Cape May Candidates’ Forum Updates Voters as Nov. 8 Election Draws Closer

CAPE MAY – The Greater Cape May Chamber of Commerce hosted a candidates’ forum for the four individuals running in the Nov. 8 election for City Council and mayor. The event was held at the Grand Hotel Sept. 13. 
The two spots available on city council offer two distinct contests since the election of a mayor is separate from that of a council member. Mayor Edward Mahaney is seeking reelection after two four-year terms as mayor. He is challenged by Clarence Lear, a recently-retired lieutenant from the city police department.
Sitting Council member Terri Swain is not seeking to retain her seat. The contest for that seat is between Patricia Hendricks, a real estate broker, and Zack Mullock, a business operator. 
Candidates
Edward Mahaney Jr.
Few needed much introduction to Mahaney who has served as mayor since 2008 and as a member of the governing body for 16 years total. An additional 21 years as a member of the City Planning Board means that Mahaney, who said he is running on his record, has a long record for voters to consider.
Mahaney also has over 40 years experience as a professional educator with a doctoral degree in education from Temple University.
His campaign literature presents little in the way of personal information, but it highlights the activities of an individual deeply involved in civic government in and out of Cape May.
Active in the N.J. League of Municipalities and the Sustainable NJ Board of Trustees, Mahaney made the effort to complete the Certificate Program for Municipal Elected Officials twice in 1998 and 2009.
Clarence Lear
Lear is just months away from ending his long history in law enforcement service to the city. Referring to himself as a life-long resident, Lear was one of the few members of the police department who live in the city.
Married with three sons and one grandchild, Lear said he was urged to run by concerned citizens who want a change in the mayor’s position.
Lear retired in December 2015 after a dispute with the city over alleged misuse of compensatory time.
That dispute started a broader controversy when council used the compensatory time issue publically to remove Capt. Robert Sheehan as chief of police.
The controversy surrounding Lear’s retirement in no way reflects on his pride in his long service. He appeared content to allow residents, many of whom know him well, to decide for themselves about the issue.
Patricia Hendricks
Hendricks is running for the second time for a council seat. Last year she challenged Roger Furlin for the seat temporarily held by Jack Wichterman. Hendricks, and husband, Charles, bought their home in Cape May in 1985.
In addition to her role as a real estate broker, Hendricks has been active in the community serving as the first female commodore of the Corinthian Yacht Club.
She is a past president of the county Board of Realtors and is active in community organizations.
Hendricks is one of the most active members of the public at city council meetings almost always speaking on issues during the public comment period.
She is a self-described civic activist who has frequently called for greater transparency in city government.
Zack Mullock
Mullock, self-described as a business man holds a master’s degree in business administration from St. Joseph’s University, works in two family-owned businesses.
Married and the father of two young children, Mullock, a member of the Cape May Historic Preservation Committee, has been active in civic affairs in the city and the larger world, participating in relief efforts in New Orleans, La. following Hurricane Katrina and on orphanage relief efforts in Central America.
Mullock, a life-long city resident, stressed the theme of building a more unified community and ending the “rift in the town that needs to be repaired.”
The Positions
The chamber developed a list of 12 questions for candidates. The public added three.
In response to a concern that the 2 percent of the occupancy tax, approximately $1 million, is not used effectively for marketing the city, Mahaney cautioned that redirecting funds that are part of property tax relief would only mean that taxpayers would pay in a different way.
All candidates agreed that marketing the city is important.
Mullock said he would challenge the 5 percent portion of the 7 percent occupancy tax that now goes to the state, seeking a greater share for the city.
Lear said that the business community is in the best position to market the city, and their involvement is critical. Hendricks said she would like to explore “how these tax funds can best serve the interests of the city.
When asked about a chamber liaison to the city and a one-stop office in city hall that could help resolve issues of local business people, all candidates stressed eagerness to be available to the business community.
Once again, Mahaney, the only candidate who has been a member of the governing body, introduced a note of caution. “I think the business community needs to come together more for the concept to work,” he said.
He argued that more than one liaison would be necessary.
Hendricks was open to accessibility for the business community but said: “This may not be the best way to do it.” She pushed for more public interaction with local businesses.
Lear argued that the city “has been a hesitant partner with the business community,” and he supported both the concept of a liaison and a one-stop model for interaction with city requirements.
Mullock did not resist the concept but urged great care “since elected officials represent all of the citizens not just the business community.” He urged that interactions must be open and public.
The candidates spoke on parks, parking, the use of Convention Hall, dog regulations, beach safety, the potential for a senior center, and two outstanding legal issues, Sheehan’s lawsuit against the city and the city’s efforts to change the regional school funding formula.
The themes struck early carried through the evening. Mahaney pointed to the record of the last eight years, urged realism is approaching problems and asked voters to trust in experience.
He stressed a focus on sustainability, planning, a long-range economic focus and a continuous effort to bring outside funds to bear on the city’s issues through aggressive grant activities.
Lear pushed back on a too active governing body and especially on what he sees as Mahaney’s tendency to overstep his charter authority. Recognizing a vital role for city government, Lear pushed for more sharing of responsibility with an involved community and business leaders.
He urged that elected officials must lead through the building of consensus in the community, and he expressed his concern with leadership “that casts aside common sense and good judgment” as he believes was done in the Sheehan instance. 
Hendricks has revived her concerns for greater transparency in city government that were so central a part of her earlier run for council. She admits that her style is one of deliberation and analysis.
She favors looking at issues openly and building community consensus.
Mullock also speaks of unity with an emphasis on shared values and common goals. 
He pushes his candidacy in many ways as a reaction to what he sees as the divisiveness of the last few years. He asks voters to look to his business background and its value in carrying through on promises to improve the local economy.
On many issues, the difference between the candidates was not large. All saw the need for a better approach to parking and no one pretended to have the solution in hand.
All agreed that accessibility of council members to the public is critical with no one opposing the idea of a special office to be used by council members in city hall.
All avowed love of dogs and readiness to look at more ways in which dog lovers could see more relaxed regulations on where and when dogs would be allowed on city property.
On some issues, the differences among the candidates were more apparent.
Beach safety was one where Mahaney had a much more positive view of the recent meeting at Convention Hall with representatives of state and federal agencies.
He called it a “great comprehensive review,” and praised the effort to provide the city with a $20 million total replenishment this fall at a cost to the city of a little over a quarter of a million dollars.
For Mahaney, this is the result of consistent leadership and work with outside agencies. He praises the city education efforts on beach safety and acknowledges that other efforts must and will be made on concerns about the physical beach, but that last component lacks the specificity beach safety advocates have sought.
The other candidates had a more nuanced view of the meeting at Convention Hall. None saw it has the overall success that Mahaney did. Lear called for more effort on beach safety and making the ad hoc Beach Safety Committee permanent. 
Hendricks said she was not satisfied with the 2011 “one-time experiment” conducted by the Army Corps of Engineers and Department of Environmental Protection concerning the long-term practicality of altering the beach slope.
She welcomed the involvement of Cape Regional Medical Center in developing data on beach accidents and the possible relationship to replenishment.
Mullock called for city government to “put more pressure on” the agencies to respond to safety issues. He urged concerned citizens not to lose sight of the economic importance of the replenishment process.
An audience developed question asked the candidates their position on settling the legal case with Sheehan.
Mahaney, pointing out that he is limited by the pending legal action from saying much about the case, did predict settlement.
“This will not be going to trial,” he said. Then he quickly added that “The city has moved on and hired a permanent chief.”
Mahaney did not talk about the divisiveness of the issue nor how the settlement he predicts could impact the recent selection of the new chief.
Lear, calm in his response to an issue he was very much involved with, made clear his support for Sheehan, saying that “I fully expect Rob will be back in his job.”
He predicted that Sheehan would win his case and “cost the city a great deal of money.” He also called for support for the new chief.
Hendricks said the situation should never have happened. She expressed amazement that those council members who had vowed a quick reinstatement if no criminal wrong-doing were found had never lived up to their statements.
She argued that this controversy was the product of bad decision making on the part of the council.
Mullock bemoaned the divisiveness of the issue and said there was an obvious need to settle the case soon. He took no position on the controversy other than calling for its resolution. He praised the police department and its officers for their professionalism throughout the period of uncertainty.
Summations
In summation Mahaney again referenced his record which he considers “overwhelmingly successful.” He placed emphasis on his accessibility and responsiveness to constituent needs and on his record of success in securing grants for the city.
He takes pride in a success record that garnered almost $15 million in grants and rebates for city initiatives over six years. For Mahaney, his success has given the taxpayers the equivalent of almost a year of tax revenues in that period.
He asked for voter support to continue his work on resiliency and to build a vibrant economy.
Lear restated his goal to build a city government that works together with the citizens to foster “the highest quality of life” for the community.
He spoke of the many advantages Cape May enjoys as a premier resort, advantages that would otherwise not be available to a city of its size. For him maintaining those advantages is the job of the community with the mayor facilitating the proper interactions.
He called for an open and transparent government and invited residents to work together with him to achieve those goals.
Hendricks spoke of feeling privileged to live in Cape May and wanting to give back to the community. She candidly spoke of an analytic style and an overriding desire for openness in city government. Her criticisms of the operation of Convention Hall spoke of “unpacking the mystery” concerning its operation and revenues. She is clearly critical of a city government she appears to feel operates too much out of the public eye. For Hendricks, the key in almost all her responses is openness in government.
Mullock is the newest voice in city governance issues. He is the youngest of the candidates and references a desire to preserve the quality of life in Cape May for the future of his very young children.
He presents himself as a unifier saying “so much more unites us than divides us.”
He placed emphasis on his business background as he did when responding to a question on a possible parking garage, noting that the “economics of a parking garage are tough.”
He did not claim intimate familiarity with all of the issues confronting city government but rather placed his emphasis on his core values.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.