VOTE411 Voter Guide

There should be open Town Hall meetings at least every quarter to give all residents an opportunity to voice any concerns, and to hear about policy decisions the Town Council members are considering. There have been a number of occasions when the current members have pushed through changes without adequately alerting the residents that will be most affected by the changes, and this needs to stop.

I am aware that some consolidations have already occurred (ie Lower and Middle Townships share a Municipal Judge and the County-wide emergency dispatch). We should be open to any ideas that make fiscal sense for our community, without risking public safety.

There has been frustration among some of the residents who have been subjected to juvenile misconduct and feel that it has not been adequately addressed, which was evidenced by turnout at recent Town Council meetings. This is something that we should all care about, since not all adolescents have the support they need at home. Lower Township has an amazing Recreation Department that offers a lot for kids to do outside of school, so maybe we need to do a better job of getting our kids involved there. We can also provide resources to the families of the youth that continue to find themselves in trouble, so parents don't feel all alone.

Lower Township has been able to keep taxes flat because of the escalated growth of new home construction, but is that what we want? Let's tap into existing County and State agencies to assist us with a development plan, and explore if there are any ecomonic development grants available to us.

From what I understand, Lower Township has not abided by the State mandate to provide affordable housing units when new homes are built. Instead, people in need of housing are given vouchers to stay in local motels. This is NOT a solution. When I served on the Moorestown Low and Moderate Housing Committee, we had the benefit of working with an organiztion called MEND (Moorestown Ecumenical Neighborhood Development) who have set a gold standard in developing and maintaining below-market rental housing for low and moderate income households. I would invite MEND to meet with us to see how we might be able to emulate what they have done.

First and foremost I would take my position very seriously as a council woman. I am a great listener, and even though I am one woman I would we willing to make proposals before Council where appropriate. I would work with the Township Manager, Solicitor and Council Members to ensure that I am up to date on the major decisions. Where legally permitted and appropriate I would share updates with my neighbors and local residents in Ward 2. I think transparency is crucial in government and something that constituents all deserve.

Consolidation is not something that I think will make anything more efficient. Post blizzard I spoke with public works several times regarding leaf and branch pick up. They were totally inundated, overwhelmed and had a lack of manpower. There have been several other occasions where I have been reminded that they are running on a skeleton crew, I think filing that down would result in longer wait times for trash removal, yard debris pick up, and other issues. I think the solution is more manpower not less, and more trucks on the road. Can less of a crew sustain our year round population? Maybe with great effort. Would a smaller crew sustain our summer population? No chance!

As a mother of three children, I worry about the safety of our youth in Lower Township. I think law enforcement does a fantastic job here in Lower Township, the law gets complicated when it comes to minors. I do not think this issue of juveniles is due to a lack of law enforcement, I think what is lacking is any accountability due to red tape. I think the Lower Township School Boards might consider what programs they are able to implement for children as far as counseling, extra curricular activities, and transportation to keep the juveniles engaged and active in healthy ways. Since many of our local taxes are going to schools, with a steady declining population I think that would be a great utilization of our tax dollars. Unfortunately as a Council woman that would not be in my scope as I do not sit on the BOE, however I have attended meetings and I implore other parents and taxpayers do the same. This is a different day and age than when I grew up. It takes a village.

As a small business owner in Lower Township I think sometimes excessive red tape deters local business owners. Naturally we want regulations to exist to protect those that shop at our local businesses. But for example zoning matters for residential properties are not always enforced as swiftly or sharply as commercial properties. I say make it easier and more accessible for small business owners to obtain necessary documents and receive answers to questions in a prompt and timely manner. If elected I would like to listen and advocate for residents and business owners when possible, within my scope as a council woman and working within the appropriate channels. Enforcement should be even and measured, sometimes the scales of justice become unbalanced. As a small business owner myself in Lower Township I support small business 100% and would love to hear from other business owners.

I believe affordable housing extends beyond the scope of Lower Township Municipality and is a national issue at this point. Affordability of electric bills and groceries, let alone housing have become a challenge for many Americans not exclusively in Lower Township NJ. I do not believe that affordable housing developments are the answer, in fact I don’t think this issue is due to lack of developed housing at all. Perhaps one solution could be local incentives for landlords who offer year round rentals opposed to short term rentals.

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