Six Recall Candidates Face the Voters’ Questions

WILDWOOD —John Roat, a candidate in the upcoming recall election, compared the question and answer forum to a job interview.
The six candidates are vying for a spot, or perhaps defending their seat, on the city’s commission and on Nov. 24 had to answer to the voters on topics ranging from taxes to tourism.
Tracey Dufault, executive director of the Greater Wildwood Chamber of Commerce, received 50 questions that were submitted for the recall candidates’ forum. Those 50 questions were condensed into 11 questions that the chamber felt was a fair representation of key issues in the city.
“I want to continue to be your mayor,” Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr. said in his introduction.
Troiano said he is a lifelong resident of Wildwood and was motivated to help the city when 11 years ago someone told him he was thankful he did not live in Wildwood.
“That was a kick in the teeth,” he said.
Troiano said the city was guilty of using “one-trick ponies” to keep the tax rate down, but now that is no longer possible. Hiss plan is to lower taxes by getting the city’s ratables up. Troiano, an advocate of bringing high-rise hotels to the resort, said his plan was to give the city a more year-round economy or at least a stronger economy for 10 months of the year.
Commissioner Bill Davenport also introduced himself as a lifelong resident of the city a re-tired member of the Wildwood Fire Department a volunteer of the Pine Avenue Fire Department and member of the school board.
“I now live 300 feet from where I was born,” he said.
He remembered selling newspapers as a child, making enough money to help him and his family get through the winter. He said that he learned early on how important tourists were to the city and his focus was tourism and helping those who work multiple jobs to meet their needs.
Al Brannen told the audience at the convention center forum has been a resident for 45 years and is a former motel owner with a background in food sales.
“We could have left town,” Brannen said when his sold his motel business. “But we liter-ally moved our house one block so we could stay in Wildwood.”
Brannen said he has three goals in mind including having a performance audit for the city’s operations, hiring a business administrator and bringing back the mayor-council form of government with a five-member council.
Ed Harshaw said he has been a resident of the city for 60 years and his wife is a teacher at Wildwood High School. He also served on the city’s school board with both Troiano and Davenport. He is currently a history teacher at the Cape May County Technical High School.
Harshaw said that reason he decided to run was high taxes.
“Residents can’t continue to pay the rate we are currently paying,” he said
.
John Roat was a resident of Wildwood Crest but moved to neighboring Wildwood about three years ago.
He said that if he were elected every bill would be heavily scrutinized before it is paid, bonding for projects would be avoided unless necessary and tax abatements would not be given to developers.
Ernest Salvatico, 81, moved to the United States in 1964 from Uruguay, and became a citizen in 1970. He said he became a resident of Wildwood in 1986.
“I had 10 cent in my pocket,” Salvatico said of when he first arrived in the country and his desire to succeed.
“Wildwood needs to gain credibility,” he said.
He added that residents can no longer afford to pay their bills and more should be done to keep the tourists coming to the island.
The forum was the only formal gathering of the six candidates scheduled before the Dec. 8 election and provided the chance for the voters to hear the issues directly from the six candidates.
“There is so much misinformation being spread throughout the city,” Dufault. “We’re ask-ing them [the candidates] to just give us their best information, and let’s stop hearing the gossip.”
The chamber has not backed a candidate in the race and is not a political organization. Dufault said they would continue to be neutral.
“We organized the forum for residents, business owners, tourism professionals and voters to hear the information directly from the candidates. It is a disservice to the city, and the candidates, that all these lies are out there,” she said.
On Dec. 8, voters will be asked if they want to recall Troiano and Davenport. If they do, they can fill the two seats from a selection of six candidates: Troiano, Davenport, Brannen, Harshaw, Roat and Salvatico.
The forum began with a description of the recall process and an explanation of the ballot. Next, each candidate gave a three-minute introduction of themselves and their platforms. Then, a question-and-answer session, moderated by Bill Culp of radio station WIBG, was expected to run for about 40 minutes.
The questions ranged in topics from taxes and unnecessary spending, promoting tourism, plans to entice homeowners and businesses, returning to mayor and council and qualifications to successfully run the city.