To the Editor:
I read Art Hall’s column last week with great interest and empathy. Many of the issues he identified are issues that we, as County Freeholders, struggle with every day. What I have realized is that we need an aggressive team of legislators in Trenton fighting for us on these things.
On the subject of the completion of Route 55, which was conceived over 50 years ago as the “Cape May Expressway,” I find through old news stories that our current legislators commissioned a couple of studies and then declared “this will never be built.” Leadership does not consist of throwing your hands up and walking away when the going gets tough. I don’t have all the answers on this subject, but I do have a desire to go to Trenton and fight for our interests in extreme South Jersey.
Hall also mentioned what can be done to support our budding wine industry. There is pending legislation in Trenton right now that would remove some of the regulatory burdens placed on that industry and allow it to be much more marketable. Our current legislators have sat on their hands while the bill languishes in the halls of Trenton. We all know why: It is not a sexy issue, the wine industry. There is no injured party to stand with; there is no testimonial dinner photo op. The issue offers only the hard work of knocking heads with other legislators in Trenton to get the big things done.
In terms of getting our fair share of Trenton’s projects and services, that will take legislators willing to go eyeball-to-eyeball with the powerful North Jersey politicians. We haven’t seen that since Sen. Jimmy Cafiero fought to bring us the Wildwoods Convention Center. Until we change the interests of our legislative delegation away from the perpetual campaign and toward the hard work of fighting for South Jersey’s fair share, I’m afraid these issues will not advance.
This is one of the main reasons I am running for State Assembly. We need fresh faces and strong voices in Trenton to work on the issues Hall identified in his column. We need legislators that will team up with our county and local elected officials and advance a common cause, not pick and choose issues based on which ones will garner the biggest headlines.
KRISTINE GABOR
Petersburg
(ED NOTE: Gabor is a Cape May County Freeholder)
Cape May – Governor Murphy says he doesn't know anything about the drones and doesn't know what they are doing but he does know that they are not dangerous. Does anyone feel better now?
