Garganio & O’Brien unveils affordability platform

By Jeannie O’Sullivan – Posted on 9/19/14

MOUNT HOLLY — During a campaign kickoff at the county Republican Committee’s High Street headquarters, Burlington County Freeholder Director Bruce Garganio and former freeholder Mary Ann O’Brien touted their record of cutting taxes and lowering spending, and vowed to make the county more affordable to the middle class.

“If we are fortunate to be successful this November and Mary Ann rejoins the board, I am confident we will build on these successes and continue to make Burlington County an even better place to live, and press to make it even more affordable for people who raise a family, retire or start a business here,” Garganio said as a preamble to the platform he and O’Brien outlined Thursday afternoon.

Garganio, of Florence, and O’Brien, of Medford, are running against Edgewater Park Mayor Tom Pullion and former Evesham councilman Mike Schmidt. The election could shift power from the GOP, which holds a 3-2 majority on the board, for the first time in 25 years if the Democrats win.

Garganio and O’Brien, who were elected in 2009, were unseated in 2012 by Democrats Joanne Schwartz, of Southampton, and Aimee Belgard, of Edgewater Park. Belgard, who is not in jeopardy of losing her seat, is running for Congress against the GOP’s Tom MacArthur.

Garganio reclaimed his seat on the board in March by appointment after then-Freeholder Director Leah Arter stepped down to take a public job as director of development at Burlington County College.

O’Brien stepped in as Garganio’s running mate after Republican Freeholder Joseph Howarth dropped out of the race two weeks ago due to his battle with Crohn’s disease. Howarth, who was absent from the Sept. 10 freeholder meeting, has said he intends to finish the rest of his term.

O’Brien on Thursday expressed enthusiasm about returning to county politics, but said she wished it was “never under these circumstances.”

“While I’m sure it makes for good copy in the newspaper, let me say I’m not in this to settle the score after falling short in 2012,” she said.

The Democrats have not formally unveiled a campaign platform. A message left with Joseph Andl, the county’s Democratic Committee chairman, was not immediately returned.

Affordability is the main thrust of the GOP’s campaign. Garganio and O’Brien emphasized cutting taxes by $24 million and spending by $37 million, and the state’s lowest dollar amount spent per resident, echoing the freeholder board’s budget presentation earlier this year. Garganio said officials hadn’t “done it by cutting government to the bone,” but rather had “responsibly reduced the tax burden” while maintaining services for the middle class, senior citizens and veterans. He said he was “comfortable” that taxes would not be driven up by the county courthouse complex renovation, a massive capital project underway that doubled in price to $8.6 million since it was approved two years ago.

O’Brien highlighted the county’s economic development initiatives, such as its Buy Local Program and workforce investment efforts that “bring together leaders from education, business and government to eliminate job-killing red tape and to harness the county’s ample resources.”

They pledged to continue aiding most vulnerable populations, citing the county’s 10-year plan to end homelessness that’s undergoing overhaul.

The public raised concerns in July amid the release of a Monarch Housing Associates report that pegged the county as home to one of the state’s highest homeless populations according to a “point-in-time” count conducted in January.

Garganio also hailed the county’s Meals on Wheels program for seniors, and how officials have secured “millions of dollars” in assistance for veterans and their families.

Women are another population that the candidates intend to help with the expansion of a mentoring program that will assist college–age females preparing to enter the workforce or starting a business. O’Brien added that they’ll expand the activities of the Advisory Committee on Women to “guarantee all women have access to the information they need on health care education, child care and career advancement.”

Garganio and O’Brien said they also plan to focus on public health and environmental protection, topics underscored by the county’s launch of single-stream recycling three weeks ago. In addition to “working through” the newly expanded library, county parks system and the Health Starts Here programs, O’Brien said she hopes to rejuvenate her Sneaker Sundays project, a series of walking tours of the county’s nature respites.

No mention was made of the county’s jails, which came under fire with the deaths of a homeless inmate in December and another man in February — both ruled natural causes by the county coroner and cleared by the Prosecutor’s Office — and, more recently, public concern about maintenance issues at the facilities. Asked if there were problems, Garganio admitted the facilities are “older” and noted that they are inspected regularly.

“If there’s anything that shows up in those inspections, they’re addressed immediately,” he said.