COURT HOUSE — Cape May County Republican Chairman David Von Savage, on March 23, issued the following statement regarding the organization’s endorsement of John McCann and Ralph Bakley Sr. for two seats on the Board of Chosen Freeholders.
“Although Jerry Thornton has every reason to be proud of his past accomplishments as a freeholder working with the other members of the County Freeholder Board, finding the right candidate for any election requires a fresh and careful examination of what each individual candidate can offer to the future of our county.
“The fact that Thornton was always looking for another position such as township manager, county clerk or even surrogate was a strong indication that even Jerry knew that he had nothing new in terms of leadership to bring to the freeholder table and many people began to lose confidence in his dedication to the job at-hand.
“After close to thirty-five years as a freeholder, no one can blame Jerry for lacking the enthusiasm and leadership needed for this position, but at the same time the Republican Organization can not afford to “rubber stamp” a candidate’s nomination simply because he has always held that position … particularly when we have qualified candidates like Ocean City Republican Leader and Tax Board member John McCann who have demonstrated strong leadership skills and great abilities to communicate the Republican message of lower taxes and lean, efficient government services.
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Jerry Thorton was first nominated to be freeholder in 1976, at a time when party rules only required the vote of the 16 municipal leaders. Since then, the nomination process has been changed to be even more democratic in that freeholder candidates must secure the majority vote of some 256 municipal county committee members.
“By majority vote, and 30-days of careful deliberation within their respective municipal committee caucuses, a clear majority of the committee members demonstrated their confidence in John McCann, not Jerry Thorton, to run for the freeholder position along with Ralph Bakely.
“That vote alone should speak volumes. Even though Cape May County Republicans appreciate Jerry’s past service, they definitely feel that close to 35 years is long enough for Jerry as freeholder and it is time to see what John McCann can bring in terms of new ideas and leadership.”
(ED. NOTE: Thornton told the Herald he has been a freeholder for a total of 26 years.)
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