Nappen: It is time to ‘step up’ for the community
UPPER TOWNSHIP – Victor Nappen is raising his young family in the same neighborhood where he grew up. He said he is running in the GOP primary for Upper Township Committee because it is time for him to “step up” for the community.
Nappen is on a ticket with incumbent Mark Pancoast. The pair was nominated by the Upper Township GOP committee and the Cape May County Regular Republican Organization. Anthony Inserra is the third Republican in the June 7 primary. The two winners will move on to the general election in November for three-year terms on the committee. (No one filed to run in the Democratic primary in Upper Township.)
Nappen, born in 1985, and his wife, the former Danielle Greene, have two boys, ages 6 and 4, along with their large extended families in the township. He is a science teacher at Millville High School and he also has his own business, South Jersey Screen Repair.
With much of his family nearby and his children in all types of local activities, this newcomer to the political scene decided he wanted to give back.
“I feel like it’s time for me to step up and be part of the process and to do whatever I can to continue to make Upper Township a great family-friendly place to live,” he said.
Issues that are important to him include keeping taxes low, focusing on a “wholesome education for our children” and a strong recreation department.
“I want to make sure Upper Township continues to be affordable to live. Upper Township, in my opinion, doesn’t need to be fixed. It’s a great place to live. I’m honored to be able to help continue that,” Nappen said.
He enjoys being part of the team with Pancoast, who ran with Jay Newman and Kimberly Hayes in November. “Our entire ticket is wonderful from the top to the bottom. I’m honored to get that nomination from the Upper Township part of the county GOP,” he said.
Larry Trulli, the Upper Township GOP leader, said Nappen was his hand-picked candidate to get the nomination. He said Nappen made one aspect clear during his presentation to the GOP: 49 percent of registered voters in Upper Township are 40 years of age and younger.
“I asked him, ‘What does that mean?’ He said, It’s time for us to get involved. The kids in that age group feel as if they’re disenfranchised by both parties and it’s time for me to step up because I started a family and they will be following the same path,” Trulli said.
The GOP leader said his candidate is well versed in the Exit 20 interchange issue, Ocean Wind 1’s plans to connect to the power grid in Beesleys Point and the issue of sewers and development along Roosevelt Boulevard.
Trulli said the GOP from Congressman Jeff Van Drew on down have embraced the young man.
“The biggest thing he stands for is being a good steward of taxpayers’ money because between the Greenes and his family, they’re big stakeholders in Upper Township,” Trulli said, laughing about those big families.
Trulli added with Nappen being new, “he’s not bought and paid for” and has tremendous respect for Mayor Curtis Corson. He also noted it’s good to bring a teacher into the mix of elected officials in town.
Nappen said he is an extremely hard worker, “a card-carrying member of the 5 a.m. club.” He said he is the first to get to work at Millville High School, and after years of working in restaurants around the area got industrious after the pandemic hit and started his own screen repair business. He said he works at that after his school day and then takes time to spend with his family, including their boys in recreation sports.
Having a small business – “literally me driving around in my car fixing screens” – makes him aware of how difficult it has been for small businesses to recover. “It’s another thing that motivates me – helping small-business owners in Upper Township,” he said.
Nappen said if elected he wants to put his work ethic and lifelong connections to work on behalf of the township.
Pancoast: A well-rounded team benefits the township
UPPER TOWNSHIP – Mark Pancoast keeps his work as a police officer separate from his duties as a member of Upper Township Committee, but he believes his career in public service has proved to be a good background for representing the people of his community.
Pancoast, the only incumbent in the GOP primary for Upper Township Committee, is running for a full three-year term on a ticket with newcomer Victor Nappen. The pair was nominated by the Upper Township GOP committee and the Cape May County Regular Republican Organization. Anthony Inserra is the third Republican in the June 7 primary. The two winners will move on to the general election in November. (No one filed to run in the Democratic primary in Upper Township.)
Pancoast, a lieutenant in the Ocean City Police Department, was elected to a one-year term in November running on a slate with Jay Newman and Kimberly Hayes, who were elected to three-year terms.
“In my short couple of months on Township Committee,” he said, “I’ve learned that teamwork is a necessity. In public service I’ve always had that opportunity to listen to the public, but being able to shape policy you have to work together with the other lawmakers.”
Pancoast said he has been able to work well with Newman and Hayes as part of a team, but also with Mayor Curtis Cortson and Committeeman John Coggins.
“We’re able to work together to keep taxes low and to keep Upper Township affordable,” he said.
“We’re having an issue with inflation raising costs in the state and country. Upper Township is facing a $7 million cut in school funding in the state Legislature,” he said. To offset the rising costs and dropping state aid, being fiscally conservative is key, Pancoast added.
“It’s something we have begun to do with the team we have in place, the new business administrator, the new solicitor. These are very smart people who understand the goals we have set for them as far as consolidating some of the jobs to make it more effective for taxpayers and to have a little more accountability with our employees,” Pancoast said. “Our command structure is rebuilt as far as everyday employees you see on the street that are doing a fantastic job. They have a direct line to talk to their supervisors. It’s becoming a lot more efficient with the people we have in place.”
Pancoast, 44, started as a summer police office in 1997, was a dispatcher in Ocean City for a little over a year during 9/11 and was hired full-time as a police officer in 2002. He spent time on the road, 11 years in the detective bureau, was promoted to sergeant and last fall was promoted to lieutenant and put in charge of systems administration at the department.
Asked how being a police officer translates to being a good elected representative, he said he’s been doing his public service work since he was 18 years old. He said police officers handle complaints and other issues – “anything you can think of.”
That background helps when he has to work to resolve issues people have in the township and come to him, as a committee member, to help. “It may be when a neighbor has a problem with something or if they don’t like the way the township may be headed or if they have a disagreement,” he said. “I don’t take it personally. I try to figure out a way, with my fellow committee members, to get the problem resolved.
“We don’t have to be heavy-handed. We try to work it out because this is a close-knit community,” he said. “Having that background in public service I can get the job done and get it done efficiently.”
Pancoast married his wife, Abby, in 2005 and moved to Upper Township. They have two children, a16-year-old daughter and 13-year-old son.
He said he and running mate Nappen are the best choices in the GOP primary because they all bring different elements to local government. When he ran in the fall, he got elected with Newman, a firefighter, and Hayes, a nurse. Nappen is a teacher and would bring yet another element and background to the committee.
“We’re young, we’re energetic, we’re open to listen, but we also have our conservative traditional values that bring us back full circle as to why we’re Republicans in Upper Township,” Pancoast said. “We can deal with the whole age range of Upper Township citizenry. Upper Township is a pretty unique place. We have the woodlands, we have the beaches, the town centers. It’s a unique place to live and close-knit.
“Having the backgrounds that we have, and with Victor running this year, it’s a complete circle there. Our group is just as unique as the demographic of Upper Township.”
Inserra: Committee needs an independent voice
UPPER TOWNSHIP – Anthony Inserra wants to be an independent voice on the Upper Township Committee, someone who will listen to the concerns of all residents and pay special attention to the needs of senior citizens.
Inserra is running in the Republican primary June 7. He is facing incumbent Mark Pancoast, who was elected in November, and newcomer Victor Nappen, a pair endorsed by the township’s GOP committee and the Cape May County Regular Republican Organization. Republicans voters will choose two to go on the November general election for the two three-year terms.
“I’m running because I think the future can be better,” Inserra said. “I’m not running against anybody. I have ideas I believe will work for the township.”
The 73-year-old has been married for 51 years, has two children plus grandchildren, and has run a plumbing and heating business for 45 years. He served one term on Upper Township Committee before, being elected in 2012.
One of his primary issues is advocating to get Exit 20, a full interchange on the Garden State Parkway for Upper Township. He said that would help the township’s economy, would be safer for drivers and ease traffic congestion around Exit 25.
He believes sewers should be expanded to help improve the commercial centers and development along the Roosevelt Boulevard corridor. Without them, he said, the Verizon parcel in Marmora is going to sit dormant for another 20 years.
Inserra said there are parcels of township-owned land that could be sold or even donated to neighboring properties to get them on the tax rolls, increase property values, and eliminate extra liability for the township.
He added there are 30 acres of prime commercial property along Route 610 that could be sold. “At today’s market values, it could bring in $200,000 an acre or more,” he said. “That would bring in $6 million for the township. That would be a huge windfall.” What’s more, he said, commercial development could then bring in additional tax revenues for the township.
“Imagine what that could bring in. Not just the sale, but once it’s developed. Look at the revenues we could get out of that,” he said. “Why are we sitting on it?”
He believes the old landfill on Butter Road could be repurposed by a company bringing in a solar panel farm that could generate electricity for residents. Inserra asserts nothing has been done there either.
Overall, he said, there are other things the Township Committee can do before they decide to raise taxes.
He questioned the fact the township hired a full-time administrator without any public input.
“The public didn’t even know about it when he was hired. He doesn’t even live in Upper. He was hired without resume and they said he was referred to the township. By whom? Nobody seems to know.”
On top of that there has been talk about hiring an assistant administrator.
“The combined salaries would be around $300,000,” he said, which is a waste of money.
He doesn’t understand why they need the administrators because members of Township Committee act aS the administrators over the departments they oversee.
“Why hire an administrator to do your job? We have a $450,000 shortfall in the budget and we’re going out to hire two people for $300,000. It makes no sense at all,” he said.
When he was on Township Committee, Inserra said, he had been deputy mayor and had overseen public works. If he wins the primary and gets elected in the fall, he said he would like to oversee recreation, personnel and finances. He noted he has enormous experience in buildings and grounds.
Inserra said the main thing he accomplished during his former term on Upper Township Committee was to “open up a lot of people’s eyes” so they know what local government is doing. If elected, he said, “I’m going to be the eyes and ears of the township. People are going to know exactly what’s going on.”
He added that he and former Mayor Rich Palombo “didn’t see eye to eye sometimes, but I can assure you we both had the township’s best interests at heart. I can assure you if Palombo was still the mayor today the things taking place in Upper Township with this administration would’ve never taken place.”
He points out that he is not beholden to anyone and that decisions he makes won’t affect him personally. To that end, he said when he served before he proposed a law passed that anyone who contributed even a dollar to a candidate couldn’t do business with the town, but it was repealed after he left office.
Inserra said he wants to see money spent promoting Upper Township and all that it has to offer – the campgrounds, the bay, waterways and beaches. “There is not one penny being spent to promote Upper Township,” he said.
He said if certain things are needed, the township should provide them, but if it’s just wish-list items, the township shouldn’t spend on them.
He wants to be a special advocate for senior citizens living on fixed incomes because if taxes continue to go up, the cost of living will make the township unaffordable.
“To my knowledge, no one has ever done anything for them,” he said of seniors, with the exception of the Senior Center on Stagecoach Road. “Senior citizens are on fixED incomes. No one is paying attention to that.”
He believes his voice is what’s needed on committee now. “You can’t go with the flow. You have to be independent.”
By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
