Freeholder Candidates Face Off in Debate

By MADDY VITALE There were the pleasantries, some jokes and even agreement between Cape May County Republican Freeholder incumbents Gerald Thornton and E. Marie Hayes and their Democratic challengers Joyce Gould and Elizabeth Casey during a debate Tuesday night. But there were also a few jabs. With less than a week away from the election, the candidates answered a lot of questions, giving their positions on homelessness, the opioid crisis, veterans issues, the condition of the county’s bridges, taxes, school issues, immigration policy, nepotism and open space. It was standing room only at the Historic Court House building on Main Street in Cape May Court House, where people came to listen to the four square off. The League of Women Voters moderated the debate. Thornton, 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 veteran and is very active in supporting the counties military community. He has been a freeholder through many changes in the county, he noted. Thornton told the audience why he wanted to continue to serve. “I love the position I am in. I love to help and care for people. I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve,” Thornton said. Hayes, of Ocean City, a retired captain in the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office, has served on the board for seven years. She said she wants to continue to help constituents and to fight for the county she loves so much. “We are making strides in Cape May County,” she told the audience. “The airport in Rio Grande and Lower Township – we are pushing for drone industry. We are talking jobs.” Hayes also said the financial state of the county has improved over the years under the current leadership. "We live under a 2 percent cap. We have had the second lowest tax rate in this state. We are doing a phenomenal job." Like Thornton, Hayes said that the county does a good job providing Fare Free transportation for people in the county. Freeholder candidates debate a wide topic of issues, agreeing on some, disagreeing on others. Gould, who has been a Wildwood Crest Commissioner since 1989, remarked that it is the right time in her life, after serving as a commissioner in her hometown for 26 years and also as mayor, to take the next step in her career. Gould said she knows how to work with constituents, is dedicated to helping people and will do what she can to learn the new position. “The County of Cape May prides itself on the past and looks to the future,” Gould said. Casey, of Ocean City, and is an attorney in her hometown, said she loves the shore. “I love surfing before work, and open spaces,” she said. Casey also loves transparency in government, she noted several times throughout the forum. Throughout the more than hour-long debate, audience members clapped in support of remarks from the candidates. Some things they all agreed on. When it comes to the drug epidemic, they said there needs to be support for people suffering from addiction. “The opioid crisis is awful,” Gould said, adding the importance of Narcan availability to counteract the overdoses. “I see kids, adults – I go to funerals.” Thornton said the Atlantic/Cape court district's drug court is helping people with addiction and there has been more success this year with 187 people graduating from drug court, a record number. All four candidates strongly supported Cape May County Sheriff Bob Nolan with his stance on ICE and opposing a new directive by the New Jersey attorney general that limits state, county and local law enforcement from cooperating and sharing information with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Nolan and Cape May County have filed a lawsuit challenging the directive. The suit claims that the New Jersey attorney general’s order prohibiting the Cape May County jail from screening inmates for immigration violations is unconstitutional and puts the public at risk. Hayes said as a former law enforcement officer, she truly believes in what Nolan is doing. “I support him one thousand percent. I am concerned about you – the community. We are not stopping – if it goes up to the United States Supreme Court,” Hayes said to applause. Thornton said the former county Sheriff Gary Schaffer spoke with him about the issue of illegal aliens going to county jail and then being released rather than turned over to ICE. Thornton said he was, and continues to be, supportive of cooperating with authorities. Casey noted that Ocean County has already joined in the lawsuit and other counties may follow. “I do not oppose Sheriff Nolan,” she said. Gould said she also supports Nolan and the litigation. Also during the debate, the question of nepotism was brought up. Thornton and Hayes were openly at odds over accusations of nepotism earlier this year. Hayes ultimately received a censure from the freeholder board in July for alleged retaliation against a county employee and nepotism accusations involving a relative. The Republican running mates said during the debate that there were no issues between them, and everyone was getting along just fine and it was all behind them. Casey and Gould, though, asserted that the county's hiring practices should be carefully looked at. Hayes said the key is to look at a person's qualifications as the main factor in hiring. She added that prospective county employees should not be excluded from being hired simply because someone on the payroll is a relative. Thornton said so long as there is no direct supervision, there is nothing wrong with a qualified relative being hired by the county. After sighting several of the her successful accomplishments in office, Hayes summed up why she wants to continue to serve as freeholder. "Thank you for the first seven years and I look forward to the next three," She said. "As your freeholder, I fight for Cape May County." The debate is moderated by the League of Women Voters in a packed room in the old Historic Cape May Court House. Decide for yourself. Watch the replay of the “Cape May County Freeholder Candidate Forum hosted by League Of Women Voters” on Vimeo, courtesy of 98.7 The Coast: https://vimeo.com/369722997?ref=em-share