Leading up to the 2020 election, The Washington Township Sun is running a three-week Meet the Candidates series. In the final week, candidates running in the 2020 election for Washington Township Council have a final opportunity to give their pitch to residents why they should be elected this November.
Ballots can be cast either by mail, hand-delivered to the various drop boxes in Gloucester County or by a provisional ballot at your district’s polling place. All mailed ballots must be postmarked before Nov. 3 to be counted.
Richard Bennett
The residents of Washington Township need a voice, I guarantee to be that voice, the voice of the resident and taxpayer. I will ensure your best interest and the best interest of our town, while evaluating long-term effects. This is a great town to raise children, provide them with a great education, where families can play and live. But through the years, the living aspect has been costing families. It is time for change. I am tired of the same only statements by the current administration saying they are working on economic development and no tax increases. We need local and county transparency and by working with the county Freeholders, we need to start streaming down costs.
I have been active in the community for 25 years, focused on sports coaching, Boy Scouts and town clean-up. I have seen many changes over the years and our town needs stability in financial responsibility, a better way to handle economic development and to be more transparent with communication, including live streaming town council meetings and board meetings. Residents need to know what is going on and how their tax dollars are being spent. When elected, I will look at consolidating purchasing expenses and contract better buying power while bringing down overall expenses. As your councilman I plan on giving my time to make Washington Premier again, and I am asking for your support and vote. I will not let you down.
Giancarlo D’Orazio
Are you ready to vote for an independent candidate for mayor? There are some facts that you should consider when you cast your vote.
To my Republican friends: Washington Township voters have never elected a challenger Republican candidate for mayor. Registered Democrat voters outnumber Republicans by approximately 3:2 in WT. History is not on your side. Numbers are not in your favor. Continuing the voting party line will give us the same result. If you want something different, you need to do something different. I am asking you for your vote to make a difference.
To my Democratic friends: If you are disappointed with the current local Democratic party, and if you don’t benefit from the political corruption, I ask you for your vote. The corruption is funded by all of us, but only benefits the politically connected. A vote for me is a vote to end political corruption.
To my fellow unaffiliated: This time you don’t have to settle for the lesser of the two evils, so to speak. This time you have a candidate in me that truly cares about our community. There are more of us than registered Democrats or Republicans. We have the numbers to win this election. All you need to do is vote. After you vote for your choice of president, move over to Column “C” and vote Giancarlo D’Orazio for Mayor.
As your councilman, I stood up to the corruption. As your mayor, I will lead a corruption-free administration.
Anthony DellaPia
Why vote for me? Voting for me is your way of saying, I want someone like myself in council. Someone who is a logical thinker and who will have the best interest for his family and community. Someone who can think outside the box but also think for himself. Someone who will be accessible if needed and not just hide behind a podium. Someone who could look at the big picture but not neglect the little things that need to be improved upon.
I want to assist in trying to lower spending, while not sacrificing our quality of life and services as residents. This is something I have done very successfully for my business. I am a hard worker and I am not a quitter. I will continue to fight for our town throughout my whole term.
The Premier Team is dedicated to making a difference. We will be very transparent with what is being done and worked on. We want to include our residents in this process. It will not be an us against them administration, it will be a “we” administration. We can make Washington Township Premier together!
Raymond Dinovi
While I am a newcomer to this ticket and to municipal government, you should consider me for election because I have decades of experience that I can bring to Washington Township. Throughout my life, being involved civically has always been a priority of mine. When I decided to run for council, it was largely due to witnessing the success the current administration has had over the last four years. I know that I can continue that mission along with Mayor Gattinelli and Councilman Perry.
My first career was dedicated to education. I served as a teacher and a principal, which helped me bring people together for a common goal. These experiences required the collaboration of internal and external contributors, which is no different than what is required of our elected municipal leaders. More recently, I have worked within Washington Township as a member of both the School Board and the Municipal Utilities Authority, where I have worked with my fellow members towards providing high quality education and water services to our residents. During my tenure on the MUA, the Authority has continued to provide the highest quality water and sewer services at one of the lowest rates in the area.
The opportunity to work with Mayor Gattinelli, Councilman Perry and the rest of council towards the betterment of Washington Township would be a great honor. With the experience I bring with me, I know that we can make Washington Township an even better place to work, live and play.
Joann Gattinelli
When I was elected mayor, there were a number of items that I wanted to address. These included maintaining taxes, addressing economic development and upgrading services. We have been able to accomplish some of these goals and we are setting our mission to continue this trend into the next four years.
The municipal tax has been maintained over the last four years, with a slight reduction in the current year. This has been possible through improved allocation of resources and increases in revenue, including that from federal and state grants. The $1.8 million we have received in grants during my term has allowed us to improve municipal parks, pave more roads and hold additional events.
As reported in the South Jersey Times, we have had success in bringing new businesses to Washington Township. New businesses continue to open throughout this pandemic. My administration has sought to refresh the Black Horse Pike and Delsea Drive corridors. While the pandemic has slowed these projects, you will be seeing development in these areas within the next year.
When you fill out your ballot this year, I ask that you take a look back at the last four years and remember the numerous things that we have accomplished. Rise above the political pettiness and cast your ballot for the team that has done the work. If you re-elect me as your mayor, I promise I will continue to put the residents first and we can continue to drive Washington Township forward together.
Joseph Perry
There are a number of issues that residents find important. As your leaders, we attempt to address all of them, the most important being taxes. While serving on council over the last four years, I have examined the funds that are spent, found new ways to generate revenue and have sought out cost savings within the municipal budget. We have had success doing this over my term. With the knowledge I have gained of municipal governance, I am confident that we can continue the trend of maintaining the municipal budget and continue to provide top notch services to our residents.
Above all else, it is important for the members of the municipal government to work together. This is something we have excelled at during my first term and with this team in place, we can continue to move the township forward. One of my main focuses remains economic development. If reelected, I will continue to work with business stakeholders, municipal department heads and the chamber of commerce to improve the process of opening and attracting new businesses to the area that needs it most, the Black Horse Pike.
Mayor Gattinelli, Ray Dinovi and I are the right team to lead Washington Township out of the pandemic and into a new period of economic development. With our experience, I am confident that we can complete the facelift within our town that we began in 2015. A vote for me is a vote for continued progress in Washington Township.
Vincent Spinelli
Over the past several months I have outlined our vision and priorities for Washington Township that vastly differentiates us from the other candidates. Our plan To Make Washington Township Premier AgainTM is bold but achievable.
I will leverage my leadership skills to help our community thrive once more. While we remember the Premier Community Washington Township once was, we will look to the future to create a new “Washington Township 2.0”, together. I am new to politics and bring a fresh perspective. I am an ordinary citizen, just like you, who wants to bring common sense solutions to very solvable problems. What differentiates us is our ability to execute, as opposed to just talking about and complaining about our problems as the Democrats and Independent candidates do.
Rich, Anthony and I bring a breadth of business and financial experience to solve problems. If you have been reading social media, listening to the radio, or had the chance to meet us personally, you will know that the three of us are aligned on economic development, fiscal responsibility and government transparency. Our ability to collaborate across different perspectives is a key differentiator for us.
I ask for your vote. A vote for the Democrats is a vote for the same “institutional corruption” that we all despise. A vote for the Independent candidate is a vote for the Democrats. Vote for The Premier Team of Spinelli for Mayor, Bennett and DellaPia for Township Council.
