By Donald Wittkowski
Bob Barr estimates he knocked on more than 3,000 doors and put in 50 hours per week during an arduous campaign schedule that began in mid-February and culminated with his election in May.
Barr wasn’t boasting about the long hours he spent on the campaign trail. He simply stated it in a matter-of-fact way to illustrate that once he commits to something, he is passionate about finishing the job.
“When I do something, I give it my all,” he said.
Barr, making his first run for elected office, beat two challengers to win City Council’s Fourth Ward seat in the May 10 Ocean City municipal election. He will be sworn in Friday during Council’s reorganization meeting.
The fact that politicians go door-to-door and invest much of their time campaigning usually isn’t all that notable. But in Barr’s case, he did it in a wheelchair.
Born with cerebral palsy, he has been in a wheelchair his entire life. However, he says no one should think differently or expect anything less of him because of his disability.
“People aren’t used to disabled people doing those things,” he said about campaigning and winning an election. “In some ways, that’s sad.”
Barr, 34, began overcoming obstacles at a young age. In third grade, he became the first disabled student to attend regular classes in the Ocean City school district. He graduated from Ocean City High School in 1999 and went on to earn a communications degree at Stockton University in 2004.
“I’ve never been sheltered,” he said. “No one ever said to me, ‘You can’t do this or can’t do that.’ I was always treated as a normal person. My entire life, I’ve always been able to do whatever I’ve wanted to do.”
Barr credits his family members and friends for providing him with a sturdy support system. But, he added, there were always high expectations placed on him by those who surrounded him.
“I’ve been blessed with the members of my family and friends. At the same time, it was always expected that I would get good grades and get a job.”
Serving the disabled has been one of his chief roles in the community. He has been an advocate for the disabled as a state representative on the Regional Family Support Planning Council of Cape May County.
He serves on a number of other boards and agencies, keeping him “remarkably busy.”
“I’m always busy,” he said. “That’s what I do.”
He is a volunteer legislative aide for state Sen. Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May. He also serves as a board member for the Ocean City Housing Authority and as a member of the New Jersey Pinelands Commission, the agency that oversees the 1.1 million-acre Pine Barrens reserve in southern New Jersey.
He is a former board member of the Ocean City Exchange Club and a current member of the Ocean City Community Association, although he is resigning from that organization to avoid possible conflicts with his City Council seat.
He is also the president of the Ocean City Democratic Club. He said he has been told that he will be only the fourth Democrat to ever serve on City Council in the heavily Republican Ocean City.
Barr, a lifelong Ocean City resident, has been preparing to join Council by attending its meetings in recent weeks as a member of the audience. He also has been watching the local television broadcasts of the Council meetings for years.
His top priorities as a new councilman include completing a series of roadway and drainage projects that will help alleviate the city’s flooding during coastal storms.
Keeping property taxes stable, maintaining the Boardwalk and moving forward with dredging projects to unclog the lagoons along the back bays are other big-ticket items he supports.
Barr also is adamant about helping American Legion Post 524 to complete its new building on 46th Street. He views the project as a reward to local veterans for their military service.
“I was disappointed when the project stalled,” he said. “I want to give the veterans a nice place.”
Barr also said he plans to aggressively represent the Fourth Ward, vowing to give his constituents “a loud and independent” voice on Council.
“People feel, rightly or wrongly, that the Fourth Ward doesn’t have a voice,” he said. “People feel they’ve been slighted. They may not be correct, but sometimes the perception is the reality.”
Barr is pledging to hold regular meetings with residents of the Fourth Ward to get their feedback and keep them up to date on city affairs.
He said he is convinced now that he is the right man for the job, after having some initial reservations about running for Council. The support he received from so many people persuaded him to jump into the race, he noted.
“They said, ‘We really want you to do this. The town needs you.’ How could I say no?”
