Writers praise their chosen candidates.
Fight poverty with new Cumberland freeholders
To the Editor:
The Cumberland County freeholder board has been in the control of Democrats for most of the past 25 years. Unfortunately, during this same time, the county has been on the top of all the WRONG lists: It's the New Jersey county with the highest poverty, unemployment and illiteracy rates.
MORE: Groups: Take anti-poverty pledge if you want our votes
In order to make positive changes, we need to support Republicans Louise Bertacchi and Mayra Arroyo for freeholder. If elected, these women would have voices to challenge some of the continuing mistakes, and help move our county in a better direction. Voting for their opponents (Democrats Jim Quinn and Joseph Derella, an incumbent) means continuing more of the same bad policies.
Bertacchi and Arroyo are strong leaders. Bertacchi has president or chairwoman of numerous organizations. Her involvement in so many civic activities shows the deep concern she has for her community. She has been a successful business person and helped run Bertacchi Foods in Vineland prior to her retirement. She knows how cut costs without reducing services.
Arroyo is an example of someone realizing the American dream. She has believed in hard work from the time she was young and has earned a master's degree. Currently, she is an educator for Rowan University. Arroyo's sensible and optimistic outlook would be most welcome on the freeholder board. She is not afraid to tackle difficult tasks.
Please join me in supporting new, innovative ideas for moving Cumberland County forward by voting Nov. 3 for Bertacchi and Arroyo for freeholder.
Ellen L. Van Hook
Millville
Dems keep things moving in Gloucester County
To the Editor:
In America, Democrats created the middle class. In today's tough economic times, Democrats will maintain the middle class. Since the party's inception, Democrats have fought for fair wages and safe working conditions. Because of this, we can feed our families, send our children to great schools and live in safe neighborhoods.
In Gloucester County, Democratic leadership on our freeholder board (it has a 7-0 Democrat majority) ensures that we can continue to thrive in a place that continues to be, as the county's slogan states, "Close To Everything... Far From It All." Whether it's open space, world class health care, great higher education or farm-fresh foods, everything is right at our fingertips.
On Nov. 3, Democrat Freeholders Robert Damminger and Joe Chila are running for re-election, and Freeholder Jim Jefferson is seeking to finish the remainder of the unexpired term to which he was appointed. Democrat county Sheriff Carmel Morina is also seeking re-election. They are committed to the place we call home. Make sure your vote counts.
Frank Gurcsik
Washington Township
Independent Salem candidate: I can ease blight
To the Editor:
Salem City suffers from a terrible lack of leadership and direction. At city council meetings, our elected officials often don't have committee reports to give because the committees failed to meet. It's embarrassing.
The most telling numbers are these: More than half of the houses in Salem are occupied by renters, and almost 20 percent are vacant or abandoned. This is a recipe for disaster. We have around 200 vacant properties, many of them vandalized and severely in need of repair.
In my 10 years here, the city council has shown open contempt for historic preservation. Our beautiful homes, churches and other buildings are the only things Salem has to offer. There is no other reason to come here. Yet, we continue to neglect our neighborhoods, and fail to market our history and our houses to the outside world. We badly need a large influx of self-sufficient homeowners to restore these landmarks and stabilize our neighborhoods.
Everywhere you go, people are angry, frustrated and disgusted. Many want to leave but can't sell their homes, and can't afford to just walk away. Some are just leaving anyway, abandoning their homes. No one seems happy with our governing body, nor do they understand in what direction we are heading.
My question is this: Why do you keep voting for the same people over and over again, and how can you expect things to improve when you do?
I am an independent candidate for city council who has no use for party politics. If you want things to change for the better, model yourself after towns that have faced similar problems and overcame them. It is not impossible to restore Salem, but it will only happen if you want it badly enough. Do you or don't you?
Rod Miller
Salem
Editor's Note: Miller is running against Democrat incumbent Karen Roots for a West Ward city council seat.
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