Wildwood Crest Incumbents Will Run as Team in Upcoming Election

WILDWOOD CREST – Borough Commissioners Don Cabrera, Joyce Gould and Mayor Carl Groon announced via a Feb. 9 press release that they would run for reelection as a team.
Each of the three candidates pointed to their ability to work well together and the desire to continue the work and accomplishments of the current administration as the reason for running in the May election as a team.
Groon, the borough’s mayor and commissioner of public safety, seeks a second four-year term. Cabrera, commissioner of public works, seeks a third term. Gould, currently the commissioner of revenue and finance, seeks a fifth term in office. Over her four terms in local office she has served as commissioner of each department as well as serving 1989 to 1993 as mayor.
The team of incumbents sites the acquisition of numerous state and federal grants; infra-structure improvements; rehabilitation of the Crest Fishing Pier; creation of a fitness park at Forget-Me-Not Road and the beach; and the final phase of the stabilization wall at Sunset Lake, as part of a list of accomplishments. The borough also completed a full revaluation to bring property values to the proper levels.
“There’s still much work to be done, and we want to continue what we’ve started,” explained Groon, who added that it is easier to accomplish goals when the commissioners respect each other and work well together.
“We gel, and would like to continue this work for the residents of Wildwood Crest,” said Gould.
Although Wildwood Crest’s government and elections are non-partisan, this ticket is unusual because it combines a Democrat, Gould, with two Republicans, Cabrera and Groon. “We think it’s about putting community before politics,” Cabrera explained.
“Local government works best when you take a county, state, or national affiliation out of the mix,” he said. “This election is about the future of Wildwood Crest, and being Republican or Democrat doesn’t have anything to do with it.”
Cabrera, Gould and Groon said they want to continue working on the many projects they have started, including infrastructure improvements, the Rambler Road Park project, outfall line extension and rehabilitation of the borough’s storm sewers, exploring shared services with nearby communities, and generating even more efficiency from borough employees.
“We want to continue to find ways to do more with less,” said Gould, referring to the difficult economic times that municipalities are facing.
“As a team, we need to maintain the level of services and accomplishments that the residents of Wildwood Crest expect and deserve,” said Groon.
The petition filing date to run in this year’s municipal election in the borough is March 19 and the election is held May 12.