MULLICA CANDIDATE MEETING A SUCCESS

Last nights come out and meet the Democratic County candidates night was a smashing success. A good number of Hammonton folks were in attendance at the event sponsored by the Mullica Democratic Club. The library room where the meeting was held was about 80% full with 6 County wide candidates present. The Sheriff, (Jim McGettigan), the two candidates for Surrogate on the Democratic side, (Jim Carney and Jeff Waldman), the two candidates for State Assembly (Jim Whelan and Damon Tyner) on the Democratic side, and a tipsy Freehold at Large candidate, Ed McGee.

What was most positive to hear was the contrast of the Democratic fiscally responsible remedy to restructuring the property tax burden with a Constitutional Convention limited to only property tax reform. This is a proposal that both Republicans (frank DOCTOR DEATH blee & kirk DOUBLE DIPPER conover) oppose and offer absolutely no solution to releaving the burden of ever skyrocketing property taxes.

Jim Whelan spoke most elegantly about the failure of both Democratic and Republican administrations both in terms of the Governor and the Legislature failing to address this important issue whether in control of both houses or not over the last 30 years. And that a Constitutional Convention limited to property tax reform seemed the only way to push reluctant politicians in both parties to make the difficult decisions that need to be made. His running mate for Assembly, lawyer, Damon Tyner agreed heartily.

Jim Carrol spoke from the audience about how the Democratic Party has become the party of fiscal responsibility. That moderate Republicans like Christy Whitman who recently wrote a book warning Republicans that they were abandoning their roots of fiscal discipline and that the Republican Party was in danger of disenchanting many who believe in fiscal responsibility. That was a message that seemed to resonate through the room and should resonate with many thinking Republican in the County.