Galloway Council Candidate Profile: Timothy Meadows Sr.

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.

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.

Read all candidate profiles:

• Democratic: Jim McElwee, Bill Montag, Michael Suleiman, Cliff Sudler
• Republican: Frank Gargione, Robert Maldonado, Tim Meadows, Don Purdy

Name: Timothy Meadows Sr.                 

Age: 58   

Education: After college, I enlisted in the United States Coast Guard and that’s what brought me to New Jersey. After 4 years active duty, I continued for 22 more years in the USCG Reserves. 

No. of years lived in Galloway Township: 28

Family: I have been married to my wife, Traci, for 12 years and have three grown sons, in addition to three step-children and a special needs niece who lost her parents early in life. All were educated through the Galloway schools.

Occupation: Most of my career was with NJ Bell/Bell Atlantic/Verizon, where I spent 27 years in various technical operations positions. I started as a rank-and-file member of the IBEW union, working in the field first and later management. 

Public service:  I was a member of our Board of Education for 7 years, a member of our Planning Board for 4 years, and a long-time volunteer with PAL. 

PLATFORM:

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

I see the most critical issues facing local government as property taxes and unnecessary lawsuits. My focus will be to continually look for ways to increase efficiencies in the operations of the municipality. One way is through shared services and inter-local agreements with institutional partners like Stockton, AtlanticCare, Atlantic County and other municipalities. 

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

I foresee a continued stabilization of property taxes resulting from commercial growth and an improving economy, along with the positive effects of Council’s most recent efforts to “right-size” local government operations and operating within the Governor’s 2 percent cap.  Doing all this without sacrificing important quality of life services and public safety needs, which residents rightfully expect, is a challenge that I will meet head on by being diligent. I also see an opportunity to lead an effort and organize a forum for the many community and condominium associations and explore best practice common interest ideas relative to community watch and safety for their residents. This forum could also help facilitate opportunities that may lead to better buying power savings for the residents and property owners’ through formed alliances with other like-minded community associations. 

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

I am a consensus builder, and after elected I will use that skill-set and mind-set to always keep things moving on a positive track.