Politics & Government

Galloway Council Candidate Profile: Jim McElwee

Jim McElwee will seek re-election on the Democratic slate.

Galloway Township voters will go to the polls in the general election on Nov. 5 to fill four seats on the seven-member Township Council.

The ballot will feature slates of four from the Democratic and Republican parties.

On the Republican slate, Galloway Mayor Don Purdy will run for re-election with candidates Robert Maldonado, Frank Gargione and Tim Meadows. Republican incumbents Tom Bassford and Whitney Ullman will not seek re-election.

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On the Democratic slate, incumbent Councilman Jim McElwee will run for re-election with challengers Bill Montag, Michael Suleiman and Cliff Sudler.

Each candidate answered the same the same set of questions about their background and platform.

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Read all candidate profiles:

Name: Jim McElwee                      

Age: 62

Education: Graduate of Lakewood High School, Class of 1969; Graduate of Ocean County Vo-Tech, Class of 1969

No. of years lived in Galloway Township: Approximately 16

Family: Single; father of three adult children, two stepchildren, five grandchildren.

Occupation: Supervisor with the South Jersey Transportation Authority, assigned to Atlantic City International Airport

Public service: One year on Galloway Zoning Board until elected to one year on Council for 2013; Member of Galloway Superintendents Advisory Committee; Member of Galloway Veterans Advisory Comm.; three years vice president of Galloway Democratic Club.

PLATFORM:

What issues do you see as critical for the next four years?

Public safety is a major concern. The police force has done an excellent job protecting Galloway residents with a bare-bones budget and severe reduction in its membership over the last 10 years. We need to slowly and methodically add more police officers to the force and support their budgetary needs. We can do this if we put a stop to needless lawsuits and legal fees that are putting a drain on taxpayers in Galloway.

What do you see as the biggest accomplishments and shortcomings of the existing Township Council and township administration in the past four years?

We have had four managers in the last four years. Too many lawsuits caused by mishandling of personnel issues. We need to hire qualified professionals that know how to negotiate and not litigate.

I am proud of my efforts to provide more open and transparent local government by upgrading the township website to provide as much information as possible to the public so as to relieve the costly process of public requests for documents that were previously unavailable.

What do you want voters to know about you and what you’ll bring to the table?

I want people to know that I am a 9-to-5 hard worker just like most of the residents in Galloway. I don’t have a business to protect and nothing to gain by serving on Council other than to protect their best interests. To make sure they are getting the best value for their tax dollars. To make a positive difference and bring back the pride to Galloway. To make Galloway a better place to live as I enter my retirement years. 


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