Lear Addresses Cape May Chamber

CAPE MAY – Congress Hall played host to the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Cape May’s March 12 meeting, at which Cape May Mayor Clarence Lear addressed business leaders on the city’s progress.
Lear spoke first about the city’s nine citizen advisory groups investigating issues as varied as making the city friendly to bicyclists and pedestrians to the development of Lafayette Street Park to recommending plans for the construction of a public safety building.
The creation of advisory committees involving a wide spectrum of residents has been a hallmark of Lear’s administration. It represents an attempt at a more inclusive city government guided by the thoughts of dozens of volunteers across the community.
Lear’s first focus was on the release of the city’s 10-year reexamination of its master plan. Reminding chamber members that the Planning Board was due to consider the plan later that day, Lear paid special attention to the new categories in the plan which included a focus on resiliency.
Shifting gears to the city’s consideration of a public safety building, Lear spoke of existing facilities that are outdated and unable to be responsive to future public safety issues.
While unable to comment on the work of all nine of the advisory groups, Lear did single out the committee working on plans for the development of phases of the Lafayette Street Park, noting with special emphasis the “existing possibilities” of phase four in which the wetland areas at the back of the property would be transformed into a living educational environment for school children and adults.
Lear reminded the chamber of the May 1 Town Hall, at which the city will unveil the results of a county- and city-joint study concerning the feasibility of locating the county library branch in the historic Franklin Street School.
The mayor also indicated that the agenda for that Town Hall meeting would include a public discussion of the spiraling costs for recycling that are playing havoc with city finances.
At a recent governing body meeting in Stone Harbor, the director of Public Works said the recycling world was in chaos. Lear’s comments reinforced that image.
Lear then turned his attention to the 2019 budget, which has not been formally introduced by City Council. The recommended budget from the city manager calls for a slightly less than one-cent increase in the municipal purpose levy.
That budget proposal, available for public view on the city’s website, does not reflect any possible city action on a request from the fire chief for an additional position for each of the department’s three shifts. 
Following the meeting, Lear said he was hopeful that the city would introduce its budget at the March 19 meeting of council. He said a decision on the additional personnel for the fire department must be made prior to that introduction.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.