Thornton Reflects On Year at Helm

CREST HAVEN – From behind a sprawling desk in an east-end, windowed office of the William E. Sturm Jr. Administration Building, Freeholder Director Gerald Thornton daily tackles a new set of problems, all dealing with Cape May County government. The mixture is eclectic: budget, personnel, complaints, a report on Hurricane Sandy as well as various and sundry reports.
Thornton, a retired Gallo wine salesman and Court House resident, relishes the post he has held since January 2012. His peers reappointed him to another year at the helm Jan. 3 at reorganization. For steering the county government, Thornton is paid an annual salary of $18,972.99. That is $1,000 more than other freeholders, hardly a princely sum for the labor involved to oversee a budget that, this year, will likely range in the area of $139 million.
Once he assumed the post long held by Daniel Beyel, Thornton initiated 90-minute public caucus meetings of the board immediately prior to each regular meeting. That opens the doors of government for those who wish to observe, however, there is no public input at those caucus sessions.
Thornton has embraced the concept of open government, not only to the public, but at all levels of county government. That means Monday department head meetings which he tries to attend. It also means regular meetings with a “core group” of five or six key personnel “that have general impact on the entire county.” They include counsel, engineer, treasurer, and purchasing agent. “We go over everything they see happening and make recommended policy,” said Thornton.
It’s important, especially with a smaller workforce, the county has lost 170 positions over the past three years, that employees know what’s happening, he said.
Cross training is becoming more important, he said. With a smaller workforce, and with consent of the county employees’ unions, it means allowing work to get done at lesser cost to taxpayers.
Thornton is in favor of the state-mandated 2 percent cap on budget increases, even though it means “doing everything possible to maintain our level of services.”
People still rank first in budget consideration, he noted.
“If it comes between senior citizens getting meals at nutrition centers or fixing a pot hole, the pot hole will have to wait,” said Thornton.
The county’s dismal economy is squeezing the social services system. An example Thornton cited: Number of those receiving food stamps in the last two and a half years is up 20 percent. “There are a lot of people who have never been in the system before,” he said, shaking his head. “We are handling them with the same staff. The people at Social Services are overburdened. We have to pay some overtime just to meet the demand. It is difficult,” he added.
“We are almost to a point there is not much let we can cut unless we reduce programs,” said Thornton. Those programs “are supportive of our economy or citizens’ care,” he added.
For that reason, Thornton explained why he placed Freeholder Will Morey in charge of economic development. “We have an obligation to reach out and get some business, generate some jobs,” he added.
Learned as if by accident, said Thornton, was the need for jet fuel at the county airport. The state Forest Fire Service told him they could not help the county in time of need at the airport, since there was no jet fuel available. Morey, the liaison with Delaware River and bay Authority, huddled with that agency. Now the county has jet fuel and a fixed-base operator there to service private jets. It points up just how varied Thornton’s oversight must be.
One of those Thornton leans heavily upon is Edmund Grant. He’s the retired county treasurer, and former Wildwood mayor, who was recalled from retirement after County Administrator Stephen O’Connor resigned. Given the title “director of operations,” (jokingly referred to by Thornton as “The DOO”).
One of the high points of Grant’s year, said Thornton, was starting of the county employees’ Wellness Program. Aimed at making workers aware of the value of healthy living, part of the idea was to help trim health insurance costs, which were gobbling a substantial portion of the county budget.
With $150,000 of money from Aetna Insurance Co., Grant oversaw renovation of a portion of the county Health Department building into a fitness center that will be accessible to county workers around the clock with an electronic card key. It’s set to open with limited fanfare on Jan. 22. Complete with treadmills and weight equipment, the center should assist workers to get into, or remain in better shape. Once convinced of the benefit of exercise, they will be encouraged to enroll in a nearby commercial fitness center, he said.
As Thornton read down a list of accomplishments since January 2012 when he took over as director, high among them was fleet maintenance agreements with Avalon, Lower and Upper townships.
“That saves us time and employees and equipment expense,” he said.
Upper Township Senior Citizens’ Center is being renovated, after not being addressed for a number of years, he said. There, a $300,000 grant through South Jersey Economic Development District will revamp the structure. Once completed, Upper Township has agreed to accept maintenance and care of the facility.
“That is a real cost savings. We will provide the programs, and utilities. They (Upper Township) will provide maintenance,” Thornton said.
A vendor has been hired to undertake a 9-1-1 central communications survey of municipalities. The concept, widely referred to as “central dispatch” has advocates and critics, it’s expected the survey will finally detail everyone’s thoughts.
Since barrier island communities experience a summer influx, the study will wait, in part, for those towns to be meaningful. The study was to originally have been undertaken from January through June.
A $17-million renovation of the county correctional center will begin shortly, said a smiling Thornton. The project had languished “five or six years, so long some of the permits expired and we had to reapply,” Thornton said. Hopefully the work will be completed in 15 months, he said.
A middle management training program is about to begin, he said. As happened early in his directorship in 2012, when many senior employees retire, there is a void in management skills. To alleviate that situation, Thornton said the county realized a middle management training program was a necessity.
Lacking such a program “Can have a detrimental impact on the individual and the county, he said.
Thornton lauded county workers who “all stepped up” to do what was needed during Hurricane Sandy.
“I told them, ‘You are all essential personnel,’” said Thornton. “It was very interesting how much these county employees step up.”
Ready for the next emergency will be the county Sheriff’s Department and Prosecutor’s Office, which had generators installed. Schools, some of which served as shelters in Sandy, are also being checked out to ensure they will be capable to house evacuees.
South Jersey Economic Development District is “big on our to-do list. They are making strides to stabilize.” The multi-county economic funnel from federal and state sources is behind a potential economic boon. If its NextGen project, one that would take air traffic control to the next level of sophistication, is executed as planned, the region could benefit with numerous jobs, many high paying to bolster the economy.
“Maybe that can become viable,” said Thornton. The freeholders have supported several resolutions that would help the agency with that project.
Finally, Thornton cited the County Park and Zoo, one of the county’s tourism prizes, which might someday even include among its summertime fun features a zip-line, perhaps over the African savannah.
“There are a million things we do daily,” said Thornton, sitting back looking over the papers on the desk.