Meet The Gloucester Township Council Candidate: Joe Allen

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — Nine candidates will run for three open seats on Gloucester Township Council in this fall's general elections. Three Democrats, three Republicans and three candidates running under the Restore GT slogan have filed to run for the open seats.

Patch asked each candidate to complete a questionnaire outlining biographical information, their platform and their stands on a handful of issues. Patch will run profiles using these responses in the months leading up to Election Day.

Profiles are presented here in the same format as the questionnaires given to the candidates. There were no further instructions, and none of the responses has been edited (beyond basic proofreading and formatting). Readers can make their own judgments on how the candidates did or didn't answer the questions.

Here is the profile submitted by Joe Allen.

Age (as of Election Day)

45

Party Affiliation

Independent\Libertarian

Family

I live with my fiancé' Stacy and our two dogs.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Camden County Technical – Automotive Technology
Gloucester County College – Automotive Technology (Ford ASSET)
Computer Learning Center – Novell Certified Engineer
Camden County College – Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer
Harrisburg Area Community College – Cisco Certified Network Engineer

Occupation

I have been a Systems Engineer & Consultant for the last 21 years. I have worked in Information Systems for insurance, medical, retail, government, construction, logistics, financial and legal companies.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

None

Campaign website

RestoreGT.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

I spent a lot of time complaining about how our township was managed and the direction it was going. Talk is cheap and it does not produce results. I feel the only way anything is going to change is if I changed it myself.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The answer everyone is going to say is TAXES. Taxes are just a result of the problem that we have here. The single most pressing issue we have here is proper representation. If we had good representation our taxes would be stable, our small businesses would thrive and people wouldn’t be discouraged to be more involved.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

There are 9 people seeking 3 council seats. 3 of them hold seats today, and they’ve failed to represent us. They are backed by a powerful political party and have the help of a low voter turnout, and that’s why they remain in office.

The other 3 candidates from the Republican Party seem like they have good intentions, but my team has been fighting this battle for years. I trust myself and my team to get the job done more than I do anyone else.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

As I mentioned before, they’ve failed to represent the majority of the people in this township. They’ve also been notoriously hard to work with when it comes to working with businesses interested in Gloucester Township. No one wants a township full of chain restaurants and dollar stores, but those are the only organizations that have the time and money to deal with our politics.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

You’ll want to go to RestoreGT.com to get the full breakdown of our platform, but in summary our 3 focus points are:

• Affordability
• Transparency and Account
• Business and Community Development

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

As a Technology Consultant, I’ve worked with a lot of small businesses. That experience has taught me a great deal about the needs of a lot of many different professions. It also taught me how to communicate and most importantly listen to people.

The analytical side of my profession has also taught me to look at many different angles to each challenge I face. I’ve made quick decisions before, and sometimes they work, but sometimes they don’t, and that’s when you learn to take a better approach the next time.

Also, I have no previous political experience, and therefore I’m just another resident who’s trying the best he can to represent his neighbors.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

The people who constantly strive to better themselves often have Imposter Syndrome. Understanding that helped me realize my doubt was just myself setting new goals.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I am running as an independent candidate because I want people to know that my team and I aren’t held to follow any political parties’ orders. We are running to represent our neighbors and no one else. People in GT should vote for my team because of what we represent, not what party they want to see win.