Leading up to the 2020 election, The Delran Sun is running a three-week Meet the Candidates series. During this second week, candidates in both Democratic and Republican parties running for office provide some background on who they are and why they’ve chosen to run.
First on the docket, Dems Gary Catrambone, Tyler Burrell and Lynn Jeney encapsulate why they feel they can do what’s best for the township.
Our team believes that our top priority should be listening to all our residents, we recently sent out a survey to help us better hear all of you and focus on your best interests. Some of the most important things we’ve heard were that residents wanted Council to continue to keep taxes stable, improve infrastructure, maintain community outreach, and foster a better working relationship with the Delran Board of Education.
They also want more transparency in government. We agree and believe that accessibility fosters transparency. In addition, to already live streaming our meetings for those unable to attend in person (an idea spearheaded by Gary and Tyler while serving on Council), we made our website more accessible and established social media accounts to include every generation.
We also intend to hold small group sessions to answer questions, explain how things work in the Delran government, and how decisions are made. The more we can “demystify” the process of governing; the more active a role every resident can have in that process.
Additionally, we envision establishing more Senior engagement, where our often-overlooked senior residents can socialize as well as learn to engage through social media and to enjoy the same access to the easy-to-use technology our younger residents utilize. This will also create a unique opportunity for our Delran students to gain community service hours through volunteering (and who knows technology better than teenagers?)
Delran is an incredible town with so much to offer as a community, and our candidates have all been pleased to call it home for decades. Each of us brings a unique perspective and level of experience to the Council and, as a team, we are eager to show up for the residents we represent; so that we may best serve the needs of each of you.
We will work with our residents, not just for them, and continue to Move Delran Forward.
Please visit Delran.net to see more information about our team, our ideas, and more in-depth answers to some of the questions we often receive from our residents.
And on the Republican side, Patricia Pomeranz, Joseph Joyce III and William Kelly offer their solutions to community issues.
Delran candidates for Mayor, Patricia Pomeranz and for Council at Large, William Kelly and Joseph Joyce resolve to bring transparency, civility and approachability back to local government.
One of our top priorities will be to closely examine the current budget for wasteful spending and opportunities to ease the tax burden for the residents of Delran. Beyond the typical issues,we would like to create several community outreach programs that would involve residents, boy scouts, students and even local contractors who would be willing to donate some time to aid residents who either are not physically or financially able to take care of the homes. We would help out with pulling weeds, mend a fence, rescreen a window, remove large items from the property. Neighbors helping neighbors!
To help residents with taking care of their health, we want to bring back free mammograms and eye exams that were offered in the past, and possibly add basic health screenings for those without insurance or are financially challenged. These are high on our list of priorities and no cost to the township.
Next spring and summer, we would like to bring back the farmers market, as well as provide
maintenance for all of our township parks. Rather than spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on signs, painting, and video equipment we should have been planning on replacing the HVAC system in the township building. Over the years our utility bills had to have been astronomical, in the winter most of the offices and the courtroom have fans running because it is uncomfortably warm, yet in the summer these same offices have space heaters running because it is too cold!
Keeping in touch with our residents and being available to them will go a long way towards openness and transparency. In order to keep residents not only informed but able to speak frankly (without the current council’s five-minute rule), we will begin a monthly coffee with your council. These gatherings (not meetings) will be held at the municipal building for residents to come in and talk to their mayor and council without having to attend a work session or public meeting and wait for it to be opened to the public.
As mayor, anyone who requests it, is welcome to my personal cell phone as well as my personal email. We will be the MAYOR AND COUNCIL FOR ALL THE PEOPLE!
