financial planning is absent from the operation of Ralph’s business, the business suffers. Ralph will bring his business skill and experience to the Township Committee. Ralph established and is the administrator of the Facebook page, “Port Monmouth NJ Flood Relief”, is a member of “Stop FEMA Now” and volunteers his time coaching Monmouth County Youth Flag Football. His wife Stephanie is a stay at home mom, who takes care of their 3 young sons.


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