Leadership. Experience. Teamwork. Results.

If you have a question, please email me at rbonker@ptd.net.

You can also follow me on my campaign's Facebook page.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1.  Why are you running for Council again?
At the end of August my youngest daughter left for her sophmore year of college. As an "empty-nester" I now have the time required to serve my hometown as a Council Member. The voters deserve a choice and I am willing to offer my services.  I also believe in servant leadership, and this is an opportunity to provide it.  In the Parable of the Faithful Servant, Jesus tells his followers "to whom much is given, much is expected."  Byram helped to give me a great start in life, I want to help give back.

2.  What do you think about the municipal building controversy?
I believe there has been a lot of heat but not a lot of light. As an engineer might say, the signal to noise ratio is poor. Passing two ordinances and rescinding them does not solve the problem. Submitting referendum petitions does not solve the problem. We must analyze the long-term economics of using whatever space the building sub-committee and the engineering firm recommends.  We need to be honest about the costs of retrofitting those spaces and also cognizant of any lost tax revenues that would result if we bought an existing building. We CAN solve this problem, but only after re-considering every option to fix, build, or move, and perhaps the best answer will involve all three. This is a multiple variable constrained minimization problem, which CAN be solved after cooperative iterations between the Council, the administration, and the professionals. In other words, it is hard work, but we can arrive at the best answer only if we all work together as a team.

3.  Why should I trust you to look out for the taxpayer?
Because I have done it in the past, and because it is in my own family's economic interests. My family owns five homes in Byram, and we plan to hold them for a very long time. Paying 5 tax bills every quarter will definitely keep your attention on tax rates. Let me provide an example. For every Byram tax dollar we spent on the Open Space Committee, we managed to attract nine dollars from other sources. 
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4.  Didn't your daughter write a book about autism?
Yes, my daughter Elizabeth and my wife Virginia wrote I Am In Here: The Journey of a Child with Autism Who Cannot Speak but Finds Her Voice.  The book has sold over 30,000 copies, and they are currently working on the sequel. If you want a hardcover copy, I would be happy to provide it. My son and my daughter were both diagnosed with autism on the same day. Both of them are now going to college. Miracles happen.

My three children: Elizabeth (left), Gale (middle), and Charles (right)