Issues and Answers from Ron Farina and Barb Capelli
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES FOR WENONAH BOROUGH COUNCIL
Dear Neighbor:
In the closing days of this election season, we would like to let you know more about our campaign and our issues.
First, we are vitally concerned about the negative impact of the proposed slow-speed diesel rail line that will stop traffic in the center of town 150 times a day, stress an already snarled parking situation, and pile another $1.5 billion (for starters) on the state’s debts (the project was denied federal funding). We would like to at least re-open discussion about resurrecting the initial plan for the high-speed electric rail along the 55 corridor – the venue originally planned and designed to accommodate train service and parking.
While there is an assumption that the diesel train is a done deal, gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie has not yet taken a position on the issue. While we are not formally affiliated with the Christie campaign, we do support him and hope that when elected he will take a fresh look at the train plans -- and we hope to have a voice in persuading him to do so.
We also favor preservation of our local police force. Consolidation is being pushed at the state and county level as a proposed mechanism for municipalities to save money. But it is not a magic bullet. Consolidation of our police force has been examined before, and in that instance an extensive study determined consolidation would cost Wenonah residents more because we would be disadvantaged by merging with a department that had higher pay scales and a greater number of senior officers. Yes, if there is a reasonable proposal for consolidation we will listen, but we will not reflexively buy into consolidation for these reasons:
- Constant uncertainty about the composition of the department damages the morale of our excellent and hard-working force.
- We believe in the effectiveness of local community policing. Our crime stats are enviably low. Our officers know and care about our residents. And remember that some things can’t be measured -- such as how many accidents DO NOT happen because there is a police car at a corner or a school crossing.
Another issue: We strongly support retaining local control of
Bottom line: A local government can keep track of every dollar under its control, which is why want to keep that control local. Money that filters up through levels of government can take unexpected detours – which is another reason why we support Chris Christie’s campaign to crack down on corruption and wasteful spending. Every dollar squandered at the state level impacts your local tax bill. You may be aware, for example, that the state income tax was created to alleviate the property tax burden on municipalities, but since its inception the income tax has been siphoned off for other purposes.
Similarly, local governments are facing potentially devastating reductions in state aid. The misleadingly named “state aid” program is not some sort of welfare – it’s your tax money filtering back to you at the governor’s discretion.
While your local Republican candidates enthusiastically associate themselves with Chris Christie’s candidacy, let us close this letter by noting that we receive no funding from the state or
And let us close by stressing our commitment to conducting a positive campaign based on the issues. Small towns in
Please consider voting for us on Election Day, Nov. 3.
For your consideration,
Ron Farina Barb Capelli
This flier was printed on recycled paper and to save postage costs was hand-carried to your door by a local volunteer for the Wenonah Republican Organization, which paid for the cost of photocopying.
Name: Ronald Joseph Farina - Age: 56
Profession: Commercial Photographer
Family: wife: Deborah Farina / 3 children: Sarah,9 Julianna, 7 and Gwendalyn, 5.
Volunteer background: Civil Air Patrol Search & Rescue / Wenonah Softball / Various Wenonah Projects (Comey Lake Fountain Installation, Annual Founder’s Day Event, July 4th Parade)
The three largest issues that face our community.
1. The Glassboro/Camden light rail system.
I am opposed to this project in its current form. If it proceeds as outlined, it is vital that we assess the impact on our community and carefully weigh the option of creating a stop here. More information is needed about how a stop would function and what locations are possible along the route. Increased vehicular traffic, parking and trains running less than 5 minutes apart will significantly impact our town. The greatest concern is the cost. This project will exceed $1,000,000,000 dollars for a projected rider ship of 15,000. Reducing traffic in the route 42/55/295 interchange area is of major importance, but this plan will not address that problem.
2. Consolidation of municipal services.
Current economic conditions require that small communities consider combining services with other towns to reduce costs. The Wenonah Council previously looked into combining our police force with a neighboring community. It appeared that the budget would decrease by bringing local officers under the direction of a single authority, however it was found that the pay scales of the officers would have to be adjusted higher thereby negating the savings. It is my position that any merger must provide SIGNIFICANT tax reduction to residents before consideration. The loss of direct control blurs our autonomy as a borough. It’s a slippery slope that must be approached carefully. I would apply this philosophy to the consideration of other borough and school services as well.
Barbara A. Capelli
Profession: Treasury Management/Cash Manager-Banking Industry
Volunteer: While on Council I was the Public Safety Chairperson, I was a member of Council’s budget and finance Committeee. I assisted as Wenonah’s Emergency Management Deputy.
I have been a past Lake Association President (2 Years), I have been a member of the Woman’s Club of Wenonah, I am currently on the Home Town Hero and Legends Committee, and I am the current President of the Wenonah Historical Society and spent two years as the Vice President of the Wenonah Historical Society.
I have been active in many areas and with joint efforts of many other volunteer organizations work hard to keep Wenonah the wonderful place we all moved to.
The three biggest issues:
Wenonah is a historic town of about one square mile surrounded by conservation land. This town has always been a great place to raise children, enjoy watching them grow and to relax on your porch with friends.
The three biggest issues in Wenonah seem to be part of a larger picture that is two fold.
Economic/fiscal responsibility and how it affects the community as a whole.
The issues regarding taxes, property tax and school taxes both fall into the fiscal responsibility picture. This subject must be researched and strong efforts must be made to involve the town in the process of making sure their opinions are heard.
The PATCO Light Rail, attempting to make its way through Wenonah brings to conversation so many concerns that certainly they seem to out-way any of the few positives. How is this train going to affect our taxes or finances? What is the impact on a walking community like Wenonah? How much more traffic will come into Wenonah and just the issue of parking and potential crime is mind boggling. What about the safety of the children with trains coming back and forth every five minutes??
And is this Train really a done deal? If so, then as a community we need to come together and make educated and thoughtful decisions about if we want a train to stop here in Wenonah.
One of the other concerns is shared services of our schools and public safety resources. Again, this is part of a bigger picture that also revolves around fiscal responsibility and the affects on the community. We want our families to flourish educationally and public safety is always a top priority.
I am prepared to work diligently to make sure that fiscal and economic challenges are faced with responsible and educated conclusions.
As a Council person, in my opinion, it would seem resolution comes with educating yourself and the community on these matters and making smart decisions for the greater good of the residents. I have been involved in many of the civic groups of Wenonah and I would work very hard continuing to proactively resolve issues and concerns of the residents.
I want to protect and preserve what our beautiful town has to offer its residents but at the same time use thoughtful well researched efforts to progress as it seems to fit the dynamics of our town and the goals of our residents
Wenonah’s foundation was not built with party politics, but rather with the efforts of many great people that wanted nothing more than to see our town flourish. Those same people had a vision of family community that needs to be continued into the future. I will work hard for Wenonah to continue those traditions. We must be protective of our town and yet still, thoughtfully and cautiously progressive. As a community we must work together to move forward.
I see that we are all spending a lot of time on the Train coming through Wenonah...clearly you can see I am not in favor of the train...but I also think we need to focus on what we have right in front of us. Those natural resources that few other towns have, such as the trails, the parks, the Wenonah Lake just to name a few. Since I have been very involved in the Lake Association..as past President...I would like to see more activities available for the kids in town. I believe we have had some great kids camps and I would love to continue those style camps and even build on those activities for our summer months. The Environmental Commission has done amazing things with the children and I want to help encourage participation in those events. We have such amazing Historic homes, locations, buildings...the Train Station...the history of Wenonah!! I am proud that we have many dedicated people who work very hard to promote the history of Wenonah.
Barb Capelli
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Wenonah, Town of by
Monday September 08, 2008, 8:00 AM
Please check out this blog by Carole Ogram(Wenonah) for more One hard working group is the Wenonah Shade Tree Commission. Right now, we share a problem with surrounding communities -- Left unchecked, this disease can spread and decimate the After speaking to Greg Shast about the problem, Our Shade Tree Commission has done the leg work and identified the Take a walk on the street or in our lovely conservation area. Coming soon....new information ....stay tuned Our beloved Train Station Restoration, almost done!!!! Our trails......recent sighting of rare albino Red Tail Hawk on South West Ave.....
Team Work Wenonah! Work Together!
For Now
pictures and details
Wenonah is lucky to have so many volunteers working year round
to make this such a great place to live.
Greg Shast, Charlie Miller, Rob Raymond, Greg Hack and Ted Astorga
are the current members who have continued a tradition that has
earned Wenonah the distinction of an even dozen years on the
Arbor Day Foundation "Tree City USA" list.
The Shade Tree Commission is responsible for the trees that
are on borough property. The members do a yearly assessment
of the trees in town to identify, among other things, trees that may
be diseased, unsafe or at risk. They work to get bids from contractors
to take down dead and diseased trees and in the spring, they plant
new trees as replacements for those that have been lost.
Bacterial Leaf Scorch.
This picture, from the Rutgers Cooperative Extension,
shows infected leaves on Red Oak, our state tree.
majority of trees in a residential area. There is no cure for this
blight that is spread by leaf hoppers and other insects,
but there are ways to halt the spread of the disease.
I Googled some info and found that the best way to manage the problem is by good tree maintenance. Very diseased trees must be taken down and trees
that are just beginning to show signs of infection need to be pruned
of infected branches. Some towns have even taken down trees that
surround the most diseased trees in order to nip it in the bud (so to speak.)
trees that need to be addressed. Hopefully, Council can provide the
funding needed to complete the work. Rutgers Coop has stated
that municipalities must spend the money now or risk spending much more,
at a later date, to take down dozens of unsafe dead trees, not to mention
the harm to the aesthetics of our beautiful leafy tree lined streets.
Even with costly new plantings, it would take years to achieve what
we have now in our Tree City
Enjoy those trees now, while you can...so long!
