For the past several weeks The Sun has asked candidates in the Nov. 3 election for Voorhees Township Committee seats to respond to questions pertinent to local issues.
For the final week, candidates were asked only one question where they could give one final message to voters:
1.) Make your final pitch. Why should you be elected to Township Committee?
Democrat Michelle Nocito:
1.) Make your final pitch. Why should you be elected to Township Committee?
My running mate, Jason Ravitz, and I recognize and appreciate that being elected to Township Committee is a service to all residents, and not just those who share our views or who voted for us. Public office is a service to the entire community; Jason and I have the business backgrounds and skill sets to work cooperatively with others to continue to move our township forward. Sometimes people seek office because they are obsessed with a single issue. Jason and I recognize that once the election is over, our responsibility is to work successfully through every challenge that is presented during our term. We understand that elected officials are charged with the responsibility to plan and deliver a community experience that balances the economic interests of Voorhees residents with their desire to live in a community where they feel safe, have access to the many services the township provides as well as have a school system of which residents are proud.
Jason Ravitz and I are committed to holding the line on taxes while reducing the size of government yet maintaining the services that taxpayers expect and deserve. As business people, Jason and I look forward to bringing our private sector experience to the township. We believe there is room to explore more shared services agreements to save money and improve the efficiency of municipal services. We will also partner with our schools to ensure all of the children in Voorhees receive the educational experience they deserve in an environment that is safe. Our plan is continue to build upon the program that already has officers in our schools to continue to protect the faculty and students in this community.
Each day I take a moment to be thankful for my family, a successful career and this community because it was not always that way for me. Much of what has happened for me personally and professionally is because others along the way have been generous with their time and in sharing their experiences and wisdom, which have helped me become a better mother, wife, friend, colleague and leader. I am passionate about giving my time and energy in ways that can make a real difference. I am active in our local schools and in the Voorhees Soccer Association. I have seen first-hand the impact that the many volunteers in this community has had on these organizations and I am proud to be a part of that. Jason Ravitz and I are energized to make a difference and we are committed to serving Voorhees residents. We are grateful for the support and well wishes we have received while out meeting voters, and we look forward to building on the trust and confidence we have begun to establish with residents. Thank you for voting Ravitz and Nocito on Nov. 3.
Democrat Jason Ravitz:
1.) Make your final pitch. Why should you be elected to Township Committee?
My running mate, Michelle Nocito, and I are running as Democrats for the two open seats on Voorhees Township Committee. The centerpiece of our campaign is to hold the line on taxes and reduce the size of government without a reduction in services that Voorhees residents expect and deserve.
Michelle and I are businesspersons and not politicians. I will bring my extensive private sector experience in running a family business, and Michelle will bring her expertise as a financial advisor to help manage the township budget, find innovative ways to cut costs through shared service agreements, deliver municipal services more efficiently to our residents and help make sure
that Voorhees tax dollars stay in Voorhees.
As parents of Voorhees school children, we are both dedicated to partnering with the Voorhees school districts to make sure all children get the best possible education, class sizes are kept at a minimum and there will continue to be a police officer in each school to protect our children and faculty.
Township residents need elected officials they can trust. Residents also need elected officials who actually listen to their concerns and respond accordingly. I grew up in and continue to work in a family business built on customer service. I am always available for my customers and associates to listen to their concerns and answer their questions.
Most importantly, in the end, I try to solve their problems and always follow up with them. I intend to bring the same philosophy to the position of township committee person.
During the past several months, Michelle and I have campaigned extensively throughout Voorhees and have met many residents, civic organizations and homeowners’ associations who, like us, want to see Voorhees continue to move in the right direction. Both Michelle and I have experienced the great cultural diversity that is thriving in Voorhees. Voorhees has come a long way in the last decade, and Michelle and I have the ability to work with other elected officials, civic groups and residents to make it even better. Unlike our opponents, we do not make campaign promises with no plans, nor are we interested in campaign gimmicks that disappear after election day.
Michelle and I believe in open and honest government and will watch every tax dollar Voorhees receives to make sure residents get the best value for the taxes they pay.
Michelle and I are also great advocates for business development by attracting new businesses and ensuring that existing businesses thrive.
I have extensive experience in business development through my work at Ravitz Family Shop Rites and Price Rite.
My brothers and I brought the first new supermarket in 40 years to Camden, which had been previously known as a “food desert.”
I am very experienced in identifying opportunities for new business and bringing entrepreneurial ideas to fruition. I am also highly experienced in developing creative ways to help existing businesses thrive. I will bring this unique ability to my position as township committee person. No other candidates have the practical experience in the business world that Michelle and I have gained throughout our years of hard work in the private sector.
Michelle and I can help bring in commercial ratables to relieve the property tax burden on our residents. We believe that we are the best qualified candidates in this year’s election based upon business background, community involvement and personal character.
We have the time and energy to devote ourselves to make sure Voorhees Township government is operating efficiently and residents are being heard. With your help on election day, both Michelle and I can keep Voorhees moving in the right direction and make our town and your town the best it can be.
Republican Heidi Handler:
1.) Make your final pitch. Why should you be elected to Township Committee?
As a practicing physician, a lawyer and, first and foremost, a mother, I have seen and done many important things in my personal and professional life, but before this year I had never even considered the idea of running for local office. However, when Dave and a group of concerned Voorhees taxpayers reached out to me and asked me to run, I quickly said yes. It has always been my passion to serve and to do the right thing for the community I love. Entering this race for Voorhees Township Committee was a logical extension of that desire, and I am so glad I answered the call.
When elected, Dave Adamson and I will fight for every single Voorhees taxpayer to make sure that your government works for you in the most transparent, efficient and responsive way possible. I have learned that few people in Voorhees actually know how their tax dollars are spent. They have no idea that local politicians spend tax money on personal health benefits and expenses. They don’t know that the Township Committee gives township jobs and public contracts to political allies and donors. They don’t know that the one-party monopoly running our government since the 1990s has raised property taxes more than 75 percent and spend one-fifth of our budget on debt, but refuse to try any fresh ideas for non-tax revenue and property tax relief. I have made it my mission to bring these issues to the voters, and after Nov. 3, I will make it my mission to make sure these issues are swiftly dealt with.
As a mother of three great kids who attend the Voorhees schools, I am committed to making sure that our schools not only maintain the high standards we enjoy, but to also bring in new resources to make our districts the best they can be. While other candidates in this race support your tax dollars funding schools in other cities in New Jersey, Dave and I support bringing those tax dollars home to make sure Voorhees gets its fair share of school aid. This will result in millions in state funds coming to our schools and relieve a substantial burden from our property taxes.
Voorhees government needs to move on from old ways of doing things and accept a fresh perspective. With Dave, Committeeman Friedman and me in office, Voorhees taxpayers will have new non-tax revenue to rely on for tax relief, such as business sponsorships for our municipal properties and equipment or advertising space in Nixle postings. Voorhees taxpayers will have leadership that will not allow politicians to personally profit from your high property taxes. Voorhees taxpayers will have a government that awards public contracts to the best and lowest bidder rather than to the highest political donors. And finally, Voorhees taxpayers will have a government that finally lowers taxes. Our local government needs to be balanced. One-party control fails everywhere it persists, and Voorhees cannot afford another year of an unresponsive political monopoly. If you elect Dave and I, balance will return to the Township Committee.
Running for office in Voorhees has been an incredible experience. It has been amazing to meet so many residents and hear your concerns. Visit www.facebook.com/ votevoorhees to learn more about our campaign. With you vote on Nov. 3, Dave Adamson and I will go to town hall and build a better Voorhees for you and your family.
Republican Dave Adamson:
1.) Make your final pitch. Why should you be elected to Township Committee?
Since 2014, I have met with thousands of Voorhees residents while running for Township Committee. If you are reading this, there is a good chance that I stopped by your door in hopes of speaking with you and your family about the issues that matter most to you.
No matter what neighborhood I walk through, there are certain things I hear from nearly every Voorhees resident. You love our town, and you love our schools, but it grows more expensive to stay here each year and your local government is unresponsive to you concerns. I am running with my friend Heidi Handler to protect Voorhees’ character and schools you love, but to also make sure you can stay here for the rest of your life and without worrying about affording the taxes and other expenses that go along with calling Voorhees home.
The same one-party government, run by the same career politicians, has controlled Voorhees government since the late 1990s. In that time, the average property tax bill has increased by more than 75 percent. That is unsustainable tax growth. Because of the monopoly over our local government, some Voorhees politicians have grown stale and unresponsive. For years, those politicians made your family pay for their taxpayer-funded health insurance, costing you hundreds of thousands of dollars. This year that insurance costs $29,300 per committee member, and after promising to stop, politicians are once again taking your money for these benefits. Heidi and I will put a stop to this disgusting and unethical practice once and for all. Your taxes should be supporting our kids and keeping our town safe and prosperous, not lining the pockets of politicians. Our opponents have sadly not denounced these politicians or taxpayer-funded health insurance because those same politicians recruited them to run for office.
Heidi and I also support our Voorhees schools in ways that no other candidates do. While other candidates send mail to your house claiming to be champions of our schools, they fail to mention that the Township Committee has very little to do with school budgets or policy.
Heidi and I join with Committeeman Friedman in supporting a plan known as the Fair School Funding Plan, which ends the awful practice of sending Voorhees tax dollars to other school districts around the state. We will fight to make this plan a reality.
Other candidates in this race are for the status quo and support politicians who fight to keep sending your tax money elsewhere. Heidi and I are the only candidates this year in Voorhees fighting to bring millions in new funding to our already great schools. This will ultimately allow for tax relief.
Finally, my experience as a small business owner gives me a unique perspective in efficiency and cost savings. I will go through the budget line-by-line and remove redundancy and waste. And make no mistake; I consider public contracts being handed out to political donors of Voorhees career politicians to be waste. When I am elected, we will pay a flat fee to certain professionals to ensure that Voorhees pays a fair and efficient rate, just like other towns in Camden County do. Only the lowest and best bidders will work for our town, not the politically connected and overpaid. Those savings will lead to lower tax rates.
It has been an honor to meet so many of you while campaigning this year, and I would be grateful to have your vote on Nov. 3 so that Heidi and I can fight to build a better Voorhees for your family.
