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A Town Turned Around
09/01/2005 - By Gena Lande Mayor Robert Kleinberg, longtime, active member of the Marlboro community, describes some of his political experiences, his role models, his goals, and his personal life.
Two years ago, Dr. Robert Kleinberg's life changed forever. This 18-year resident of Marlboro was elected mayor after having been an active member of his community, serving on the Board of Education as well as coaching Marlboro Soccer and Little League.
None of these roles, however, could have prepared him for what lay ahead as mayor. In just 18 months he has accomplished much of what he set out to do, including stopping corruption in the town and changing the face of the town council. He led a newly appointed planning board that has adopted a sound master plan for the town, which it hasn't had in years. Most of all he is proud of the new and improved "resident-friendly" atmosphere at town hall. Under a new policy he established, any resident who leaves town hall without accomplishing his goal is referred to Kleinberg's aide or the business administrator for further assistance.
Of course, the Mayor's main goal is to conquer the residential overdevelopment that has plagued the town over the last two decades. He has said that overdevelopment and high taxes are the two main reasons he ran in the first place. The main issues in Marlboro continue to be high property taxes, overdevelopment, and their impact on the infrastructure.
The population increase in Marlboro tells the story concerning the overdevelopment issue: 100 percent in 15 years, with 40,000 today as compared to 20,000 in 1990. This rapid growth is a direct result of development going unchecked because of a corrupt local government. Indictments have been handed down for four men, including: the former mayor, who has since pleaded guilty to corruption charges and has been convicted; a former utility authority commissioner and Democratic leader, who had also pled guilty; a local developer charged with bribery; and the longest serving planning board member, who had pled guilty to taking bribes. At the present time and in spite of the overdevelopment, the state is still mandating that additional units for low- and moderate- income residents be built. Mayor Kleinberg has appealed to the state to back off this requirement and reduce the number of affordable units to be built, believing that until the outcome of the federal investigations are known Marlboro Township should not have to build them.
Although Mayor Kleinberg has set lofty goals for Marlboro, after spending the day with him you get the feeling that he will accomplish every single one of them. In the Mayor's "spare time" he is a licensed chiropractor with 23 years of professional experience. He resides in Marlboro with his wife and two children.
LIM: How did you come to be the mayor of Marlboro?
RK: I was not involved in politics at all. I was a resident that had problems with my home. I went to the building department and to the builder, but to no avail. Finally, with nowhere else to turn, I went to town hall and spoke to the town engineer. They too were totally unresponsive. The issue was the stucco on the outside of my house. The builder installed synthetic stucco called EIFS, which causes major problems. It was common to use this material ten years ago when a lot of these houses were first built. The houses appear fine on the outside but it causes enormous problems inside. Ceilings fall down, there are stains on the walls, and the scariest part of all is that no none knows what is happening inside the walls. One night I happened to be watching Dateline NBC and they had an expose on it. There are actually class action lawsuits occurring across the country. The only way to remediate the problem is to remove the outer layer, which is an enormous expense to the homeowner. I went back to town hall armed with this new evidence and still they could care less. I contacted lawyers because I thought about suing the builder. They all wanted quite a bit of money up front, and it was then that I realized that paying on an hourly basis to an attorney does not work to fight these major corporations and builders. It can turn into a huge expense. At this point, I was ready to put my tail between my legs and give up. Then one day I was standing in my kitchen and the doorball rings; it was Mayor Scannapieco. He was campaigning door-to-door (in retrospect, he probably wished he did not knock on my door because he woke up a sleeping dog) and he asked me how I felt about living in the town. I told him that I was not happy at all. I showed him my ceilings that were dropping and he acknowledged it was a real problem and said we should get the building engineer and other officials to come take a look at it. Within a couple of weeks they came and I was quite impressed. Then the election comes, he gets reelected for his third term and I called him over 50 times and never called me back. If I had not had this problem with my house I never would have realized how unresrponsive and inept government could be. There are many people who go through this with government and they just accept it as the "way it is." Then one day I got a call from the Republican Party Chair; it was Valentine's Day, I remember because my wife and I had a fight. He asked me my opinion about the current mayor. I was a vociferous opponent of Scannapieco and I told him why I felt he was not doing a good job. He said my name came up from a couple of sources to run for mayor. I started to think about it- that it could be fun- and of course all the work that would be involved. My wife was totally against it, she did not me to run. However, we were able to strike a compromise. She had always wanted a puppy and I never did, so the deal was that if I decided to run she would get a puppy. Little Spike, our mini Schnauzer, is the result of that agreement. We got Spike and I ran for mayor.
LIM: How did serving as a member of the school board prep you for your current role as mayor?
RK: Serving on the school board has made me keenly aware of the impact that overdevelopment has on schools and taxes. Our schools are growing by 200 students each year and every 800 students is a new school. Our schools are swelled to bursting and our local roads are congested. This leads to all kinds of other problems, like flooding and drainage issues. I learned, while on the school board, about collective bargaining agreements. I also learned about state mandates. This means that the state can tell you to do something but does not tell you how to fund it. I came to the realization that the school board's budget is a function of what is happening in the township. I realized that by continuing to give all of these variances and allowing all these houses to be built, it contriburtes to the serious issue of overcrowding. With more houses come more children, with more children you need more schools at an enormous expense to the taxpayer.
When I ran for the school board I, like many local residents, started to ask a question: if they are building so many houses, why are my taxes going up instead of down? Because Marlboro is considered a "wealthy" district we get minimal state aid for our schools. So although our expenses continue to rise, the state aid has remained level. The amount of money that is being collected on a new home does not pay for a child's education.
The average tax for one child in school is $9,500. That is why taxes are going up and not down. The way the state funds education is very unfair to a place like Marlboro, and needs to be changed.
LIM: What are some of the accomplishments you are particularly proud of?
RK: I appointed new members to the planning board who share the same anti-overdevelopment philosophy as I do; hence not a single major subdivision has been approved since I have been mayor. We have also rid municipal government of "no-show" jobs and negotiated with municipal employees whereby they contribute to their health benefits. In addition, the planning board has adopted a new nmaster plan that upsizes open space to a minimun of five acres and establishes a commercial zone to attract ratables.
LIM: What makes a good leader?
RK: H. Ross Perot said, "I don't have a guaranteed formula for success, but I do have one for failure; if I try and please everyone I will fail every time." When you are a leader you have to get your facts organized and surround yourself with good people. You must follow your heart and act on what you know to be the right thing. I am not perfect, but I listen to my constituents and to the professionals and try and develop solutions to complex problems. I think honesty is the most important attribute when it comes to effective leadership. People in this town were very concerned about the corruption in government because if the government is corrupt nothing else works. You can pass all the laws you want but if those key people are corrupt, the laws will not be enforced. They figure out loopholes to circumvent the law or they hire professionals to figure out these loopholes. The bottom line is that government must be honest. When I was elected, the FBI and Attorney General were already investigating the town. From the beginning we developed a relationship with them and were very fortthcoming with regards to evidence. My staff and I made the decision to work diligently and cooperate with the federal authorities to the fullest extent.
LIM: What sets you apart from other local politicians?
RK: I like to tell issues the way they are without putting a partisan spin on them. I like to be honest with people and tell them the facts. I am the type of person who likes to think outside the box. For instance, I was very impressed with the way Jet Blue ran their business model. I wrote the CEO a letter asking him for advice and to share some of his ideas. I figured many of those ideas could cross over successfully into the public sector. Instead of improving the "customer experience" as Jet Blue says, I wanted to work on improving our "resident experience." The head of their public relations department wrote back inviting 18 of my personnel to attend "Jet Blue University," which is a seminar held at their corporation at their expense. In addition, once I received my party's nod to run I realized that the corruption in this town was completely bipartisan. The corruption that occurred had nothing to do with party lines. I broke the mold because I raised my own money; this "pay to play" should not be a guarantee that you have a job. Once I got elected I broke tradition and refused to sit down with the party bosses and discuss who would be appointed to the various boards. These appointments are not longer made behind closed doors; rather, they are done in a open public forum.
LIM: How do you feel about the proposed rail line going through Marlboro?
RK: I am strongly against the rail line and would rather work with the state to enhance the commuter parking situation.
LIM: What are some of the changes that have been implemented locally:
RK: Once the Republicans had the majority of the township council (with the addition of Councilman Jeff Cantor) it was a lot easier to get things done. The people I brought on with me share my philosophy that this town was corrupt in the past and it was going in the wrong direction. Our township council is currently comprised of five members, three Republicans and two Democrats. Jeff Cantor won the fifth seat in November, which had been vacated by Democrat Senator Ellen Karcher, therefore giving the Republicans the majority. Onc critical change is that now poor decisions by the zoning board can be directly appealed to the town council. Also, a law was passed that would allow people to easily enhance their backyards instead of having to spend their money going before a non-resident-friendly zoning board to appeal issues. We have turned a major corner in this town. We can't undo the past, but we are starting to lay down the ground work for improvements and allow our infrastructure to catch up with all the building that has been done. I realized that there are certain things in the township we could do to make changes. One major one was to stop giving so many variances for more buildings and houses.
LIM: Tell us a little bit about your background growing up.
RK: I grew up in Brooklyn. My parents, Rubin and Bernice Kleinberg, were lifetime residents of Brooklyn until relocating to Tamarac, Florida in 1992. After my mother's passing in March 2004, my father spends his summers in Marlboro and returns to Florida in the fall. Living with my father, for six months a year, has given me a daily reminder of how difficult it is for senior citizens to survive in today's economy: rising raxes, high costs of prescription medicine, and gasoline. My father once teased me as I was reprimanding my children for leaving on all the televisions and lights in the whole house, "Now you know how it feels to work all day and pay the bills for the wasted electricity." He always concludes, "You'll be a senior one day!" That is why I am working so hard with our Senior Advisory Board to better the quality of life for our active adults. I want to make sure that living in Marlboro remains affordable because we want the grandmas and grandpas close to their families.
LIM: What lessons have you learned from your father?
RK: To never give up and fight for what is right, no matter what the odds. I have diligently worked, and will continue to labor, for the many Marlboro active adults who have chosen to retire in our great town. For instance, when there was a shortage of flu vaccines in Monmouth County I made sure that each and every senior who wanted a vaccine got one. Moreover, I will continue our well-noted reputation for the greatest adult programming in Monmouth County.
LIM: Tell us a little bit about your family life.
RK: I have a 9-year-old daughter and a son who is 11. I am married to my wife Stacy for 13 years. And of course we have our dog, Spike.
LIM: When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up?
RK: I was in a wheelchair when I was a kid and I went to a chiropractor and he helped me a great deal. That is why I always wanted to be a chiropractor.
LIM: Tell us a little about your Chiropractic practice.
RK: I have an office in Brooklyn and I am affiliated with De Luca Family Chiropractic in Old Bridge. I have been practicing for 23 years.
LIM: Where did you attend school?
RK: I attended Brooklyn College and received my Doctor of Chiropractic degree from New York Chiropractic College in Old Westbury, New York. I received certification in Neurophysiology from Harvard Medical School.
LIM: Will you run for a second term?
RK: That remains to be seen. Before I got elected, I ran on two campaign promises: stop overdevelopment and stop corruption. I am working diligently to accomplish those goals.
LIM: What are your thoughts on the town of Marlboro?
RK: Marlboro is still a great place to live and raise a family. It is close to Manhattan, but gives you the whole "suburban experience." We have an excellent school district and great senior programming. There are beautiful parks, great schools, wonderful recreation facilities, and an amazing swim club. Whether you are into athletics or the arts, there is something here for everyone.
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