PETERSBURG – With the upcoming June 7 primary election to fill two seats on Upper Township Committee, the Herald asked the three Republican candidates – Antonio (Anthony) Inserra, Victor Nappen II, and Mark Pancoast – why they’re running and their opinions on issues important to voters. Their answers are below.
There were no Democratic petitions filed.
Why are you running for the committee, and what makes you the most compelling candidate?
Inserra: As a former Upper Township Committee member and current candidate, I am known for being fiscally conservative.
I am running as an independent Republican because the current officeholders are not upholding the traditional values of the party, protecting the citizens from higher taxes and out-of-control spending.
I raised a family here, ran my business from here, and made Upper Township my home, and I want to protect what we have and work to make it even better.
Nappen: I am running in the June 7 primary election, along with U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-2nd), County Commissioner E. Marie Hayes and Andrew Bulakowski, and County Surrogate Dean Marcolongo.
I am a newcomer to the political scene, but I do know that in order to have a chance to run for the committee, I first need the support of the Republican voters in Upper Township. They are the only people able to vote for me June 7.
Republican voters need to know some facts about me to make an informed choice. My running mate, Mark Pancoast, and I are the only endorsed Republican candidates for the committee.
I come from a solid Republican family. My dad is a lifelong Republican voter. My mom serves on Upper Township County Committee and is a past officer of the Upper Township Regular Republican Club. I decided to run for the committee after talking with my wife and family.
I was inspired by the recent elections here in Upper Township. I watched and listened to all the candidates. The Newman-Hayes-Pancoast campaign won my vote. I liked their message of progress and their ideas for the future of Upper Township. I saw a new wave coming to our community and I decided I want to be a part of it.
Pancoast: I am the only incumbent running in the June 7 Republican primary election. I am running for the opportunity to be the Republican candidate for Upper Township Committee in the general election.
Only registered Republicans will be able to vote in this election. It’s important to speak directly to those voters in this primary.
Let me start with my qualifications as a Republican candidate. My running mate, Nappen, and I have been selected by the Upper Township Republican County Committee to represent the GOP in the June 7 primary. We are the only endorsed Republican candidates in this election.
We will be in Column 2 with the other endorsed Republican ticket, U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-2nd), County Commissioner E. Marie Hayes and Andrew Bulakowski, County Surrogate Dean Marcolongo and Pancoast and Nappen are all running mates.
I am a lifelong, conservative Republican and proud to be so.
Upper Township has great economic development potential, including for its location and beautiful geographical diversity. If elected, how would you help the municipality advance economically, push for a complete Garden State Parkway connection, create jobs, and become a better magnet for business?
Nappen: As a small business owner, I see firsthand how difficult it has been for us to recover from the Covid pandemic. Local businesses are struggling to keep a profit margin and stay in operation, as costs and inflation continue to rise.
Township Committee should create new redevelopment zones and tax abatement incentives to encourage new businesses to open here. We should also see what can be done to boost our existing local businesses.
We are not getting our fair share from Trenton. We need a full exchange at Exit 20 on the Parkway. This will make that corridor open for business in Upper Township. It is long overdue. Upper should not be shortchanged in favor of the cities in North Jersey.
Pancoast: A full exchange at GSP (Garden State Parkway) is key to both the economic growth and the public safety of Upper Township. There have been a number of resolutions by the former Township Committee asking for the full exchange on Exit 20.
Mayor (Curtis) Corson and Township Committee have taken different and very aggressive approaches to making this happen.
We have sent a formal request to Van Drew, asking that we be included in the new transportation funding from the federal government. Van Drew is in our corner and is helping. We are on the DOT (state Department of Transportation) priority list of projects to be completed.
Small business is the lifeblood of any community. My dad was a candy maker by profession. He traveled to Ocean City to work for Rauhauser’s. I remember thinking how great this area was. That had a great influence on why my wife, Abby, and I chose to live and raise our family in Upper Township.
It is heartbreaking to see many of our small shops closing. It is even more distressing to see that there are very few new shops opening.
This is not a problem unique to Upper Township. Local restaurant owners tell me that they are struggling with lack of employees and rapidly rising food costs. Factors such as the Covid pandemic and the rise of online shopping have crippled mom and pop shops. Rising interest rates, inflation and challenges to the supply chain have all had a negative impact on small business.
Much of this is out of the control of township government.
Township Committee is not taking this lying down. We are building a new team of professionals, who specialize in redevelopment, environmental issues, grant writing, community outreach and tourism. We want to make Upper Township competitive in the marketplace while maintaining our identity. They will be tasked with reviewing our current redevelopment plan. We are proud of the team we have assembled and are looking forward to reviewing their recommendations.
Inserra: Upper Township has the potential to be an economic hub if we stick to our plans for economic development centers like Marmora, Seaville and downtown Tuckahoe, for example.
The key to getting businesses to locate here is to keep taxes low. The quickest way to sink our economic battleship is to hand a business owner a huge tax bill! We have to be fiscally conservative and responsible to keep taxes down.
A full interchange at Parkway Exit 20 would be the economic engine our township needs, but a billboard on Route 50 implying the current administration could make it happen, citing the failure of the Democrats, is not going to make it happen.
Trenton has no problem taking our tax dollars to fund political patronage jobs in North Jersey. Let’s get that money back to create an economic stimulus for the whole area.
Wildwood convinced the governor to fund boardwalk repair. Our local legislatures need to work together to convince him to create a beneficial economic environment for all.
Residents claim that the municipality is having problems with spending beyond revenues, and taxpayers are feeling this financial stress. Do you believe that this is a problem? If so, what do you intend to do to fix the problem? If not, why not?
Pancoast: I am excited about all the new and innovative ways the new Township Committee is finding to improve services and reduce the cost of government here in Upper Township.
It is a new day, a new outlook, and I am proud to be a part of it. I am asking the voters of Upper Township for their support once again. To the voters of Upper Township, I will say keep your eyes on Upper. We are ‘Upper Strong‘ and our future is brighter than ever.
Upper Township remains an affordable community. Property taxes are a necessary evil, but the Township Committee understands that tax increases directly affect families, seniors, and businesses.
There are many factors that influence property taxes. One of the biggest problems that Upper Township taxpayers will face is the $7 million cut in state funding to our school district. While the school board will wrestle with this impact, it will ultimately be a burden on the taxpayers of Upper Township.
First and foremost, I am an advocate of state mandate, state pay. If the state demands we implement policies, they should be prepared to pay for them. Some of the social engineering courses they are making our educators teach are not supported by the parents but will have to be underwritten by them regardless.
Township Committee must also do its part to reduce the size and scope of government. Again, Mayor Corson and Township Committee have taken an active role in finding waste and restructuring the government to make it more efficient and cost effective. We are just at the beginning of this effort, but we are committed to bringing the changes necessary that will result in a leaner and more efficient government.
Inserra: There certainly is a problem with the current administration dipping into the wallets and pocketbooks of Upper Township taxpayers. They give no consideration to what effect their reckless and politically motivated handouts will have on families, seniors, and businesses.
When I am elected, the first order of business I will propose will be a motion that all committee members, including myself, forfeit their salary. They hired an administrator to do their job, and by resolution, committee gave themselves the option to not attend meetings in person. It is only fair to taxpayers that committee members’ salaries should be forfeited.
Hiring a full-time administrator and an assistant is fiscally irresponsible, so let them pay for it out of their own pockets for a change and see how they like it.
Nappen: I am a teacher and a small business owner. I am raising a family. I know the importance of keeping Upper Township affordable.
Taxes are a stretch on the family budget. I have been studying the school budget and learned that our state aid has been cut by several million dollars. That will have a negative impact on all our taxpayers.
Township Committee must be prepared to reduce the size of government to compensate for the cuts in education. Whomever is elected will have to deal with this fact.
As an educator, I bring a unique perspective to this issue and believe I would be an asset on Township Committee in dealing with this issue.
How, if elected, will you help the township protect its environmental resources, including the beach, bay, and wetland areas of the municipality, and combat the litter and dumping that mar these areas?
Inserra: The natural resources of Upper Township make it the jewel of the county. There isn’t a finer beach than Strathmere, a better family-friendly, bayfront getaway than Beesley’s Point, or as diverse a natural habitat as McNamara Wildlife Preserve, to name a few.
Keeping the township in pristine condition is key to what makes Upper Township so unique. Many residents moved here for the myriad of outdoor, natural activities available.
One way to keep Upper Township in top shape is strict enforcement of our litter laws, from leaving trash behind after a day at the beach to allowing debris to fly off the back of a truck on its way to the dump.
Our State Police, municipal employees, and residents need to be vigilant against anyone trashing our township.
A couple of years ago, the township found itself short of the necessary funds to provide certain services. Despite those funds being recovered, services remain lacking. However, the current administration finds itself flush with plenty of taxpayer dollars to expand the administrator role to full-time and add a part-time administrator to the tune of close to $300,000.
Let’s keep the administrator position part-time and use a fraction of that $300,000 to restore leaf and brush pick-up to what it used to be, keeping Upper Township roads free of clutter.
Give the recycle inspector a stipend, the appropriate truck and let him do the pick-up as it was always done. He’s already driving through the township every day. He can also keep an eye out for litter and other debris that needs to be picked up.
Nappen: My wife and I love taking our two little boys to play at the beaches and parks of Upper Township. We must do all we can to preserve the natural beauty of our environment here in Upper.
Finding ways to reduce trash and pollution would be one of my top priorities in government. Finding new sources of energy, such as wind and solar, will help the environment and reduce rising energy costs.
Pancoast: It has been very exciting to be part of the new administration in Upper Township. Meeting our residents and hearing all they had to say has really helped me to be a better caretaker of the township government.
Upper Township residents are proud of our natural resources. Our woodlands, lakes, beaches and back bays make us a unique and beautiful place to live.
Township Committee is taking steps to reinstate the Green Team. The Strathmere Fishing Club is very active in finding alternative ways to protect our beaches and wildlife.
I would like to see Upper Township schools encourage our youth to become involved with the 4-H Club. It is important that we remain good stewards of the environment that God has blessed us with here in Upper Township.
Development of the B.L. England site and possible wind energy connection offer unique opportunities for the township. Please provide specifics as to your view of these opportunities and how, if elected, you would maximize them to benefit residents and visitors?
Nappen: At this point in time, plans on either of these two very important proposals have not been made public. No one outside the Township Committee and the other parties involved can provide any specifics.
I do believe these are sensitive issues and it would be irresponsible for any candidate to try to address these issues without hard facts.
I will say that if I am seated on Township Committee, my support will be based on exactly what the impact is on our community. I would weigh both the negatives and the positives for Upper Township and would vote in the best interest of Upper Township.
Pancoast: Both the outcome of the B.L. England project and the possibility of wind energy connections are matters of negotiation, so I cannot speak to the specifics or give details of those discussions.
I can say that I am encouraged by the efforts of those interested parties to work with Upper Township to achieve a positive outcome for our residents.
This is very early in the process, and no one can predict outcomes without knowing the facts. I am confident we can work together. However, my support for those projects is predicated on how they impact the neighborhood and what benefits they will bring to our community.
Inserra: The Beesley’s Point area of the township is another area of unique beauty and value. The development of the B.L. England site will bring several benefits, including clean-up of the site and restored economic advantages with the type of housing and retail planned.
It didn’t help any of the businesses there when the bridge closed. The new development should make it a destination location.
In addition, if the wind power substation is placed there, the township would reap some franchise tax benefits that would surely help our bottom line.
To contact Camille Sailer, email csailer@cmcherald.com.
