OCNJ Daily

Cape May County’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, steered largely by the efforts of Freeholders Will Morey and Jeff Pierson, led to the lowest cases of COVID-19 of any County in the State of New Jersey and the safe reopening to the local economy. Now, both Morey and Pierson seek re-election to the Cape May County Board of Chosen Freeholders. In addition to their competent response to the pandemic, Freeholders Morey and Pierson continue to show fiscal responsibility through their fiduciary duties of diversifying the economy, rebuilding infrastructure, and keeping taxes as low as possible leading into the Nov. 3 election. “To drive the change we seek, good fundamentals are essential,” said Morey. “Cape May County’s strong financial position of low debt, high cash reserves and the lowest tax rate in the State have provided a launch pad for the County’s active investments in infrastructure, community redevelopment partnerships, and the new job opportunities it is creating in a growing technology sector.” Alluding to the steps they have taken to protect county residents and visitors from COVID-19, Pierson said he and Morey are, “The right leaders for challenging times.” “The message is, we’ve gone through a tough period with COVID and kept our focus,” said Pierson, who served with the U.S. Army and New Jersey Army National Guard for 42 years, retiring as a Brigadier General. As the COVID-19 outbreak became more serious earlier in the year, Pierson, leading the Cape May County Health Department, quickly shut down the Cape May County Crest Haven Nursing and Rehabilitation Center to outside visitors, protecting residents and staff from the spread of the virus. “We kept the place spotless. We kept it safe. We had no deaths” said Pierson. Pierson noted that only one resident of Crest Haven was diagnosed with COVID-19, although the county felt it was a false positive because she did not have any symptoms. Nine Crest Haven employees tested positive, but according to Pierson were infected outside of the facility. Under the leadership of Freeholder Pierson, another well-received coronavirus-related safety program launched by Cape May County included sending health “ambassadors” out to boardwalks and other popular tourist destinations to stress the importance of social distancing for visitors and local residents. The successful ambassador program was the subject of national publicity...