Meet The Moorestown Council Candidate: Vick Bobadilla

MOORESTOWN, NJ — Quinton Law and Vick Bobadilla will run in a special election for a seat on Moorestown Council in November.

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 Vick Bobadilla.

Age (as of Election Day)

51

Party Affiliation

Republican

Family

4 children:
Breanna Bobadilla, 28, Programmatic Partnership Manager at Discovery Network
Skylar Bobadilla, 25, Mechanical Engineer at the Philadelphia Naval base
Westin Bobadilla, 24, Teacher at a Charter School
Roxy Bobadilla, 20, Attending her Junior year at University of Delaware

Wife, Shari Bobadilla, who passed after a brave fight with cancer in 2016. She was an employee at United Airlines for 25 years and she brought joy and happiness to everyone she met.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Middle Essex County College

Occupation

Vice President of a national technology company & successful small business owner

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

None

Campaign website

www.facebook.com/VoteForVick

Why are you seeking elective office?

Moorestown has given so much to myself along with my wife and children. After 20 years of calling this wonderful place our home, it's time for me to give back in a new way. Although I have not been in elected office before, I believe my knowledge of the town, decades of volunteerism, and drive to fix the issues at hand will make me a strong advocate for the people of Moorestown. I have raised 4 children in this town, watching them grow from elementary school into lives as Moorestown High School graduates; and I have grown here just as my children have and I can't wait to roll up my sleeves and work hard for the amazing people that make this town a community.

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

Over the last year, I've talked to thousands of Moorestown residents and business owners, and the message is clear: the two most immediately pressing issues I see facing our community are taxes and business development.

In just the last 3 years, our tax bills have gone up about $614 on the average home as Township debt has increased by over $20 million. Our town's cost of living is 55% higher than the New Jersey state average, as Town Council has voted to increase not just municipal taxes, but water rates, library taxes, sewer rates, fire inspection fees, recreation fees, and construction permit fees. They recently appointed a new Town Manager and increased that salary by 25%, to $175,000 - the same salary the Governor of New Jersey makes to run a town of 21,000. No-bid government contracts have been handed out, rather than holding a fair and open bidding process on every single contract. Town Council must think outside of the box and continue delivering great services without increasing the tax burden to the point of making Moorestown unaffordable, or it will be impossible for many to keep calling this town home.

Business development ties in deeply with the tax conversation. Without an aggressive and forward-thinking plan for rejuvenating our business districts (Main Street, Lenola, Moorestown Mall, East Gate, K-Mart Shopping Center), we are heading in a direction that will be difficult to pull back from. In partnership with groups like the Moorestown Business Association and bringing together the many successful business minds who call our community home, we need to figure out what the future of Moorestown looks like in terms of building a sustainable business model that encourages shopping local and explores new concepts that have worked in other communities around the country.

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

I have lived the American Dream, one of an immigrant who knows the struggles of building a better life. I was born in Peru, and moved to the United States as a young boy. I watched with pride as my parents worked hard to create a better life for their family, and have worked hard every day of my own life to do the same for my own family.

I have spent countless hours over two decades coaching flag football, street hockey, softball, soccer, lacrosse, and basketball, knowing how important these activities are for Moorestown's youth to teach them the importance of teamwork, discipline, and collaboration. I've had years of real-world experience in running successful small businesses, volunteering with charitable organizations, and facing the ups and downs of life that so many Moorestown residents know well. This hands-on time has let me hear directly from my fellow Moorestonians about the issues they see in town, the problems facing working families, and the ways we can build a better future together in the spirit of community.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community?

The current Town Council has no voice of dissent and no challenging opinion. Votes are carried out in lock-step unison, and no tough questions are being asked at Town Hall.

This has led to rushed affordable housing plans that have not accounted for impact on local property values or open green spaces or stress on our water supply, school system, or roads. It's led to unnecessary tax increases and a ballooning of our municipal debt. It's led to a lack of progress on the Lenola Revitalization Project, which remains inexplicably stalled for its 4th year in a row and risks our town losing the hard-won $1.4 million in grant money for the project. It's led to our town's girls not having the dedicated softball fields they were promised.

This way of doing business has also led to our town's volunteer committees and boards being emptied of Republicans and Independents and overwhelmingly stacked with members of their own party, choosing politics over people instead of accepting that good ideas don't belong to just one side of the aisle but in bringing together people with differing perspectives and viewpoints to create a better end result. It's led to a blatant disregard to those residents who have attended meetings opposing Council's plans, as we lack leadership that listens to the people they are supposed to serve. And it's led to Town Council continuing it's failure in holding accountable the polluters of our water supply, costing taxpayers millions of dollars.

When elected, I will place tax relief, responsible planning, sustainability, clean water, and business development on the front burner, and will never be deterred in being a voice for all we are elected to serve. I will work to bridge divides instead of create new ones, working across the aisle in the spirit of community to better the town we all call home.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I will work hard to make Moorestown more affordable and reduce the tax burden on our neighbors; find new ways to create a dialogue between our various government entities and the people they serve; deliver clean water to our residents while making those who contaminated our water supply pay; stand with our residents against irresponsible development; protect our open spaces; support and fully fund our Moorestown Police Department; increase transparency and communication with our residents; and put people before politics, always.

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

I have always been determined and motivated to push myself to achieve my goals; for me, "can't" is not an option. When I was 18 years old, I opened up my own restaurant. By 21, we expanded into a second location. After selling those businesses, I decided to start my own computer company and build something from the ground up. I never take no for an answer when something needs to get done and always strive to better myself and those around me.

In my free time, I am a trained volunteer with the New Jersey Mass Care Emergency Response Team that assists with sheltering, feeding, family reunification, and distribution of emergency supplies in times of crisis. I'm an active member of the Moorestown Breakfast Rotary Club and a Team Captain for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life of the Moorestown Region, and have volunteered many hours with Moorestown High School Project Graduation and the Boys and Girls Club. I've been a volunteer for Support Moorestown Police, initiating the "Support Moorestown Police" sign initiative to show that our town backs the blue, and have volunteered for the Moorestown Domestic Violence Alliance. I am also a member of Save the Environment of Moorestown (STEM), the Historical Society of Moorestown, and Friends of the Moorestown Library. This involvement has shown me the importance of compassion, kindness, and community in a way that can't be taught, but only learned from experience.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

I've always been moved by the words of President John F. Kennedy's inaugural address: "Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country."

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

When you cast your vote for me, you are voting for someone who is in this for all the right reasons. I will use my background and real-world experience to help build a future for Moorestown that preserves all that we love about this community while finding ways to make it an even better place to call home.

On the local level, partisan affiliation of our residents should never impact whether they are permitted to have a seat at the table or a voice in a discussion; rather, diversity of thought should be used as a tool to build better solutions. While I can't change everything alone, I can add a voice to the discussion at Town Hall that will ask the tough questions, bring differing viewpoints, and help unite our community by ensuring all opinions are heard, valued, and respected.

I am, as I will be on Town Council, accessible and ready to answer any questions you may have or have any discussions you'd like to — just reach out on Facebook (www.facebook.com/voteforvick) or shoot me an e-mail at voteforvick@gmail.com. I don't pretend to have all the answers — no one person does — but I have the drive, passion, and love for this community and willingness to listen that can get our town back on the right track.