All the candidates for township committee agree on one thing – flood remediation is the top priority for Millburn-Short Hills.

Had Irene not flooded homes and businesses and caused the inadequate storm and sanitary sewer systems to back up on Aug. 28, then the other issues facing the township would be bigger, including parking, shared services, downtown redevelopment and planning and zoning issues.

But dealing with problems left in the township by Irene will be the biggest expense and issue for years to come, the candidates agreed at a debate Thursday night hosted by The Short Hills Association.

“As we’re all aware, it’s a grave situation in South Mountain," said Democratic Candidate Stephen Thomas. "We are going to have to spend a lot of money to improve the sewer system there. …Our budget doesn’t have a lot of wiggle room and we’re going to feel it. We need to sit back and take a long, hard look at what we’re spending money on.”

Deputy Mayor and incumbent Robert Tillotson told the crowd at the debate that finding solutions to help alleviate flooding is already the top priority of the Township Committee, which is working hard in various avenues from finding regional solutions to planning for drainage projects in the South Mountain area now.

“We are getting a lot done,” he said. "The hurricane and flood damage and sewer damage is priority No. 1.”

Democrat Seth Levine said he worked on the committee that formed in the wake of Hurricane Floyd to address he same issues and he felt that the Township Committee did not adequately address the situation back then.

“The township chose a parochial fix without engaging towns up and down the river,” Levine said. “...This is not an issue that can be done by Milburn Township alone. It has to be addressed from up river to the ocean. And, yes, it is probably the single largest priority now because it wasn’t done effectively earlier.”

Republican Sari Greenberg agreed that that issue must be the town’s focus, but, she said, she would not “trash talk” the committee.

“That’s not why I’m here,” she said. “The recent Hurricane Irene was a very polarizing issue, obviously.

“It’s critical we that we implement a comprehensive program [to deal with recovery] and not do it in a vacuum. There are multiple moving parts and not all the parts are going to move in unison,” Greenberg said. “Dealing with it is an  absolute priority.”

The four candidates are vying for two open seats on the committee, which is predominantly Republican.

The Democratic challengers say they do not think that township committee members did a good job responding in the immediate days following Irene but that they are taking positive steps in the right direction now.

Tillotson disagreed with the sentiment that township committee members were slow to respond – saying that committee members walked the neighborhood, contacted state and federal officials and called for hearings into Jersey Central Power & Light’s lack of response.

“I know there's this feeling that our Township Committee didn’t do something beforehand or didn’t do anything afterward,” he said. “It’s priority No. 1, and the Township Committee has exhibited that behavior since the day of the storm."

Despite the fact that the flooding issue takes precedence, during the debate, the candidates also touched on other issues such as parking, redevelopment, traffic and zoning issues such as Stop & Shop on the border of Springfield and the Tutor Time property development on the Livingston border.

In the case of the Tutor Time property, they all said they would diligently watch what was happening and do whatever they could to lessen the impact the development on the neighborhood, but what happens is largely up to Livingston.

On the Stop & Shop property, which is in Springfield but would have driveway access on Millburn Avenue, creating even heavier traffic in that area, the candidates they would do everything they could to make it difficult for the store get access to Millburn avenue.

However, both Levine and Thomas said they also don’t think a vacant building sitting there is good for the neighborhood either.

As far as parking and revitalization are concerned, all agreed that the parking deck was needed but Levine and Thomas felt it should have happened 15 years ago when the township first considered it, and thought that it should also be planned keeping redevelopment in mind.

Tillotson, who won his first township committee seat on a campaign against a major revitalization plan, said a redevelopment plan should be something taxpayers want and approve of.

Greenberg said any downtown plan should be also done in consideration of The Mall at Short Hills and should not compete with it. Additionally, she said, much of the revitalization efforts should made by the Downtown Millburn Development Alliance and by businesses.

Members of The Short Hills Assocation were please with the large turnout and said it shows how important the race is. The election is Tuesday, Nov. 8.

The Candidates at a Glance (in alphabetical order):

Sari Greenberg, a Short Hills Republican who grew up in West Caldwell, has lived in the township since 2000 and has children in the schools.  After 15 years as general counsel with NBC Universal, she took a buyout and is spending more time with her family and in her community. She’s running, she says, to give back to the community that has given so much to her and her family.

Seth Levine, a telecommunications consultant and Democrat, has lived in the Wyoming area for 21 years. His children graduated from Millburn High School, and he has long been active in civic organizations and is a regular attendee at Committee meetings.  He says he is running because he feels he can help the township use its tax dollars more efficiently and effectively.

Stephen Thomas, a Democrat who used to work in publishing and now is a property manager, has lived in Millburn since 1994. His children are in High School, and he has been active in civic life, including coaching Little League and being on the town's parking committee. He is running to change what he calls the dismissive way the committee deals with the public and to ask the tough questions.

Incumbent and Deputy Mayor Robert Tillotson, a Republican, has a finance background and has lived in Short Hills more than 15 years and has two sons who graduated from Millburn High School. He has been on the Committee for one term and is running for re-election because, he says, the committee is making progress on issues like parking and flooding and he said he wants to see that through.