There is an undeniable lack of employment and economic opportunities for our year-round residents in Cape May County.
One answer is to establish better and more diverse employment opportunities, independent of the tourism industry – opportunities that are year-round and provide a living wage for our residents.
This is the long-term vision, which requires innovation and planning, something lacking within our current county government.
The other answer focuses on establishing and strengthening programs that prioritize employing our county’s residents in opportunities that already exist within the county. Regrettably, as a county, we have failed to do so, further worsening the economic situation of county residents.
Cape May County boasts a booming tourism industry, which contains nearly 45 percent of the county’s total employment.
Unfortunately, thousands of these positions aren’t filled by our county’s residents, but instead are occupied by foreign students of the J-1 Summer Work Travel Program: a program described as “a scam” and “a source of cheap, exploitable labor.”
This program does little for our residents, employed and unemployed.
This program not only limits job opportunities for unemployed residents, but it also places downward pressure on the wages of American workers, which results from foreign students earning the state minimum wage, and, at times, less than the minimum wage after payroll deductions for rent on employer owned housing, which is often more than the going market rate.
The current Board of Chosen Freeholders has simply ignored these disadvantages to our residents.
This is exemplified by the recent resolution passed that publicly opposes efforts to roll back the J-1 visa program, which has placed our county residents at a disadvantage when it comes to an industry containing nearly half of all employment opportunities. Moreover, it comes as no surprise the resolution was introduced by Freeholder Will Morey, who personally benefits monetarily from the J-1 visa program.
Danielle and I plan to change this mentality on the Board of Chosen Freeholders, a mentality that disregards our working class and places personal and business interests above the interests of county residents.
Please follow us on Facebook, @DaviesandWallforFreeholder, and don’t forget to vote!
Paid for by the Cape May County Regular Democratic Organization
P.O. Box 104, S. Seaville, NJ 08246
