Clemente Withdraws From Barnegat Township Committee Race

A Letter to the Editor from Marianne Clemente:

I wanted to take this opportunity to announce that I have withdrawn my name as a Democratic candidate for Barnegat Township Committee. My name on the ballot is being replaced by Paul Whitcraft, an extremely qualified candidate who adds much value to our Democratic ticket.

There has been much chatter about this, and I wanted to set the record straight. As the Democratic Municipal Chair and as a long-time Barnegat resident and activist in the political arena, I have been fighting for such issues as: affordable healthcare; equal rights and opportunities for all (from the workplace to the ballot box); a healthy economy stemming from economic justice policies; and measures to mitigate the negative impact of climate change.

It goes without saying that I have been outspoken in Barnegat about the numerous issues which affect our Barnegat residents – chief among them, the tremendous increases in our taxes. That’s why, with my financial background, I thought that I could make a difference in Barnegat.

However, after witnessing the incompetent and unstable governing going on in the White House and our “do-nothing Congress,” I feel my political activism needs to be directed toward electing Democratic congressional representatives in NJ, especially in the competitive races in Congressional Districts 3 and 4. I feel comfortable in this switch because we were successful in securing Paul Whitcraft as a replacement.

This doesn’t diminish the importance of our local race in Barnegat or mean that I won’t be involved in our 2017 election. Many of the issues we Democrats ran on last year are still very relevant, such as our out-of-control taxes, the irresponsible spending of taxpayer dollars and the absolute need for a forensic audit. These issues will require a tremendous amount of time and research– time for which in 2018 I would be torn to split between the town’s issues and our country’s issues.

As it pertains to our new ticket, I couldn’t be more delighted with our Barnegat Democratic candidates for Township Committee, Paul Whitcraft and Dan Ward. It is a strong ticket consisting of two professional candidates concerned with the issues important to Barnegat’s residents. To support the campaign go to www.wardandwhitcraft.com.

Paul Whitcraft joins Dan Ward on the Democratic ticket in their campaign to unseat the Republican incumbents. Whitcraft holds a degree from Drexel University and has had a long and prestigious career in the special metals industry, holding leadership roles in companies and professional organizations. He is married to Cyndi, his wife of 33 years and they have three grown daughters. Dan Ward is an adjunct professor at Ocean County College and holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Stevens Institute of Technology and an MS from Illinois Institute of Technology. He grew up in Barnegat and attended Southern Regional HS.

Photo: Patch file photo