CAPE MAY – Businessman and city councilmember Zack Mullock announced his run for mayor in the upcoming election.
“This is why I am running,” he stated. “I believe in Cape May’s future. I am heavily invested in Cape May’s success both for my family and my business. We need leadership to take on the discord in town, take on these projects and bring the citizens together.
“We also need leadership that works for our residents. While I am a proud Cape May business owner, I feel that the resident’s concerns have largely been ignored. My campaign slogan is CommUNITY First. In other words, serving the residents; supporting the businesses; and preserving and protecting our town.”
According to a release, Mullock stressed the importance of bringing residents together to get projects completed.
“Cape May needs to bring people together to rally in support of our community,” he stated. “Projects, such as the Cape May police station, fire station, Lafayette Street Park and repairing City Hall, requires a leader to bring people together to get them accomplished. These issues should be something we, as a community, are proud of.”
He also targeted the need for better leadership in financial planning. He stated, “Doubling parking meters, raising water fees, raising sewer fees, and, of course, raising taxes shouldn’t be reactionary. During this administration, they have raised every fee. Taxes have increased each year. We need a five and 10-year financial plan. I believe I will bring sound, rational planning and processes to the City.” Mullock has an MBA in Finance.
He asserted that every project that is started and goes unfinished “leaks taxpayer money.”
“The current administration,” he maintained, “has spent millions on projects that seem to have endless timelines and are far from completed. Once these projects are started, the billing starts. These languishing projects are causing discord within town.
“We need leadership to step up and take on these issues directly. We cannot start projects, without seeing them through. Taxpayers have been paying millions in engineering and legal fees for projects that have gone stagnant for the four years of this administration. We need a time out, we need to refocus our efforts to accomplish one goal at a time.”
“As a councilmember, I have been asked multiple times to vote on contracts over $500,000 that have not been put out to bid. I have witnessed taxpayer funds being spent without any serious discussion or planning. In fact, this year’s budget, which reflected significant revenue increases over the 2019 budget, was passed in May, on a 3-2 vote (while many of our businesses were closed). That was totally irresponsible and irrational.”
Mullock said that over the next few years the city of Cape May will be facing some very difficult issues both in the financial and project management areas. “We cannot afford another four years of stagnation and poor planning,” he stated.
Zack Mullock has been in leadership roles throughout his life and career. As a young man, he was student class president in college. For the last 18 months, he has volunteered to help form and build the Harriet Tubman Museum. He has served for the last two years as a Cape May City Council member.
Today, he is on the Atlantic Cape Community College Foundation Board and former member of the Historic Preservation Commission.
Zack received a master’s in Business Administration from St. Joseph’s University. Mullock is a native son, who lives in Cape May with his wife, Justine, his son, Bobby, daughter, Tallulah, and son, James.
“I ask my fellow citizens to join me in putting our community first.”
