Moorestown Township’s council candidates’ forum was held on Sept. 30, giving residents a chance to hear from the Democratic and Republican candidates before Election Day.
Democratic candidates Sue Mammarella, Christopher Keating and James Barry, and Republican candidates Nicole MacHenry, Sam Foster and Gary Morris each answered questions that were mutually selected by representatives of both parties. Fire District Administrator Chris Chesner served as moderator.
Mammarella and Keating currently serve on council.
“I would like to thank each and every candidate for running, and their willingness to serve the wonderful community of Moorestown,” Chesner said.
Following brief introductions from candidates, Chesner asked:
“Some Moorestown residents are concerned about recent crimes such as car thefts, home break-ins and the like. How do you feel crime is currently being addressed in town, and what would you do to reduce these (incidents)?“
Mammarella’s response: “We hired a police director who has a vast amount of state experience with the state troopers, and that’s a real advantage to us. I know that there has been crime with theft and breaking into your house to get your keys and things like that, and I want to say first to anybody who’s had that happen, we hear you. We take it very seriously.”
“This is a statewide problem, and it’s really an advantage to having that director who has worked with the state in the past,” Mammarella added. “I can’t speak to all the techniques the police are using … But I do want to point out, when it comes to hiring more officers, again, everything that’s been presented to us, we have said ‘yes.’ Perhaps, when other things get presented to us [about] more officers, we will do that. But we also want to say that we did change something and opted into a process where it does make it easier to recruit and hire police officers.”
Foster’s response: “It is a reality; our Moorestown Police Department issued a notice last Friday that said vehicle thefts and break-ins are increasing, so it is definitely a true statement that that’s happening … We need more police officers. That’s the solution. All three (Foster, MacHenry and Morris) of us are in the same boat on that … We are going to hire more police officers. Whether it’s proportioned with the population or not, we need more police officers today and that’s our plan to do so.”
Following responses from Keating, Barry, MacHenry and Morris, Chesner asked: “What is your position on historic preservation in Moorestown? How would you balance the need to preserve Moorestown’ss historic character with respecting the rights of property owners who may want to modify or develop their properties?“
MacHenry’s response: “I am a real estate agent and for 20 years of doing real estate, my fiscal responsibility is to my client. I struggle with having a client that perhaps bought a home in a historical area, to now come back and say, ‘You have to follow these guidelines,’ because now their home is only worth the value of what the next buyer prefers and if they want to buy a historical home.”
“Though I will say, the quaintness in the beautiful downtown that we have here is something that is important to me,” MacHenry added. “Unfortunately, we already do have buildings that are – later in time they don’t necessarily fall into that historic time frame – that are on Main Street. I think at the end of the day, the sole focus is that we have a bustling Main Street for our town and for our small businesses, and that the buildings that are perhaps just sitting vacant and aren’t necessarily being maintained should be less of a priority, and the small businesses be more of our focus at this point.”
Barry’s response: ” … We’re talking about protecting our Main Street, and let’s look at other towns that have done this. They’re the towns that you think of when you think of towns like Moorestown. We’re talking about Princeton, Haddonfield, Cape May and Collingswood. I understand the appeal and the statement that the government shouldn’t be involved in what you do with your property, but that’s just not the way the law works in New Jersey … The government should be involved in protecting what is a resource for all of us, which is our Historic District on Main Street.”
Following responses from Mammarella, Barry, Foster and Morris, Chesner asked: “If elected, how would you work to ensure that Moorestown is a welcoming and inclusive community for people of all racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, as well as all ability levels, especially as the town grows and evolves?”
Morris’s response: ” … There’s a lot of diversity in Moorestown. We keep putting people in boxes and addressing each need to treat everyone with respect, humility and human decency. That should all be required … Where do we stop, trying to put everyone in a box? Respect each other. Whatever your values are, that’s your lifestyle. At the end of the day, respect each other. No matter what style or where you come from in your life. Treat people with respect, no matter where you go in life.”
Keating’s response: ” … When it comes to issues like diversity, equity and inclusion, I believe that actions speak louder than words. Although nobody should be putting themselves in a box, it’s the other people putting people in a box that matters. By showing up to these events, whether it’s a Juneteenth flag raising, the Pride flag raising, any event that we’re invited to because people want to see the government that we’re there and that we care, I go there because I know that it makes a difference to people to see, ‘Wow. They came out and supported us.'”
Following responses from Mammarella, Barry, MacHenry and Foster, the candidates gave closing comments. The forum is available to view in its entirety on Facebook.
