Bob Barr, right, a Democrat, helped organize a recent mayoral debate along with Republican Frank McCall.
An Ocean City man may find himself at the center of a controversy over a proposed natural gas pipeline through the Pinelands.
Gov. Chris Christie on Monday (May 19) nominated Robert Barr of Ocean City to serve on the Pinelands Commission, which blocked construction of the pipeline after a 7-7 deadlocked vote earlier this year.
Barr, president of Democratic Club of Ocean City and municipal leader in Ocean City for Cape May County Democrats, was named by the Republican governor along with New Hanover Mayor Dennis Roohr.
Barr's appointment must be approved by the state Senate before he can begin to serve.
He is president of Ocean City Community Association and serves on the Ocean City Exchange Club Board of Directors, the South Jersey Transportation Authority Advisory Committee and the South Jersey Regional Family Support Council for Cape May County.
Barr, 32, is a 2004 graduate of The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey and a 1999 graduate of Ocean City High School. Starting in third grade, he was the first disabled student to attend regular classes in the Ocean City School District.
Barr said Tuesday that he would not comment on his stance on the pipeline.
He said he "hopes to do the work of the people and protect the environment."
Barr and Roohr were nominated to replace two Commission members, D'Arcy Rohan Green and Robert Jackson, whose terms have expired. Both voted against the pipeline.
The Pinelands Commission is a regulatory body charged to "
preserve, protect, and enhance the natural and cultural resources of the Pinelands National Reserve."
