Meet Lauren Ramos, Republican Running For Aberdeen Town Council

ABERDEEN, NJ — Nov. 4 will be the election for a new Aberdeen mayor and two Council seats, and in-person early voting starts Oct. 25.

The Democratic slate is current Aberdeen Councilman Greg Cannon, running for mayor, and Councilwoman Margaret Montone and Pedro Mirabal for Council. The Republican slate is Mark Bishop, Lauren Ramos and Michael LaCorte.

Patch asked all the candidates a set of questions, and all six got back to us. We will be publishing the candidate profiles in the order they were received.

Your name, age and office you are running for.

Lauren Ramos, 42, running for town council.

What is your occupation?

Office manager for two surgical practices and a real estate agent.

How long have you lived in Aberdeen and what part of town do you live in?

I moved into the Cliffwood Beach section of Aberdeen in 2006 and I now live in the Cliffwood section.

Have you ever run for elected office before?

This is my first time running for public office.

What are your specific accomplishments and skills that would make you a good town Council member?

My leadership style is grounded, pragmatic and sensible which I feel is very important to serve on town council. It’s important to focus on practical and sensible solutions vs. personal interest and gain, and to look at long-term impact vs. immediate need. Always make a decision on what’s best for the community and invite collaboration and community input.

Please give some examples of how you think the current Aberdeen Council has failed the public, or not represented them well.

I don’t feel they were always forthcoming to avoid criticism. For example, we were told that a “medical facility” was being built on County Road. They did not clarify what type of medical facility, which caused a lot of pushback from the community. I believe that information was purposely withheld because they knew it would cause some anger and frustration with residents. The services that facility delivers caused lots of concerns about operational safety there, which if the town was transparent in the first place, could have settled a lot of residents' concerns. That’s just one of many examples. The stripping away of the retail and commercial space that was promised in Glassworks shortly after the last election is another. This current council has stated numerous times that our affordable housing requirement has been met, however the website's plans for the fourth round housing development seems to tell a different story. How many of these proposed developments will be done under a PILOT with no additional tax money coming into an already overburdened school district?

Why should voters vote for you instead of the current Council members?

It’s time for a change, fresh eyes and new ideas. We had one party leadership for far to long, and there’s a sense of complacency and lack of accountability because of that long-term leadership.

What's your favorite part about living in Aberdeen?

Geographically, Aberdeen is in such a great location. Central to major roadways, we have a beach, a farm and woodland. We get the best of all worlds here and because of that we have a great culture here. Its diversity brings a sense of community to this town, which strengthens our town and makes it a place where everyone can feel included.

Meet Michael LaCorte, Running For Aberdeen Town Council

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