Meet Two Candidates for Cape May City Council

CAPE MAY – Taxpayers Association of Cape May sponsored a Candidates night at Cape May City Elementary School Oct. 15. In November, two candidates, Patricia Gray Hendricks and Roger Furlin will vie for the council seat vacated when Jerome Inderwies Jr. resigned in March over the council’s action demoting Robert Sheehan from chief of police to captain. The seat has been filled by appointment by Jack Wichterman who can only serve in that capacity until the November general election.
The candidate forum was moderated by the League of Women Voters. A set of questions developed by the Taxpayers Association were placed in a container and each candidate alternated pulling a question for the two of them to respond. A period was also set aside for questions from the audience.
Prepared questions covered issues related to cost of government, public/private partnerships, Convention Hall operations, regional school funding, code enforcement, mercantile fees, outdated ordinances, parking, public safety, and beach safety. Questions from the public for the candidates included their position on the controversy surrounding Sheehan’s case, the potential of a merger of the West Cape May and Cape May schools, the decline in the number of bed and breakfasts in the city, and a general inquiry about “what you will do positively in the town.”
Patricia Gray Hendricks
Throughout the evening, Hendricks stayed with her concern that local government must be open and transparent, providing the public with maximum information on the goals and activities of the city’s governing body. Hendricks, a frequent speaker at council meetings, has been critical of what she sees as the city’s lack of transparency.
In her responses to questions, Hendricks called for greater openness with regard to the finances of Convention Hall. She argued for a profit and loss statement for the enterprise. She also noted that the tourism utility as a whole must be self-liquidating as a matter of law.
“We need to get the tourism utility under control,” said Hendricks.
Saying that the city cannot continue “to hide information” regarding Convention Hall operations, Hendricks emphasized the municipality’s need for accountability to the taxpayers.
Responding to a question that stated city taxes have increased 24 percent over the last six years, Hendricks did not focus on the purported number, which Furlin saw as too high an estimate for the overall increases, but rather she argued that she saw her job on council as one that sought ways to “take any portion of the burden off taxpayers.” She added that “Whatever the actual increase in taxes has been, we can do better.” As evidence, Hendricks cited the rising costs of legal fees, the expenses associated with Convention Hall, and a contractor selection process which she feels may yield some savings if managed differently.
Sticking with a theme that was critical of the current administration, even if not always overtly so, Hendricks talked of selective enforcement of codes and ordinances. She, as well as Furlin, decried the recent incident when bicycles were taken from the Promenade. Referring to the individuals whose bikes had been taken, she called them “victims” of selective enforcement and as heroes who fought the inappropriate city action in court because “they love Cape May.”
Speaking of selective enforcement in terms of a city bar owner, a probable reference to a recent dispute with Carney’s, and compensatory time issues, a clear reference to the administrative actions taken against Lt. Chuck Lear, Hendricks kept her focus on the way the city enforces its ordinances.
On mercantile fees, Hendricks talked of the many related license fees and the need to look at them logically, both in terms of their regulatory nature and the revenue they generate. Using two examples, she emphasized both points. Those who should sign up for a license for landscaping work in the city may not face any enforcement if they fail to do so, she said.  Alternatively a house with two bedrooms and one bath would pay the same mercantile fees of $135 as one with seven bedrooms and three baths, a situation that needs to be considered. 
On the question of a possible union of the West Cape and city schools, Hendricks spoke of the pride the two communities take in their schools and the fact that either community would be crushed if they lost their school.
Both candidates came out in favor of having the city take steps to increase beach safety. Hendricks described a city that deliberately played down the issues of beach safety over the last many years. The recent charge to the city engineer to return with a feasibility study aimed at delineating what the city can reasonably do in this area was something Hendricks said was “unlikely to satisfy what is required.”
On two controversial issues, Hendricks offered unequivocal responses.  Asked her position on the effort to change the school funding formula which places a large share of the burden for the regional school system on Cape May taxpayers, she said she would honor the results of the voting in the city.
Asked by ex-Council member Bill Murray if she would vote to reinstate Sheehan as police chief, she said she would. Since the seat she is seeking is now held by Jack Wichterman who has repeatedly voted in favor of Sheehan’s reinstatement, her vote, if she were elected, would probably not alter the situation, but her position was clearly stated.
Roger Furlin
Furlin joined Hendricks in a call for transparency in local government. He placed his emphasis on what he termed a “return of civility and respect to our democratic process.” Throughout his answers, Furlin stressed a need to foster greater community cooperation with municipal government.
Reacting to the character of debate at a number of council meetings since the March meeting in which Sheehan was demoted, Furlin said that “council members have had to put up with more incivility than they should have to face.” He cast himself as an individual who will work hard to bridge the gap between the current administration and a number of public groups angry with recent council actions.
For Furlin, a constant theme was the importance of tourism to an economically sound and social, vibrant city. When asked about potential new revenue sources to reduce the load on the taxpayer, he repeatedly returned to a need for management of initiatives that will sustain and grow tourism.
Furlin expressed concern that growing tourism will not be easy. He stressed that patterns of tourism are changing and that what could once be used to attract people does not always work with a younger generation. He expressed a fear that a block of tourists the resort depends on is aging and that the city needs new initiatives to attract a new generation. In line with that thought, he called for greater support of younger entrepreneurs.
Furlin disagreed with Hendricks on issues relating to Convention Hall. He said the budget for Conventional Hall was presented and the city was not hiding information. Furlin argued that Convention Hall will probably “never show a profit by itself.” To attract the conventions that would bring profitability, the city would need a better infrastructure. “We don’t have the rooms,” he explained. The 2,400 or so rooms he believes the city has in total are often largely taken in the summer and reduced by half in the off-season because many businesses close down.  It is the tourism utility as a whole that the city must focus on, Furlin argued.
When responding to the question about tax increases over the last six years, Furlin said the total had to be less than 24 percent. At best his own information led him to an estimate of 17 percent, of which 12 percent is what he calculated was due to simple inflation. “Cape May City is among the lowest 3 percent of tax rates in the state,” he said. “That’s pretty good.” If the residents want to off-set any need for tax increases, Furlin again returned to his theme of “increasing revenues through tourism.”
Furlin called for planning that looks 20 years out and seeks to expand tourism for the next generation of visitors.
With respect to beach safety, Furlin urged caution. He said he favored having the city do all that it can, but he also reminded taxpayers that any action by the city “to move sand” will probably mean that the city will see increased potential liability for future injuries, a situation that could impact liability insurance and legal costs.
Furlin did say that efforts on behalf of advocates for greater action on beach safety were indeed “stonewalled by council.” Signs and an education effort took much too long to come about, he noted.
Furlin joined Hendricks in decrying the city handling of the recent incident with bicycles on the Promenade.  “Tourism is our bread and butter,” and we need to do a better job with incidents like that. In the area of ordinances and code enforcement, Furlin called for better training and standardization.
Furlin did not state a position on a potential school merger involving neighboring municipalities. He did, however, say the matter should probably be looked at given declining enrollments in both schools.
On the issue of school funding, Furlin joined Hendricks in saying he will support what the public endorsed in two separate ballots.
Furlin broke with Hendricks on the issue of Sheehan’s reappointment, saying that he did not know the issues involved in the open litigation against the city and therefore did not feel he could now commit to a course of action.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.