Meet the Candidates: Steve Fowles

On Nov. 8, Cinnaminson residents will vote for two open seats on township committee. There are five candidates vying for the spots. They are Republican incumbents Anthony V. Minniti and William B. "Ben" Young, Cinndependence Independents Steve Fowles and Ken Gertie and Independent Scott Lunn.

Cinnaminson Patch sent each candidate a list of questions to answer themselves and each day this week, we will provide those answers to you. The schedule of biographies is in alphabetical order, regardless of party affiliation or running mates. The schedule is as follows:

Oct. 3 — Fowles
Oct. 4 — Gertie
Oct. 5 — Lunn
Oct. 6 — Minniti
Oct. 7 — Young 

Each candidate submitted answers by the same due date so as to remain completely fair. So, no candidate will have seen another candidate's answers before submitting their own. Answers were edited for style, clarity and in some cases, down to the required word count.

Patch users must read our terms of service found here before commenting on this and any story. Comments will be deleted if they violate our terms of service—that includes a person's right to privacy, masked profanity, harassment, misleading information and more. 

Remember, candidates are not required to answer questions asked of Patch users. Further questions and comments must be directed to Editor Christina Paciolla at christina.paciolla@patch.com.

First, we have Steve Fowles, who is a lifelong resident and most recently served as the acting police chief with the Cinnaminson Township Police Department.  

Name: Steve Fowles

Age: 49

Political Party: Independent (Cinndependence)

Years of residency in Cinnaminson: 49 

Job: Retired as acting chief of police in Cinnaminson, April 1, 2011

Education: K-12 at Cinnaminson schools; Graduated from Cinnaminson High School in 1980; Attended Nasson College in Springvale, Maine for one year, and then attended and graduated from Lincoln Technical Institute with a computer technician degree; Attended and graduated from the Burlington County Police Academy in December 1985

Family: Wife: Amy (Johnston) Fowles, grew up in Cinnaminson and was a CHS class of 81 graduate; Married in 1993; Three daughters: Taylor (16), Tiffany (15) and Tatum (13). Stepson: Blair Dribben (29) 

Volunteer Experience: I coached Blair’s travel soccer teams from 1992 to 1996. When my daughters were old enough to play softball, I coached their teams, usually two each year because of their age difference, from 2000 to 2008. 

Have you ever held a public elected office? Never held public office

Why are you running for Cinnaminson Township Committee? From my position as the acting chief of police in Cinnaminson, I had the experience of seeing up close and personal how Cinnaminson politics work, and to be quite honest, I was less than impressed. The township committee is voted in by the people, and are supposed to represent the best interests of the people. I saw, and still see, that slipping away in Cinnaminson politics. I am running to bring that “hometown” feeling back to Cinnaminson, where the residents can have a voice about their tax money (how it is spent and where it is spent), and about our children’s education and school systems, about our police department, our public works, and our overall community appearance.

Why do you feel you are qualified to serve as a member of the Cinnaminson Township Committee? Being an employee of Cinnaminson Township for the last 26 years, I have seen and dealt with many, many politicians. I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly! I have worked very close with many of the past politicians, and also the current township committee on many issues. I was born and raised in Cinnaminson, and worked as a police officer for the last 26 years. I know the town, I know the people, and I care.

What are the three biggest issues facing Cinnaminson right now? How do you feel these issues should be addressed by Township Committee? 
The biggest issue facing taxpayers is we are spending too much money on outside services, and not enough on local services. Our police department has gone from a state and federally recommended 32 officers down to 23.

Public works has seen a sharp decline in personnel as well, and our school system is being squeezed for every dollar. Our residents' services continue to decline, yet our taxes continue to rise.

We need to continue to explore shared services, but to look at them from a realistic perspective, whether certain services actually do save money, or do they actually cost more in the long run.

Our township needs to take a realistic approach toward the redevelopment of Rt. 130 that doesn’t include tax incentives and abatements to the mega rich developers. Our current committee continues to sell the appeal of Cinnaminson way too short by believing the only way to attract business to Cinnaminson is with tax incentives at the expense of the taxpayers. New potential small business owners also need to be treated fairly. We lose many businesses to neighboring towns simply because they do not feel appreciated, and are forced to “jump through hoops” to obtain property or licenses in Cinnaminson.

Economic development is a big issue in Cinnaminson. How do you think the Rt. 130 corridor can be improved? A big plus was having the motels in town put out of business. That was the biggest accomplishment of this current committee. I would like to continue to rid Cinnaminson of the remaining motels. Having been a police officer, I am more than aware of what goes there.

There are still many vacant buildings, service stations, and lots along the corridor that need to be maintained and pushed toward business owners. Current businesses need to be supported by the residents and government. We cannot jump at empty promises such as the Gold’s Gym debacle, but do a better job of getting real business opportunities in town.

Economic development needs to include industrial parks and startup businesses along the light rail. Cinnaminson is a large town, with lots of businesses, and plenty of opportunities. 

What do you feel is Cinnaminson's biggest asset at this time? How would you exploit that asset to the township's benefit? Cinnaminson’s biggest asset is something the township committee has very little control over. It is of course our school district. Most people won’t necessarily consider moving into a community based on what kind of grocery store is in town or what clothing or shoe stores we have, however many will consider moving into a community based solely on the reputation of our schools. We must continue to put the effort into our school systems and maintain a high level of student success.

Our other biggest asset is our location. Cinnaminson is in a perfect location for many reasons—easy access to bridges and 10 minutes away from one of the most popular cities in the country, and home of the Phillies, Eagles, Flyers, Sixers, Union and other great sports, arts, museums and events. We are also 20 minutes from the Philadelphia airport, and less than two hours from New York City. Some of the most popular beaches in the world are just a little over an hour away. With all these big cities and big attractions around us, we still maintain a small home town feeling with a great community and great people. We need to use this appeal of schools and location to enhance the desirability for a Cinnaminson address for both new residents and new businesses.

How do you plan to balance spending and revenue in tough economic times? First, we must stop wasteful spending. As I stated earlier, our township spends way too much on outside services. Unfortunately, a one-party government breeds corruption and “pay-to-play” antics. I feel there are many current firms operating in Cinnaminson solely because of their relationship to the current political party, where our tax dollars are overspent, given to these businesses because of these relationships, and then filtered back into the party via “contributions.” The loopholes that exist in the local “pay-to-play” laws are absurd, and are considered “meaningless” by many reporters on this subject. We must stop this practice. Recently, NJ State Comptroller Matthew Boxer confirmed in his “pay-to-play” report the current laws and guidelines used to select our vendors cost us $100,000 or more in waste annually.

Do you feel the current committee is effective? How so or why not? Where do you think the governing body could improve? Our current committee is not effective simply because all of their decisions are based on politics, not people. From their business decisions, to their hiring of personnel, to their elimination of personnel, right down to the way they treat residents and business owners. Our police department has been reduced by nearly 30 percent, our dispatchers were completely eliminated in 2008, and our public works staff has been reduced by about 20 percent. With all of these cuts to our services, one would imagine that taxes would go down accordingly, however, municipal taxes have increased every year, in 2008 – 15 percent, in 2009 – 7 percent, and in 2010 – 14 percent. That’s a 36 percent increase over three years, even after the drastic reduction of personnel and services. This committee also continues to waste money by spending foolishly and caving-in to “pay-to-play” corporations. This committee could improve by stopping these practices, listen to the residents in town, and treating their constituents with the respect they all deserve.

Your Call—A final response to the people of Cinnaminson: Elected officials should represent the people they serve. There are ways to get information out, to let people know what is going on, what kind of decisions need to be made, and what changes are occurring.

This is not an easy job, and someone surely doesn’t do this for the salary.

Over the years, I have seen politicians come and go, and I believe almost all of them got in to try to help this town. There have been many good things done in our community, but the direction needs to get back on track. That cannot be accomplished with this current committee in tact. It’s time for a change.