In the fourth week, the council candidates give their final pitch on why they should be elected
Editor’s Note: This is the fourth week of The Cherry Hill Sun’s four-week Meet the Candidates series.
Question: Give your final pitch. Why should you be elected to township council?
Carole Roskoph
I have lived in Cherry Hill for most of my life, and for the past 17 years I have taught at Cherry Hill West, my alma mater. My parents, my son, and I live together in Cherry Valley.
I see first-hand the perspective of three separate generations of Cherry Hill residents, and, as a teacher, I have been privileged to get to know many Cherry Hill students and their families.
I chose to run for town council because I want to continue to give back to the community that has given me so many opportunities. I love being a teacher at Cherry Hill West and was inspired by my students to become a leader both in the classroom and in the community at large. I want to work with Mayor Cahn and council to have Cherry Hill continue to be the place that our children want to call home, that they return to once they have experienced what the world has to offer them.
I also want to make sure that Cherry Hill continues moving in a positive direction. I want to ensure that the residents of Cherry Hill continue receiving a high level of services in an efficient and effective manner. Mayor Cahn and council have maintained and improved upon our town’s services without raising municipal taxes. I am running to work with Mayor and council to guarantee that this continues and to ensure that Cherry Hill remains affordable for all of our residents.
Every day, I see what makes Cherry Hill special –
· An outstanding school system
· A vibrant town library
· More than 50 parks, playgrounds and trails
· Health and wellness programs throughout the town
· Road improvements
· Arts programs
· Recreational programs
I know that my trash will get picked up every week, that my leaves will be picked up in the fall and that my street will be plowed in the winter. I know that our fire and police departments work to keep our town safe. But I know that this just does not happen; it requires hard work. You can count on me to work hard and be your voice. I will continue to work to keep Cherry Hill united as we move forward now and in the future.
Joseph Rodi
Fellow citizens, every two years Cherry Hill heads to the polls and each time is an opportunity to make a difference. Each one of us has the power to make a positive difference in our town.
Over the decades many of us have witnessed Cherry Hill transform from a small rural community into today’s bustling metropolis. Gone are the days of elegant horses racing around the Garden State Racetrack now filled with massive housing complexes and retail shopping. We must truly assess what the future of Cherry Hill is today, the center of South Jersey. We must be prepared to create new things from the soil that precedes us.
We must be mindful of the communities and cities of the past, which were bustling metropolises of their time, and make sure we do not share their fate. This is why I am asking for your vote.
In particular, property taxes need to be reduced to some meaningful extent to families in our community. If elected, I will advocate for four issues: taxes, infrastructure improvements (especially to roads and sidewalks), responsible sustainable development, and public safety. If elected to the council, I will propose that the township look into reviewing its tax codes, especially property taxes, to make the township a more attractive, accessible place for families of all incomes and for small businesses.
I think Cherry Hill is moving really quickly with development, which is great, but you can’t look at development as an island. Responsible residential developments, with more attention paid to impacts of development on schools and other resources, is a major part of my platform. Regarding public safety, I would prioritize giving the Police and Fire Departments more resources. I would also prioritize working with other councilors and Mayor Chuck Cahn.
I know I can be part of new conversations that need to happen in Cherry Hill. With your vote, on Nov. 7, I would be honored and look forward to serving as your voice in our community.
I bring a diverse educational background from having studied agriculture at West Virginia University to earning degrees in biology and philosophy from The College of New Jersey, graduate studies in philosophy at Villanova University and a Visiting Fellow at St. John’s University Institute for Asian Studies. I hold a master’s degree from St. John’s University in Queens, N.Y. in moral theology and a Juris Doctorate from UMass law.
John Papeika
I feel that I should be elected to town council for several reasons. First, I would like to preserve the Cherry Hill that encouraged us to move here. I love the town but have concerns about where it is going in the future from not only a developmental and financial standpoint but also in terms of the education system. I want my son to know and enjoy the Cherry Hill I have known and experienced.
The developments and rezoning which I have witnessed in the past years are concerning. There seems to be a lack of caring for residents’ life and traffic. To be clear, I am not anti-development; I am pro-responsible development (and the responsibility may translate to no development at times). Gas stations in people’s backyard is an example of irresponsible. Newton was right, every action has a reaction; a government needs to research these reactions before acting.
Financial, we pay a lot of taxes. I don’t pay my cell phone bill without reading it yet it appears we blindly spend millions every month. I feel my experience in business will help make the right budget decisions.
And finally, schools. This is a subject who’s importance has increased exponentially for me recently. They’re falling apart. They’re underfunded. We need to fix them before it is too late!
Carolyn M. Jacobs
I don’t think that you will find a bigger booster for Cherry Hill anywhere. I’m a long-term resident who is so very grateful for all that Cherry Hill offered to me and to my family. We moved here because we found it to be affordable and close to transportation for our jobs in Philadelphia, had award-winning schools, ample recreational opportunities, farm-fresh markets and great neighborhoods. Now that I have retired, I feel it is my duty (as well as my pleasure) to give back to the community that I love.
I’ve chosen to do that in several ways. I sought out a position on the township planning board so that I could make a difference in ensuring that developers were keeping Cherry Hill’s best interests in mind for both residential and commercial developments. Those who have been to a planning board meeting have heard me argue for development concessions that reduce environmental impacts with the smallest possible impact on nearby property-owners. They have also heard me explain every one of my votes, always keeping in mind whether the benefits outweighed any detriments to the public good. The public good is always at the forefront of my thoughts.
I’ve also been fortunate to have been elected to complete a term on township council this past year. During my time on council, I have worked hard to learn how our municipal government functions. I have met with all of the department heads and many of the township employees and understand how hard they work each and every day to make sure that you have the best government and services possible. You’ve seen me at as many township events and meetings as possible to get to know you and to hear your concerns. It has truly been a pleasure to work with Mayor Cahn and his strong and committed team including the police and fire departments, the administration in the municipal building and the other members of the township council to improve the lives of us all. It is vitally important that this extended team works in concert for the benefit of each and every person who lives in Cherry Hill, who works in Cherry Hill or stops by to take advantage of our shops, restaurants and recreation facilities.
Is it all perfect? Of course it isn’t. There is always much to do. I pledge to work hard to make sure that residents are as well informed as possible about what is going on in town. We certainly have the tools to do so; the Mayor’s weekly briefings, our township website, Cherry Hill’s Facebook and Twitter presence I will continue to advocate for more resident on anything happening in town. I promise to listen, always. I promise to advocate for the ongoing, strong relationship between the township and our schools that has just allowed us to create beautiful (and safe) turf fields for both of our high schools. I promise to advocate for our seniors as well, making sure that this is a town in which they feel comfortable as they age in place. In short, I believe my constituency encompasses our very youngest to our very oldest, without exception.
Please come out to vote on Nov. 7 and support the Democratic candidates. I pledge to continue to work as hard in the next year as I have in the past to make a positive difference in the life of Cherry Hill.
David Fleisher
I was raised to believe that being part of a community was not a spectator sport. Cherry Hill is a special place — a place where neighborhoods thrive, businesses prosper, and diversity is celebrated. Our township is run in a fiscally responsible manner (municipal tax decrease and high credit rating, for example), and municipal services are robust. Residents deserve representatives with the experience, commitment and drive to keep it that way.
I’ve been honored to represent you — the residents — as council president. I take the responsibility very seriously. Thank you for calling Cherry Hill home, and for giving me the opportunity to work with you to ensure that our town’s future remains bright!
Sangeeta Doshi
I am an immigrant and an American. My parents moved to America from India in 1968, when I was 2 years old, to further their education and provide a better life for my sister and me.
My parents were both the first in their families to go to college. Through hard work and perseverance, they both went on to medical school. When I think about my mother, I am still awed and inspired by the dedication and tenacity she put forth to become an accomplished wife, mother, and physician. My parents, like me, are proud to be immigrants and proud to be Americans. My parents instilled in us the value of education and hard work. They raised us to understand it is our duty to give back to the community and the country that has given my family and me so much. I witnessed my parents being true community leaders when they started the local crisis center in my hometown.
I am proud to be following in their footsteps with my community engagement. I am active with the Domestic Violence Task Force in Camden County. This is a group dedicated to addressing the many complex issues involved in the prevention and response to domestic violence. I have proudly served on the Cherry Hill Township zoning and planning boards and am an active member of the Indian Cultural Center and Indian Temple Association.
I have a degree in electrical engineering from WPI and a master’s of business administration in finance from Babson College. I have worked in telecommunications for most of my career.
In 1995, my husband, Nilesh and I moved to Cherry Hill and fell in love with this diverse and accepting community. This has been and is the perfect place to raise our three sons Shailen, Vishal and Shaan and our dog Nala.
My boys have played soccer, football, basketball and baseball in Cherry Hill since 1999. We have sponsored and coached teams, helped with fundraising and volunteered in the fields.
But I know a town doesn’t remain a great place by accident, it takes the hard work of volunteers to make things happen. My family and I see it on the playing fields, in our community centers, churches, temples and in our neighborhoods. I see it in the dedication of our mayor and township council.
With everything going on in the world today, now more than ever, we all must stand together to keep Cherry Hill the special, inclusive place that we love and we must stay true to the “progressive and traditional Democratic values” that make this group, this town, and this country a place that we are all proud to call home.
I want to pledge that I will work every day with you, the people of Cherry Hill, the Mayor and council to keep Cherry Hill moving forward.
I am excited to get to work and ask for your support and vote on Nov. 7. Thank you!
Scott J. Cohen
The main reason I am running and should be elected to the town council is straightforward, to help bring the needed change to Cherry Hill. For far too long we all have seen the lack of transparency and fair representation of our community at large.
As my running mate stated, “Our current leadership has allowed outside political influencers and private developers to run roughshod over the wants and desires of the residents of this township.” He has summed up our sentiments correctly.
This election is very important to the Cherry Hill community. Are you happy with the representation of your local government, and the decisions they have made in recent years? Are you happy with the current conditions of our parks? Are you happy with the zoning board and council’s approvals of new projects, and the traffic it has brought? Your vote down ballot this election cycle so important, maybe voting the same way every election cycle hasn’t worked.
This is our community, this November we need to consider selecting to best local candidates to represent the entire community, not a column. We will change the way the township communicates to its residents, making sure that timely notice of hearings is given, especially to those in neighborhoods that may be affected by the council’s decisions. I would personally give myself mandatory office hours so the community can have direct access to the council. Please allow me the honor to serve.
Andrew H. Behrend
There are several reasons that I feel that I should be elected to the town council.
First and foremost, is that I am running for the right reason, I wish to serve my community
If elected I hope to bring transparency to our township, to ensure that all of our residents are fairly represented in all aspects of the townships decisions.
Our current leadership has allowed outside political influencers and private developers to run roughshod over the wants and desires of the residents of this township.
For too long, the town council has been a rubber stamp, for all who wish to take from our community, without giving back. We don’t have insight into the bills that are paid, as there is never a public discussion prior to voting.
There’s an old adage that goes “absolute power corrupts absolutely.” I believe that to be true in Cherry Hill, where single party rule has allowed the Mayor to be the sole decision maker in what is to transpire in the township.
The Mayor appoints the members of the planning board, the zoning board etc. So, when large political donors become involved in attempts to “redevelop,” properties within the township, or build retail space, you don’t even have to ask yourself whose wishes the Mayor and his “team” are going to fulfill, and it is certainly not those of these township’s residents. Our form of government was always meant to have a form of checks and balances. This is not possible if only one-party controls all.
We have seen this time and time again, where the residents of this township’s neighborhoods have fought against the incumbent Mayor, town council and planning board, in very vocal/legal opposition to their plans to build in areas that were not acceptable to those residents. In all of these circumstances, even after having hundreds of people show up and testify at the meetings, they still vote in opposition to the wishes of the constituents that they were elected to represent.
Examples: The Cherry Park overlay, B4 rezoning and the passing of the Costco resolution, Still Park redevelopment plan, Evans Mill (where the Barclay community at their expense were forced to take the township to court, and took it all the way to the New Jersey State Supreme Court, where they ultimately lost), the Masonic property etc.
In all of these instances, the residents of this town’s communities clearly stated to the incumbent board that the uses of these parcels for what they were suggesting was not acceptable, and in each case, their input was completely ignored.
In 1999, I moved into Cherry Hill Township with my wife and then 6-year-old step-daughter. We chose this township due to its excellent schools, strong sense of community, and the “small town” feel that you had when you walked through our neighborhoods. Since then, I have seen the environment changing into one more representative of the larger metropolitan cities in Northern New Jersey. Cherry Hill is losing its personality.
If elected I’d do everything in my power to ensure that all of the residents of our community are represented. I’d change the way the township communicates, making sure that timely notice of hearings is given, especially to those who may be affected by Council’s decisions. I strongly believe in community outreach, and would make myself available to all who desired to have input into the decision-making process. Please allow me the honor to serve.
