Meet the Township Committee Candidates: John McCarthy

Incumbent Mayor Don Brauckmann and newcomer John McCarthy are running under the Republican ticket for the two open seats on Cinnaminson Township Committee this year.

Committeeman John Rooney is not seeking another term.

No other candidates have filed.

Even though the race is uncontested, we asked Brauckmann and McCarthy to fill out a biography with questions asked by Cinnaminson Patch. 

Name: John McCarthy 

Age: 54 

Years of residency in Cinnaminson: 5½ 

Job: National Sales Representative, Sea Box, Inc., 700 Union Landing Road, Cinnaminson. 

Education: La Salle University, Bachelor of Science Degree, Criminal Justice Major 

Family: Married to Liz Anne with three children. Daughter Elizabeth (22), recent nursing graduate from Penn State; son John (20), junior at La Salle University; and son Patrick (15), freshman at Cinnaminson High School 

Volunteer Experience: Founding Board Member, Burlington County Soccer Academy; Coach, Cinnaminson Travel Basketball; Founding Board Member and Treasurer, Cinnaminson AOH Mike Doyle Div. 4; Volunteer, St. Charles Carnival; Member, Cinnaminson Economic Development Committee; Alumni Board Member, Father Judge High School; President, Mayfair Town Watch; Vice-President and Board Member, Mayfair Civic Association 

Have you ever held a public elected office? If yes, please name the governing body and years of service. Have never sought or held elected office.

Why are you running for Cinnaminson Township Committee? We chose to live in Cinnaminson because of its high quality of life, safe neighborhoods, quality schools, excellent parks, flourishing youth sports, vibrant churches and community groups, single family character, and affordability. I hope to use my skills and talents to preserve Cinnaminson as a special family community and keep our local government moving in the right direction. 

Why do you feel you are qualified to serve as a member of the Cinnaminson Township Committee? I am not a politician. I am a civic-minded resident and volunteer, husband and father, and business leader who cares about his community, likes to help people, and wants to make a great community even better. I have the time and support from my family and my employer. 

I owned and operated my own business for eight years. I then joined Cinnaminson-based Sea Box, and over 12 years have helped transform the company into one of the fastest-growing businesses in New Jersey. My strengths are my organization, communication and listening skills. 

While on the board of Mayfair Civic Association and at the same time the Town Watch president, I worked closely and effectively with the local police district, community groups, state legislators, and city council members. I hope to bring these "hands on" experiences to the position of township committee member. 

In Mayfair it was never about being a Democrat or Republican. It was about working to help the neighborhood. I plan to bring that same spirit to my new position. 

What are the three biggest issues facing Cinnaminson right now? How do you feel these issues should be addressed by Township Committee?  (1) Keeping Cinnaminson an affordable community is paramount. This means holding the line on taxes, spending, and debt. Government must tighten its belt at all levels. I bring to the table a successful track record in the business world. 

(2) Making local government as open and transparent as possible is an important priority. This helps citizens in holding their officials accountable. Expanding the information available on our township website would help achieve this goal. 

(3) Growing Cinnaminson’s ratable base by rejuvenating our industrial and commercial districts is pivotal to keeping us a vibrant, thriving community. I plan on transforming Cinnaminson into the most "business friendly" community in the state. 

Economic development is a big issue in Cinnaminson. How do you think the Rt. 130 corridor can be improved? Route 130 is the center of our town, and also serves as our face to the world. Great progress has been made in recent years and I applaud the current committee, especially Anthony Minniti, for giving this issue the attention it deserves. 

The recently announced redevelopment of the closed-down Triboro car dealership will remove blight, boost ratables, bring jobs, improve traffic flow, and offer new shopping destinations. As a member of the economic development committee, I am committed to making this project succeed, and to recruiting new enterprises to fill remaining vacancies. I also strongly believe that our three-mile segment of Route 130 must be the safest stretch possible with secure bus stops, pedestrian-friendly sidewalks, and consideration given to petitioning the state for a speed limit reduction. 

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 its residents. Our family-friendly atmosphere was something we felt even before we even moved here. Our schools, sports associations, churches, and community groups are the backbone of the township, and I look forward to encouraging even more volunteerism and expanding our community events. 

How do you plan to balance spending and revenue in tough economic times? I am a strong believer in shared services. We must continue to aggressively explore and implement cost-savings plans with other local government entities. Another top priority is continuing to work closely with our county and state partners to obtain grants. The current committee has been successful with this in the past. This helps maintain our current services while keeping spending down. 

Your Call—A final response to the people of Cinnaminson: When Liz Anne and I decided to move our young family out of Mayfair, our realtor scheduled 82 house visits throughout the Delaware Valley. We selected Cinnaminson and have never looked back. We know we made a great choice. Our only question has been, "Why didn't we do this sooner?" 

I truly look forward to meeting more and more of the great people who live and work in Cinnaminson, and serving the community to the best of my ability. While typing my responses to this questionnaire, I am watching round-the-clock coverage of Hurricane Sandy. My thoughts and prayers go out to all our residents, especially our first responders. I know our public works, police, fire, and rescue squad personnel will be working long hours to keep us safe. All residents should keep a close eye out for our neighbors.