Gabor Bids Freeholder Board Farewell

CREST HAVEN – Freeholder Kristine Gabor clutched a bouquet of flowers and a proclamation while she fought tears Sept. 13, her last board meeting. 
Gabor stood with her husband, Richard, and freeholders with whom she had spent many hours since being elected in 2011 then reelected in 2014. She tendered her resignation after she accepted a job in Florida.
The vacant seat on the board, which expires Dec. 31, 2017, is to be filled when county Republican committee members convene Sept. 20 in the historic courthouse to select a replacement. That person will run in the 2017 election.
Gabor was praised by Denise Venturini, director of Cape Hope, for working to improve the lot of the county’s homeless residents. Venturini told the board three years ago when she raised the issue, “I received a call from you almost the next day,” she said speaking to Gabor. Venturini added Gabor had worked toward finding a solution to the problem.
“You came to our meetings and followed up with dialog. I am very grateful you took us very seriously. You did what you had to do. We made significant progress, and I look forward to working with the board,” Venturini said.
Venturini also noted the work that is being done to implement the Homeless Trust Fund. Once in force, an additional sum will be placed on certain transactions at the County Clerk’s office to raise money to aid the homeless.
Greg Speed, chief executive officer of Cape Counseling Services and Tonia Ahern, of the Parent to Parent Organization, joined to present Gabor a plaque in recognition of the work Gabor did for the “entire human services and non-profit community.”
“You did so much for the families in the spirit of recovery,” Speed added.
Gabor, once informed of the severity of the heroin problem in the county, held seminars and enlisted the aid of many volunteers to reach out to those touched by the drug or families impacted by those who use it.
During Gabor’s report, she cited a $950,000 grant secured with Cape Assist to meet needs of seniors safe housing. The money will fund major repairs that the seniors could otherwise not afford to their homes. She noted Donna Groome, director of the Office of Aging and Disability Services worked with Cape Assist on the grant.
Of the Homeless Trust Fund, she noted the board hired Triad Associates to work on details to establish the 10-year plan.
One of Gabor’s landmark achievements was overseeing the county’s departure from the Atlantic-Cape Workforce Investment Board and joining the Cumberland-Salem-Cape May Workforce Development Board.
Since the county joined that entity July 1, Gabor reported the percentage of county residents receiving training increased from 7 percent to 34 percent, “Just because we have the right people in the right place. I can only say things will get better from here,” Gabor said. “The team we put in place is second to none,” she added.
As part of his report, Freeholder Director Gerald Thornton recalled a meeting before that departure from the Atlantic-Cape entity in Trenton with the deputy commissioner of labor.
He said the commissioner first offered to help make a deal with the Atlantic-Cape board.
“Kristine said ‘No, we want a divorce’,” said Thornton. That action was granted, he concluded.