Celeste Fernandez
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
The League of Women Voters held a candidate forum Wednesday, Sept. 30 to give the candidates for Atlantic County offices a chance to share their views. Moderated by Mary Conley of Cape May County, the 90 minute forum was co-sponsored by the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University.
The forum included candidates for Freeholder-at-large, Sheriff and Surrogate. Candidates for Freeholder District 3 covering Egg Harbor Township also presented their views on three questions posed by the league.
Democrat freeholder-at-large incumbent Caren Fitzpatrick and Republican incumbent John Risley are being challenged by Republican James Toto and Democrat Celeste Fernandez.
Although they have some differences, all four candidates said they support job creation.
Caren Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick said she would bring “fresh new ideas” to economic development and be “a voice of those not heard” in creating new jobs for Atlantic County residents.
Risley, whose entire adult life has been spent in politics, said he is “passionate about creating jobs.” As a freeholder, Risley has supported aviation expansion and the creation of Stockton University’s Atlantic City campus.
“Having a good job market cures a lot of social ills,” he said.
Fernandez, who is a small business owner, said she would continue to fight for the rights of casino workers and seek training for “21st century jobs.”
John Risley
“Atlantic County deserves better. It’s time for a change,” she said.
Toto, a public works employee in a shore town, said he has a more practical view of job creation.
Atlantic County needs job diversity in labor, aviation and small business, he said. Offering affordable tuition will help keep children in Atlantic County.
Fitzpatrick said despite the loss of thousands of casino jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, “Atlantic County is a great place to live, or we would have left.”
She agrees the economy should be diversified, but that the county should not fail to “aggressively market the tourism industry,” and seek funding from federal and state authorities to improve roadways leading to shore points that flood constantly.
Fernandez said the county has yet to “harness the power of the people” who are seeking proper training for high-tech jobs.
She is also concerned about mental health issues in the aftermath of the pandemic, which “leaves many people feeling hopeless.”
Asked about their views of law enforcement, all the candidates said they support police.
James Toto
Fitzpatrick said she supports implicit bias and cultural sensitivity training, and diversifying police departments to include some social services for mental health and opiate addiction cases.
Toto said he understands how a police officer can “go from zero to 100-miles-per-hour in a heartbeat,” and that the community needs to support police without judging an entire department when problems arise. He said he supports more training on handling social situations.
Risley said he was impressed by the way the Atlantic City Police Department handled recent protests through de-escalation. He would provide police with “all the modern day tools” and said the state Attorney General’s Office should take up the issue of improving police training protocols.
Fernandez said, “the police and community need each other,” and that it is sad to see a “breakdown in relationships.” She would like to see things return to a time when the police knew residents by name.
The freeholders discussed what they would do about climate change.
Toto is a proponent of solar power that reduces the use of electricity generated by fossil fuels. He suggested public vehicles should use diesel fuels and switch from V-8 engines to six cylinder engines.
Fernandez said it is important for government to be a steward of the environment and that more efforts should be made to improve drainage on roadways, erect seawalls and install pumps that return floodwaters to the sea.
“We need to make sure we continue to build infrastructure that protects the environment,” she said.
Fitzpatrick said the county is already working to become more sustainable. She said she suggested phasing out gas-powered vehicles in favor of purchasing all-electric vehicles, but the board did not support it.
She would also get “big polluters” to help pay for sustainability improvements.
Risley, a 19-year member of the freeholder board, said he “was on the forefront” when as a councilman in Linwood in 1981 he pushed for mandatory recycling.
“I’m in favor of electric vehicles. It eliminates so many automobile parts, but I don’t want to handicap the county in purchasing electric vehicles.”
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