By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
Brendan Sciarra believes there is a need for change in Cape May County government.
“I’ve been here my whole life,” the Wildwood Crest resident said. “My parents grew up here, my grandparents grew up here. I have a pretty good sense of the issues in Cape May County. I feel like there is a need for change.
“There is a need for a bipartisan board that can work together.”
Sciarra, a Democrat and Wildwood restaurateur, is running to change the complexion of the Cape May County Board of Chosen Freeholders, which has been controlled by Republicans for generations. Only one Democrat has been elected to the board in the past 25 years.
“Diversity,” Sciarra said, “can bring better representation to taxpayers and constituents. And I like to get stuff done in government. If you can fix things and make it a better place, that is a driving thing for me personally.”
He believes there is an opportunity this election cycle because “I think I can offer some common-sense solutions. I can work across the aisle. People see a need for change and see bipartisan diversity, and someone with a set of different thoughts needs to be in office.”
Sciarra said the freeholder board has been “complacent” and although there would be two political parties represented on the board if he were elected, it would be the ideas that count.
“I think basically I’m the type of person who looks at the issues regardless of what side they came from. Regardless of being a Democrat or a Republican, we have to find a way to work together. I can bring diversity to that board. I’m the Democratic chairman, but I’m practical. We need to offer the best services from infrastructure to social issues.”
He hopes voters will see him as someone who can work together with other freeholders and not draw party lines. That, he said, will attract not only Democratic voters but also independents and some Republicans come election time.
As a businessman and entrepreneur, Sciarra said it is important to create good-paying, year-round jobs with consistent benefits.
“Once we create jobs for those people they’ll put money back into the economy,” he said, suggesting manufacturing, fisheries, environmental and other sustainable industries as opportunities for growth.
Like his Democratic running mate, Elizabeth “Liz” Casey, he sees COVID-19 as changing the work environment in a way that could benefit the county.
“I also think it’s a different time right now because of COVID-19. A lot of people are working from home. This may be reshaping the way Cape May County will be. In such a horrible situation, maybe this could help us in a way no one thought if we can think outside the box,” he said.
He and Casey also want to do more to fight opioid addiction in the county. He believes that can be done with a combination of education and expansion of facilities for treating addictions.
More, Sciarra said, has to be done on the front end with prevention.
“The county needs to put resources into it. If we can use education and prevention, we can save lives and fight this epidemic.”
The candidate said he and Casey can fight the way the county has done business with nepotism and political patronage by having a bipartisan freeholder board.
“The one thing about me and Liz is that I think she can work with anybody. We care about Cape May County. We live here, we understand the issues, we want to make it better. We understand the ability of what people can do.
“In this time, a bipartisan freeholder board is good for Cape May County and for the residents. We don’t have to have lines drawn,” he said. “We want to promote and work on these issues.”
Asked how he would change the board’s view on issues of nepotism and favoritism, Sciarra said there would have to be a “different sense of interpretation of what they’ve always been used to.”
Sciarra said the environment would be a priority if he were elected. He believes the county needs to protect its ecosystem, create more open space and more parks. He pointed out the environment is a large part of the economy in the county because of the parks and the beaches and the back bays.
The county, he said, needs to work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on beach replenishment and dredging the back bays, and to be concerned about flooding.
Sciarra said he plans to put his business background to good use in government.
“For me, every little piece of paper that will come across my desk I will analyze, find the best solution. If something is not working, find a better way to get it working. I don’t want to sit on my hands. I can peel back layers, find solutions. I’ll try to create efficiency; efficiency is important to bring to government.
“If elected, I’ll give it my best.”
Overall, Sciarra said he believes working in a nonpartisan fashion will allow the county to get “a lot more accomplished” and what he wants to accomplish includes improving the infrastructure, services for veterans and seniors, and transportation, which is vital for the county’s communities.