Aimee Belgard Makes Her Case to Moorestown Business Association

By Aris Theofanopoulos

Aimee Belgard knows Congress is a mess.

In front of a group of about 30 at the Moorestown Business Association (MBA) monthly membership meeting on Wednesday, Belgard discussed why she does not want to be identified as a Democrat.

“My Republican colleagues know I am there to accept their good ideas and we have a relationship so they accept mine. It’s not about labels. It’s about the bigger picture. That’s how I got here.”

New Jersey’s Third Congressional District is up for grabs, as incumbent Jon Runyan is not running for re-election this year. Belgard is facing off against Tom MacArthur, former mayor of Randolph, New Jersey.

When asked why she is running, Belgard admitted she believed she would be joining one of the most ineffective Congresses ever. She admitted that she would not be able to change everything by herself, and rather than making promises of complete change, she stated that she would “chip away” at the problems.

“I am not OK with sticking to the status quo,” Belgard said. “I have skills to bring to the table like learning how to negotiate with an adversary, making compromises despite diverging views. This is a lost art.”

Perhaps the biggest point the Edgewater Park resident wants the public to know is that she will stand for the area she comes from in Congress.

“Our community has been on the decline, the last thing we need are folks that are not willing to come to the table and give new perspectives. Shame on us if we do not try. It’s about representing the people we live with. The middle class is being squeezed,” Belgard said.

“I’m not about party, I’m about the people. When I feel the president is wrong I will say it”

Belgard wants to revitalize New Jersey’s economy by making attempts at raising minimum wage and restore funding to the McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Joint Base. If elected she also says she will defend Social Security and Medicare from cuts, and will oppose all efforts to privatize Social Security.

She also says she will make a commitment to the restoration of the shore from Superstorm Sandy, a hot button topic that MacArthur has been pushing. He and his wife created and funded the St. Peter’s Sandy Relief Fund, which aided many local families in the aftermath of the storm.

The MBA will be holding their monthly meeting again on October 15, at 8 a.m. with Republican candidate Tom MacArthur set to make his appearance.

The MBA is run by President Mark Morgan and is an organization of retail, professional, and non-profit businesses working together to improve the business potential of its members.

The attached photo was provided by the Moorestown Business Association: (Left to right) MBA VP Don Powell (Power Energy and Solar), Moorestown Democratic Council Candidate Edmond George, U.S. Congressional Candidate Aimee Belgard and MBA President Mark Morgan (Moorestown Theater Company)