12 Candidates Address Middle Township Chamber

BURLEIGH – Middle Township Chamber of Commerce hosted its 2019 Candidates Night Oct. 23. Invited were those running for state Senate and General Assembly, Cape May County Board of Chosen Freeholders, and Middle Township Committee.
Freeholder
The evening kicked off with freeholder candidates. Incumbents Gerald Thornton and E. Marie Hayes are seeking re-election against challengers Joyce Gould and Elizabeth Casey.
Gould and Casey are fighting the ongoing battle to place a Democrat on the all-Republican board, using the absence of a Democrat on the board as a campaign issue. “It’s time for fresh ideas,” Casey said, speaking of a county governing body that last had a Democrat among its ranks when Jeff Van Drew won a seat in 1994.
Gould, a longtime commissioner in Wildwood Crest, and Casey, an attorney with a practice in Ocean City, argued that the board lacks sufficient transparency and allows nepotism and favoritism in county employment.
Casey, a county resident since 1995, practiced law in several firms in the county before opening her own firm in 2017. She has participated in numerous civic and charitable organizations. 
Gould, who is Jewish, called Casey “a Jewish mother’s dream,” adding, “She’s a lawyer and her husband’s a doctor. What more could a mother ask?”
Casey said running for freeholder is motivated by her “love for Cape May County.”
She feels spending is out of hand at the county level. “The budget has increased by $19 million in five years,” she said. Except in the case of unanticipated emergencies, “I would favor limiting budget increases to a regional cost of living index,” she added.
Both Casey and Gould advocate for increasing the priority for infrastructure modernization.
Protecting the vulnerable environment is also high on Casey’s agenda. “Our economy is based on tourism, and that is interconnected with the need to protect our environment,” she said.
Gould has established political credentials. She first served as Wildwood Crest’s mayor from 1989 to 1993. Despite years of involvement in community leadership through local government and community organizations, Gould did not highlight issues in her brief remarks. 
Gould stepped in to run for freeholder when Steve Berry withdrew from the race due to health concerns. Gould unsuccessfully sought a spot on the board in 1990. 
Gould has called nepotism in county government “very real,” as she and Casey hope to benefit from claims of nepotism and unfair practices that led to the censure of Republican candidate Hayes. Neither Thornton nor Hayes alluded to the public controversy in which Thornton supported Hayes’ censure.   
Thornton has been on the board for 38 years, a lifetime’s occupation. He said he loves the job, as he asked the public to support his candidacy.
Countering claims of excessive spending, Thornton pointed to the fact that the county has the “second-lowest tax rate in the state.”  
Thornton responded to Casey’s claims about a need to prioritize infrastructure by citing the high cost of bridge repair and replacement, something for which he says the county needs federal dollars.
When citing achievements, Thornton listed consistent ratable growth, the economic development efforts at the county airport, plans for a new County Commons at the former Rio Mall property, the awards given for the county police academy and its emergency management initiative.
Hayes followed Thornton’s lead, speaking of her responsibilities on the board, which includes the Office of Tourism. She noted that tourism generates $6.6 billion in annual revenue.
Hayes oversees the county Park and Zoo, noting that the zoo ranked fifth in the nation and 13th in the world in the annual TripAdvisor awards.
Hayes spoke of her career as a law enforcement officer, where she graduated from the prestigious program at the FBI Academy and retired from the Prosecutor’s Office with the rank of captain.  
Senate and General Assembly
Democrat Robert “Bob” Andrzejczak (D-1st) is seeking to win the Senate seat, to which he was appointed following U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew’s (D-2nd) departure. Running with him for the two General Assembly seats are incumbents R. Bruce Land, seeking his third term, and Matthew Milam, a Cumberland County businessman who served in the General Assembly, representing the First District, from 2008 to 2013. Milam is also an incumbent, appointed to Andrzejczak’s vacated seat in January.
The Republican ticket is headed by Vineland Attorney Mike Testa, Jr., with General Assembly candidates Erik Simonsen and Antwan McClellan. Simonsen is the athletics director at Lower Cape May Regional High School and mayor of Lower Township. McClellan works as public information officer and personnel director in the Cape May County Sheriff’s Office. He is also a councilman in Ocean City.
A theme among candidates for the Legislature is a desire to elevate the position of South Jersey in state government. All the candidates expressed their desire to fight for the often-overlooked South Jersey constituency.
Andrzejczak provided a brief overview of his career, including his military service. He spoke of the two years of recovery from injuries incurred in his second tour of duty in Iraq.
In the brief time allotted to each candidate, Andrzejczak said a priority for him is reducing taxes to make New Jersey more affordable.  
One accomplishment Andrzejczak cited was the passage of an exemption from the Airbnb tax for property owners who rent their homes at the shore.
Andrzejczak articulated a belief that state revenues can increase if taxes are lowered, an argument often made by Republicans.
Responding to a question on the Route 55 extension, Andrzejczak said he would continue to fight for the completion of the roadway, noting its importance as an evacuation route for county residents and visitors.
Testa said he wants the First District “to be a viable option for my children to live in.” Speaking of his return to New Jersey after attending college out of state, Testa argued that the whole of South Jersey is suffering from a “brain drain,” where the young go away to college, never to return as permanent residents.
“Something is wrong here and it needs to be fixed,” he said. He spoke of an economy in the state that is not business-friendly and choking on “red tape.” 
Testa singled out needed economic reforms as key to building the kind of economy that will be attractive to young, working families.
Citing the Route 55 extension as a high priority, Testa promised to work tirelessly to “deliver it.”
Both Land and Milam have a history as members of the General Assembly.    
Land, a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War, had a long career in the state Department of Corrections, retiring with the rank of captain in 2008. He was first elected to the General Assembly in 2016. Aside from providing a brief biographical sketch, Land chose not to speak on specific issues facing the district.
Milam spoke of his earlier service in the General Assembly, where he said the burdens of young children and a family business forced him to give up his seat. Noting that his children are now grown and the business is sold, Milam said he’s back.
Milam explained that he looks at the state budget the way a businessman would. “We need to budget based on real anticipated revenues, not revenues we wish would be there,” he said. He then called for keeping spending limits within the boundaries of those anticipated revenues.
Simonsen spoke of his long career as a coach and educator, as well as of his current position as a municipal mayor. He asked voters to judge him on his record in Lower Township, where he said he has been instrumental in quelling divisiveness on the governing body, keeping taxes at zero increase, and producing the largest surplus in the municipality’s history.
Simonsen stressed the need to restore the “lost school funding for our schools.” Explaining that schools in South Jersey are scheduled to “lose millions,” Simonsen pledged to work for increased school funding.
McClellan spoke of a life-changing event when his house was destroyed in 2012, leaving him temporarily homeless. This was the same year in which he was first elected to Ocean City Council.
McClellan said his priorities are lowering taxes, ending the over-regulation of business, and reducing government spending.
“We send $550 million a year up to the state and get very little of it back,” McClelland said. “That has to change,” he added.
Middle Township Committee 
The three-member governing body of Middle Township has one seat up for election each year. This year, the contest is between incumbent and former mayor Michael Clark, and Middle Township School Board member James Norris.
Clark, the sole Democrat on Middle Township Committee, is fighting to maintain Democratic representation on the governing body.   
Clark, a longtime volunteer fireman and vice president at Sturdy Savings Bank, has been on committee for six years, serving as mayor for three years. Reading a prepared statement, Clark touted the achievements in the municipality during his years on committee.
Chief among the activities Clark cited was the employee health plan change in 2018, which he credits with saving over $400,000 for municipal taxpayers. 
Looking back on his term as mayor, Clark highlighted the move to utilize state redevelopment laws by designating tracts in the municipality for development or rehabilitation, the opening of the Rio Grande police substation, and his claim of increased transparency in local government.
A few years ago, Norris stood before the chamber at Candidates Night to explain his candidacy for the school board. Now, at 28 years old, he asked for support to join committee.
Norris called for keeping taxes low and promised he would work for a zero increase in the coming budget.
Norris indicated that he would support a move to increase the size of committee from three to five members, although no formal move to change the form of government has been made.
Norris said he stands by Sheriff Robert Nolan’s fight to preserve a formal working relationship between deputized corrections officers and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Clark had voted no on a resolution of support for Nolan’s actions, citing no perceived need for the municipality to intervene in the dispute, which he felt, at the time, would end up in court, between the sheriff and the state attorney general (AG).
The dispute ended up in court, with Nolan and the county suing the AG, and with another of the night’s candidates involved. Testa is the attorney of record for Nolan in the litigation.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.