Freeholder Marie Hayes addresses a group of local supporters in November during her campaign.
By MADDY VITALE
Cape May County Freeholders E. Marie Hayes and Freeholder Director Gerald Thornton are running for re-election.
In interviews with OCNJDaily.com, they gave their stances on the issues in Cape May County and the needs of its residents. They discussed beaches, boardwalks, tourism, veterans affairs, transportation and the condition of the county bridges, along with other issues on the minds of taxpayers.
And in Ocean City, they specifically discussed how they would continue to work with local and state officials to help them maintain the beaches, Boardwalk and even look for ways to improve transportation for people wanting to visit the popular family-friendly resort.
Hayes, of Ocean City, is a retired captain in the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office. She has served on the freeholder board for seven years. She wants to continue to help constituents and continue to fight for the county she loves so much.
Thornton, of Cape May Court House, the freeholder director, began serving on the board in 1976. He served through 1987 and then again from 1995 to present. He is a proud military veteran and wants to continue to support veterans and the military community.
When it came to tourism, both Hayes and Thornton agreed that it is the lifeblood of the county.
But what do they do as freeholders to promote the area?
Hayes, who oversees the county’s Tourism Department, said she works with Diane Wieland, the director of the department to promote tourism.
“Long before I got here, Diane started romancing Canada. We have a representative up in Canada, too. Diane has created the travel shows and takes all the information from the different municipalities,” Hayes noted. “Diane and her people go out to travel shows to New York, Pennsylvania, Canada and other markets. We are all working together to boost tourism.”
She added that there are plenty of reasons why the county is so well known for its tourism.
“This county is rich in history and culture. You can come to our beautiful beaches, concerts at the ferry. You can go to our park and zoo,” she emphasized. “We have breweries, distillers, wineries and bird watching. At any given weekend you will see fireworks in a different town. Anything you want is here.”
Freeholder E. Marie Hayes addresses a group of local supporters during a meeting in Ocean City.
Thornton said the freeholder board has been a major supporter of tourism for more than 50 years.
“We were the first county to ever have a tourism office in Canada,” he said. “That was generated by Cape May County and we are very proud of what we have done. Working with the businesses and the local Chambers of Commerce are also very important ways to help spur tourism.”
In a project key to sustaining the county's tourism market, Ocean City, Sea Isle City and Strathmere will soon undergo a $31.5 million beach replenishment project to add 2.4 million cubic yards of fresh sand to the storm-damaged shoreline.
The project is scheduled to get underway this fall and be completed in time for the 2020 summer tourism season.
In addition, geotubes, essentially a large, synthetic sock filled with sand, to help protect an area of the dunes that is vulnerable to erosion, have been working in Ocean City and neighboring Sea Isle City.
Hayes and Thornton were asked with the beaches being at the center of the tourism industry, how is the county doing its part to make sure they are in good shape to continue to be the main attraction during the summer tourism season?
“The county is always available to help out as far as working with the regulatory agencies and talking to Trenton,” Hayes said. “We are also very in favor of the geotubes because they work.”
Thornton said while much of the issues with the beaches are handled by the local and federal officials, Cape May County has joined with other counties, including Atlantic, Ocean and Monmouth, to fight for funding for the beaches.
“I was appointed to the Sandy Task Force. Back then, I said to them that every time beach replenishment is done you should put in geotubes. I am a big supporter of them,” Thornton said.
Cape May County Freeholder Director Gerald Thornton becomes a Hall of Famer in the county for his tenure on the freeholder board in May. (Courtesy Cape May County)
Ocean City prides itself on its family-friendly Boardwalk with shops, amusements and attractions for young and old alike.
Hayes and Thornton were asked how they work with city officials and local businesses to promote and improve the Ocean City Boardwalk to make it a better experience for tourism?
Hayes and Thornton were synonymous in saying they work closely with the Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Michele Gillian, business owners and Mayor Jay Gillian.
“We do whatever we can to help the local communities. We work very closely with the Ocean City Chamber and local businesses,” Hayes said.
Thornton said, “We work with the entire Chamber of Commerce in Ocean City and have done so for many years. Mayor Gillian and Michele Gillian have worked so well with us. We work very closely with all of the beach communities and we have a wonderful working with Ocean City."
But getting to America’s Greatest Family Resort or other parts of the county isn’t always easy.
Hayes, who oversees transportation, is very involved with the county’s Fare Free Transportation program, which provides free trips for seniors, disabled and veterans to get to their appointments, trips to the veterans hospitals in Delaware and Philadelphia and shopping.
Hayes said she is committed to working to make Fare Free more accessible to more residents in Cape May County.
“We are so sorely mistreated down here in transportation,” Hayes noted of Trenton. “If it wasn’t for our Fare Free transportation, I don’t know what we would do.”
She said in the near future, possibly by the beginning of next year, a Fare Free Pilot program will begin in Ocean City.
“It is a population that can use it. We will start an Uber service with Fare Free so someone could send a text message to be picked up. If that goes well, then we will implement it throughout the different municipalities.”
Freeholder Director Gerald Thornton and Freeholder E. Marie Hayes present Carol Heenan with a proclamation in Ocean City in May.
As a retired member of the military, Thornton said he is passionate about helping the veterans, and that includes transportation.
“We as a county really work hard to treat our veterans fairly,” Thornton said. “But I’ve been very critical of how the veterans in South Jersey have been treated in the past. I have been and will continue to fight for veterans in Cape May County.”
Bios
Cape May County Freeholder E. Marie Hayes
Political Experience: Freeholder since filling an unexpired term in 2013, then re-elected in 2014 and 2017. Term expires Dec. 31.
Hometown: Ocean City
Occupation: Retired in 2009 from the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office as a Captain of Detectives. She was assigned to Child Abuse and Sexual Assault Investigations for the majority of her career.
Organizations and Affiliations: Member of the Impact Club of Cape May County, Member - ACCC School Board of Estimate, Member - Special Services School Board of Estimate and Member - Technical School Board of Estimate.
She received the Woman of Wonder award in 2016 and the Boy Scouts of America Woman of Achievement Award in 2018. Selected as a Woman of Excellence by the National Foundation of Women Legislators.
Freeholder Responsibilities: Board of Elections, Culture and Heritage, Fare Free Transportation, Library, Museum, Park/Zoo, Print Shop, Tax Board and Tourism and Public Information.
Education:
