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Shonna Famularo is running for a seat on the Asbury Park city council on the AP Out Front ticket.

Famularo, 43, lives on Park Avenue with her husband, James Famularo, and their two children, Nicholas, 18, and Joseph, 15. Her husband was previously employed as assistant city manager for the city of Asbury Park, but is currently suspended without pay.

Famularo was born in Neptune and has lived in Asbury Park her whole life, she said. She attended Asbury Park schools, and has worked at Sir Jean’s World of Beauty on Main Street for 12 years. She and her husband started the AP Young Democrats 18 years ago, and registered many voters over the years, she said.

She was a volunteer team mom when her son played Pop Warner football, and helped get food donations from various local businesses. After each pancake breakfast, she and her crew of volunteers took the food to Springwood Avenue to feed teh hungry, she said.

“I wear my heart on my sleeve,” Famularo said. “I love the community where I was born and raised and I feel like I have a lot to contribute to the residents who live here. I’m willing to be as transparent as possible to listen to the people.”

Famularo is running to bring the city together, she said, as she feels things seem to be broken and divided in Asbury Park.

“I’ll bring great ideas as to how we could get this city rolling for all people,” Famularo said.

She believes reducing crime goes hand in hand with rebuilding the city, and that some criminals see the city parts of the city as havens for crime.

“If you fix those areas up, the people in the community would reject those types of activities,” she said. “Criminals don’t like attention. They like being in abandoned areas.”

Famularo emphasizes that parents need to do their part as well.

“I believe in the old way of parenting,” she said. “It takes a village to raise a child. More recreational programs are needed to benefit everyone. We should have camps in various locations depending on where you live.”

Famularo remembers going to camp at age six and looking up to the 17-year-old who supervised her, adding that teenagers could use counselor jobs to keep them busy.

She also believes that there isn’t as much to do now for children as there was when she was growing up in Asbury Park.

“Kids need to experience different things,” she said. “Bungee jumping, parasailing, zipline. Why can’t we have these things on the beach?”

A life vest rental business could also be beneficial, she said, as it could protect children from rough waters and create jobs young people.

“We need a common sense approach to things,” she said. “It’s time we start keeping up with the times.”

Famularo believes the city should have built a parking garage on a strip across from the beach, she said, as parking is “a problem” in her opinion.

She also would like to see the city host more events on the beach.

“Being a breast cancer survivor, I would like to see the [breast cancer] walk hosted here instead of somebody else’s town,” she said. “You can’t get 100 percent of the things you want, but I’m sure going after 99 percent of them.”

The Asbury Park city council election takes place tomorrow, May 14. Twenty-two candidates are vying for five open seats on the council. The current council’s terms end on June 30, and new four-year terms will start on July 1.

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