CAPE MAY – Local businessman and fifth-generation Cape May resident Chris Bezaire entered the race for Cape May City Council Aug. 30.
“It is time for the city of Cape May to have the leadership, vision and collective cooperation its residents deserve,” stated Bezaire. “I have had the desire to run for City Council for many years, but, until now, the timing was never right.”
According to a release, Bezaire comes from a family lineage that is no stranger to public service. His great-great-grandfather, Sol Needles, was mayor of Cape May, in 1948. His grandfather, Wister “Barney” Dougherty, served as general manager of the Cape May County Bridge Commission, from 1973 to 1991, and was chief of the Cape May Volunteer Fire Department, from 1970 to 1995.
In addition, Dougherty was heavily involved in the research and ultimate adoption of the city’s current manager-council form of government. Bezaire’s father, Bill Bezaire, has also served on the Cape May Planning Board since 1980, serving as chairperson for over 20 years.
“I feel very passionate about several issues facing our community, such as the completion of the Lafayette Street Park, working towards a realistic and long term solution for traffic congestion and lack of parking, and a greater emphasis on obtaining available state and federal grants to stop the recent pattern of property tax increases to offset poorly planned and controlled expenses. From what I’ve witnessed, many of the issues facing our community today stem from – lack of trust, lack of communication, and lack of cooperation among our elected officials. I feel my professional leadership and personal experiences can help begin to solve these problems and lead to the collective cooperation needed, so Cape May can again thrive and evolve for the greater good of its residents, which is why I have chosen ‘A candidate for ALL the people’ as my campaign promise.”
Bezaire was born and raised in Cape May before graduating from the University of Oklahoma, in 2000, with a BA in Management and a Marketing minor. While at Oklahoma, he served as vice president and president of his fraternity. Upon graduating, he worked for ALDI Foods, as a district manager, overseeing total store operations in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.
Since moving back to Cape May, in 2004, he has been working as a broker/salesperson in his family’s real estate office started by his great-great-grandfather, Sol Needles, in 1901. He has served on numerous committees for the Cape May County Association of Realtors, including chairperson of the Professional Standards and Grievance committees, designed to ensure ethical practices of realtors to each other and fairness in dealings with the general public.
Avalon – Maybe deport them instead of destroying what was once a great city! This is ridiculous. New York City launched a pilot program to help migrants transition out of city shelters by providing them with…
