Republican Councilmen Outline Their Acheivements on Hammonton Council

As Republican Councilmen elected in 2006, we have proudly served Hammonton over the last two years with every resident in mind. We've worked with the entire Council to bring historic growth to Hammonton, and fought for our residents when needed.

Last week we approved a budget that has no tax increase. Once again, we're voting with the rest of Council to approve this budget which won't increase your yearly tax burden. Besides keeping taxes down, we're proud of our record and stand behind every vote we've made over the last two years.

We've fought for and supported emergency services in Hammonton. We've expanded the police department's technology capabilities in their vehicles and their dispatch. We've fought to put more police on the street to keep our town safe. Our hard work resulted in two police recruits joining the Academy and upon their graduation will become new Hammonton Police officers.

We've supported growth in membership at our Volunteer Fire Department. We've voted to give the Fire Department the ability to recoup expenses from insurance companies so taxpayers don't foot the bill. We're buying a new fire truck and additional equipment with the help of grants awarded to dedicated fire department personnel.

We fought to keep private helicopters providing emergency medical services operating at the Hammonton Airport. Not only do they generate much needed revenues to keep the airport self-sufficient, they also add a vital service to our community.

We've fought to protect the services of Hammonton residents and taxpayers. We've fought against and were successful in stopping legislation that would have ended leaf pickup and bulky trash removal for residents across town. We reestablished a program to spray for gypsy moths and lessen the blow they've had on Hammonton foliage. We've fought for government transparency and oversight of our municipal utilities. We've fought to keep programs in place like the Shade Tree Commission and Rent Control. We fought and succeeded in putting protections for landlords and tenants in recent legislation of rental properties. We've fought to keep senior citizens' services centrally located. As Republicans we are residents first, and we'll always fight to preserve a lifestyle indicative of the small town we all grew up in.

Over the last two years, we've put Hammonton's quality of life first and worked to better our community. With the help of many volunteers, the Lake reopened and is now safe for our residents. Through persistence and hard work, Republicans brought back a water cleanup system after being shut down in 2006. We reestablished a parks and recreation unit, getting hands on the job to keep our parks cleaner and safer for all residents.

We've worked tirelessly to improve and grow our Highway Department and the infrastructure they oversee. In 2007, we won a victory finally getting trash pickup automated that saves money, increases efficiency, and decreases injuries on the job. We worked to computerize the maintenance schedules at the highway department; increasing accountability, efficiency, and ensuring that our fleet of vehicles stays in top shape. We instituted a long term vehicle rehabilitation program to extend the life of our highway fleet. Finally, we refurbished older highway equipment for new uses, saving money and keeping the town's fleet active.

We've worked with the entire council to help bring a rebirth of downtown: from the new Town Hall, sidewalks along central and Bellevue to rehabbing the historic Town Hall. We've repaved Central Ave, Bellevue, Egg Harbor Road, 3rd Street, and others. We worked with Atlantic County to consolidate their offices into one building downtown, bringing more economic opportunity and services for Hammontonians. We started a groundbreaking program to refurbish abandoned buildings to get them back on the tax rolls easing the town's financial burden. We replanted trees and improved landscaping around town. Over the last two years, we've voted along with the Mayor and the rest of Council to bring all of these improvements to our historic downtown area.

As the year progresses we'll continue to fight for Hammonton residents, and work alongside our counterparts on Council for the betterment of our community as a whole.

As Republican Councilmen, we are running for reelection based on every vote we've made over the last two years. We've worked with the rest of Council on good legislation for Hammonton, and we've stood up against the bad. We've never had to apologize to voters, and we're happy to give credit where credit is due.