Rick Short (R)
1. Make your final pitch. Why should you be elected to town council?
The reason I got involved in local politics was due to my work against the Cherry Hill Red Light Camera program. I attended more than 10 council meetings in Cherry Hill exposing increases in accidents and could not get the cameras shut down in Cherry Hill. So I gave up and went to the New Jersey State level and worked with Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon to get the entire state shut off. The strangest irony is that I really need to thank the township for not listening to me. This is because it forced me to dig even deeper into data on the website www.city-data.com. I have found hundreds of pedestrian deaths at red light camera intersections all across America that go unreported in that state.
My fellow voters, I hope you get to check out my local Cherry Hill Red Light Camera video, as well as my three documentary series titled NJ Red Light Gate, Philly Red Light Gate and New York City Red Light Gate.
On my first day in office I will put in motion to have the Red Light Cameras in Cherry Hill taken down forever. My second goal is to produce the largest South Jersey Family Bike Ride and Parade in Cherry Hill. Third, I want to start a system of accountability in Cherry Hill.
Today every resident problem is e-mailed to the township and you get an auto reply
stating “Thank You for Contacting Us”. And sometimes nothing happens with your problem? Well, I want to start a new system that tracks every problem called CHARS, Cherry Hill Accountability Reporting System. Fourth, I want bring fireworks back to Cherry Hill in 2016!
But my biggest quest in Cherry Hill is to improve the infrastructure of our deteriorating school systems. When I went to Back to School night with my wife and four children, I walked around recognizing that our teachers are all awesome but our schools are working up to be 60 or more years old someday soon. When I hear stories of a flagpole broken and that before it broke no one wanted to put the flag up because rust would get in their eyes, I think something is seriously wrong. So I will go to School Board meetings and I will work to better our schools. The better our schools, the higher our house values.
When you look back at the history of local politics and the great accomplishments of people who have work for Cherry Hill Township, one name comes to mind: John Amato. I watched John fight cancer and come to meeting after meeting that I attended and remember one thing from John. He loved Cherry Hill, his church work and playing Santa Clause. I look at John as a legend in Cherry Hill and strive be at least half the man he was for our town.
You only have one chance to vote for me as I am only running once for a Cherry Hill office. I have already helped our town by having the red light cameras turned off in the state of New Jersey. Please read the “The Short Ford Report” at stoprobocops.com.
Remember, if you want Cherry Hill to be No. 1, vote column No. 1!
Nancy O’Dowd (R)
1. Make your final pitch. Why should you be elected to town council?
End one party rule. It doesn’t seem to be working too well in Detroit, Chicago, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Newark, or Camden. It leads to corruption and cronyism and does not work in the best interests of the average citizen in the community.
Sara Lipsett (D)
1. Make your final pitch. Why should you be elected to town council?
Serving on Council, and representing the residents of Cherry Hill for the past eight years, has been an absolute honor. I am running for re-election to council so that I can continue to serve the hard working families of Cherry Hill and ensure that Cherry Hill remains a safe, clean, attractive place to live, work, and play.
My husband and I moved to Cherry Hill, like many young families because we wanted safe neighborhoods with great schools where we could raise our girls. As a mother, a councilwoman, and a resident, I appreciate the need to create and manage an effective budget, so that we keep taxes down, while at the same time, ensuring that we provide a high level of services for our residents, so that the town remains a vibrant place to live.
We must continue to invest in our roads, so that they are safe and easy to navigate. We must continue to stay one step ahead with property maintenance regulations, so that our neighborhoods remain attractive. Like so many other residents in town, I take great pride in the appearance of my home and I understand the frustration of having a vacant or unkept home in the neighborhood. As leaders of this town, we must make sure we are doing all that we can to crack down on banks or homeowners who do not properly care for their home.
I will make sure we protect and preserve our open space throughout town and that we continue to invest in our parks, playgrounds, and historic properties. These areas provide a sense of community for all of us. My hope is that one day, when my daughters are grown, they will return to Cherry Hill to raise their families and have access to these same open spaces, parks, and playgrounds that they did when they were growing-up.
My ultimate goal is to keep Cherry Hill a safe, clean, attractive, and affordable community that families choose to live and grow in for generations to come.
Melinda Kane (D)
1. Make your final pitch. Why should you be elected to town council?
Cherry Hill has been my home for the past 25 years. Prior to moving here, my husband and I lived in a small town outside of Fort Polk, La. where he served as a Major in the United States Army. I spent years living there imagining where we would move our family to, where would we live that we could call home. We found that home in Cherry Hill.
Twenty-five years later, I still have enormous appreciation and gratitude for Cherry Hill. It is a township comprised of beautiful neighborhoods, strong schools, a state-of-the-art library, numerous public parks, playgrounds and trails, easy access to transportation, great shopping and award-winning restaurants. We also have access to the best healthcare and the knowledge that we are protected at all times by the brave men and women of our Cherry Hill Police and Fire Departments.
Cherry Hill is what it is today thanks to the hard work and planning of our founders and those who serve in local government, both past and present. I am proud to be a part of that, as a councilwoman. We have accomplished many things over the past four years, and have many more accomplishments ahead of us. This includes our continued support for the protection of open space. We have saved hundreds of acres over the past four years, but we must keep this a priority, so that we continue to find ways to keep development off of our open, green spaces. We have worked hard to run an efficient government and have stabilized Cherry Hill’s economy, allowing us to increase municipal services without raising taxes a single penny these last four years. We must continue to seek grant funding, continue reducing debt, and continue building upon the financial success of the last four years. We must continue to keep our neighborhoods beautiful and clean and make sure that we maintain strong property maintenance regulations. We must continue to support our police and fire departments, so that our residents are safe and secure in their homes, on our roadways, and in our businesses.
Serving on Cherry Hill Town Council for the past four years has been an honor and privilege. As council members, we are asked to make decisions that will impact our residents and community, decisions that will make Cherry Hill strong not just today but in the future. I take this responsibility very seriously and if reelected, will do my absolute best to keep Cherry Hill a place that residents are proud to call home.
Stephen Cohen (R)
1. Make your final pitch. Why should you be elected to town council?
When I first told my dear friend I was running for town council he asked me why would I want to do that. I explained to him that I thought the voices of the people were being ignored. That the budget was opaque and it was difficult to get a handle on how and where the money was spent. We needed to have an independent public audit. Woodcrest Country Club was mishandled both by the original board of the golf course and the township leadership. Interestingly some of the same people were on both the board of the country club and served in township leadership during this episode. In the end $4 million was given to the developer so the golf course would not be developed and then given the right to develop disproportionately on the west side of Cherry Hill.
I asked my friend if he had ever been to town council meetings. At the end of council business meetings citizens are asked if they have any questions or comments. Citizens come up to the podium and they have two minutes to ask a question. After everyone has completed their questions the council members can answer the questions posed or not. Citizens do not have the opportunity to redirect the question or even are insured their questions would be answered. I asked my friend imagine a township with fireworks on July 4, or a responsive town council or red light cameras down forever. He said “but things are not bad enough for the people in the township to change from the one party rule that they have grown accustom too.” I wonder how bad it needs to get before our fellow citizens wake up and change directions. I imagine on Nov. 3 we will find out.
Brian Bauerle (R)
1. Make your final pitch. Why should you be elected to town council?
Cherry Hill is a great town and I am excited about the direction and future of our town. If re-elected, I will continue to make sure that Cherry Hill remains an attractive, affordable place to live. I will work hard to build upon the success we have had keeping taxes down and making sure we continue to identify cost savings, without jeopardizing the services that our residents deserve and expect.
As a resident, councilman, and father of three young children, my wife and I live in Cherry Hill for all it has to offer and we could not imagine raising our family anywhere else. Cherry Hill truly has it all, from our strong, vibrant and proud neighborhoods that remain the backbone of our community; parks, trails and recreation opportunities all over town; high quality education; robust cultural, arts and history programs; a strong and flourishing business community; great youth sports programs; and police and fire departments that are second to none. Cherry Hill is a great place to live, raise a family, work and visit and I want to make sure that it remains a place where our children want to live when they start their own families, where our seniors want to stay and new families want to call home both today and tomorrow.
Mayor and council have provided strong leadership by preserving open space, improving parks and recreational facilities across town and investing in our roadways, all of which improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods and for our residents. And again, all of this has been accomplished over the past four years without raising municipal taxes. I will work hard to do everything possible to continue making these types of investments while keeping a watchful eye on the budget and our municipal taxes.
I will work with the Mayor and council to continue our efforts to reduce the township’s annual debt service costs, while promoting economic growth and reinvestment in underutilized sites that increases the township’s commercial ratable base and further advances Cherry Hill as a regional center for retail, commercial activity and health care. New businesses continue to come to Cherry Hill, existing businesses are upgrading and improving their sites and underutilized sites are being reinvented to better and higher quality uses. New families are also moving to Cherry Hill for many of the same reasons why I live here. These are all signs that Cherry Hill is a desirable place to be, both now and in the future.
At a very young age my parents instilled in me the importance of hard work, the importance of dedicating myself to the task at hand and the importance of community. The hard work and dedication of Mayor Cahn and my colleagues on council are building a future for Cherry Hill that I am proud of. If re-elected, I look forward to building upon all that we have accomplished. I would be honored for the opportunity to continue to serve the residents of this great town and give back to the community I call home.
