Freeholder Candidates, Clerk Address League Forum

COURT HOUSE — About 50 gathered at the Historic Courthouse for the League of Women Voters of Cape May County’s Candidates’ Forum on Mon., Oct. 25.
Unopposed Republican County Clerk Rita Marie Fulginiti, 49, of Ocean City opened the evening with a brief recap of her first term. Some statistics she noted were 523 weddings performed, as well as “myriad of dates and deadlines as I file petitions, prepare and issue ballots and tabulate the vote total on election night.”
“I can truly say my staff and I have the spirit of hospitality. It is our pleasure to serve you,” Fulginiti stated.
She cited preservation of 289 volumes of “precious historic records of our county and municipal governments,” and moving into the age of computers with e-Recording of many documents, including land records. That type of filing, she said, provides efficiency while trimming mailing costs and speeds the process.
Moderating the questions was Camden County resident Edward Gracely, a member of the League of Women Voters. Since the forum involved Cape May County candidates, no local member could perform that function, explained Mary Conley, local league president.
“If citizens don’t demand good government, they won’t get it,” Gracely told the crowd.
Seated before the public were four candidates for two seats on the county Board of Chosen Freeholders.
The Republicans were incumbent Freeholder Gerald Thornton and running mate Susan Sheppard. Thornton smiled while Sheppard looked pensive.
Democrats were Patrick Morley and Robert Jackson. Morley reviewed a sheaf of papers while Jackson looked thoughtful.
As part of their opening statements, the candidates said:
“Jerry and I have solutions. We look forward to meeting elected officials in 16 municipalities,” Sheppard said. In addition, she touched upon “economic development at the (county) airport. We have real solutions and ideas to help.”
Morley said a Republican friend told him “You can’t complain if you don’t do something.” He voted to “vote against any tax increases in Cape May County. I want to end taxpayer health benefits and benefits for part-time freeholders.” He also said he would refuse a pension for the job.
“I have done what I think are wonderful things in this county over the years,” said Thornton. His departments include Health and Human Services, and “Everything I do impacts people. It impacts the elderly and veterans, the disabled and those who have special needs. I am very happy I had those departments all those years.” He added that he believe himself fortunate to have been associated with part of government that provides “care and solace that government should provide to those at risk.”
Jackson said he and Morley were reform candidates. He added that transparency was an “important part of” that reform. “What we do should be out to the public. We should be treating ourselves as equals to the people we serve as a leader in the community. That’s what we should be about.” He said, in fighting corruption, he “spent two and a half years wearing a wire, because honestly was the number one issue. It should be a lifestyle,” he said.
To a question of what they would do to keep the county budget level:
Jackson: “I would look at my own departments and see if there was any waste of fluff there, and dig it out. It’s something in government we overlook.”
Thornton: “In the last 16 years, we have reduced this county’s to the lowest tax rate in the state. In the last two years, we have reduced the number of county employees by 141 people, and I might add, of the 141 they found employment in vacant positions in the county that we did not fill or were offered jobs in the private sector. Last year the budget increased less than 1 percent.”
Jackson countered, “Really, to be quite honest, I’m not good at flim flam. It’s not absolutely true. Taxes are up 15 percent.” He said that instead of hiring new workers, give present workers a bit more money to perform those tasks.
Thornton replied that he had reduced employees in the county Health Department’s, mechanics and at Fare Free Transportation.
Other questions asked of the candidates include the problem of salt-water intrusion into the county’s water supply, infrastructure, including county bridges, and the utilization of “green energy” on county facilities.
The polls will be open Nov. 2 from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m.