Republican Candidates Make Their Case

Campaign season has officially begun for two of the three Republicans running for Galloway Township Council in November’s election.

The Galloway Township Republican Club held a Meet and Greet for incumbent Councilman Tony Coppola and running mate Brian Tyrrell Wednesday night at the

For Coppola, who is running for election for the second year in a row, this event of the 2011 election season offered a chance to remind voters of all the good things the council he’s currently a part of has done.

For Tyrrell, it was a chance to introduce himself to potential voters.

Coppola, Tyrrell and Mayor Keith Hartman are running on the Republican ticket, although Hartman will be financing his own campaign.

features incumbent Councilman Jim Gorman, along with challengers Jim McElwee and Kevin Krumaker.

Prior to Wednesday night’s fundraiser, Coppola discussed some of the issues he wishes to highlight during this year’s campaign.

“I believe this council inherited a runaway train of irresponsible spending and inefficient operations,” Coppola said. “We were forced to take drastic measures.”

One measure included one day a week last year, a practice that appeared as though it would continue at the beginning of this year before an agreement was reached to bring township employees back to work and reopen the municipal complex on Mondays.

He also pointed to the agreement between the township and the concerning the Seaview, including Stockton’s $300,000 donation to the township in lieu of property taxes, which it isn’t required to pay as a tax exempt entity.

Overall, he was also proud of forging strong business relationships with Stockton and

“We’ve stabilizied our reliance on bond issuances at .08 percent, and we hope it can be less later this year and next year,” said Coppola, who compared reliance on bond issues with relying on a credit card to pay the bills. “Being up around three percent is like maxing out on your credit card.”

The township was up to two percent five years ago.

He also pointed to change in key township jobs, including that of as positives for the township.

"There's accountability," Coppola said. "If you're not performing, you will be held accountable."

Tyrrell is an Associate Professor of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Stockton, and thus understands both Stockton’s role in the business community and how emphasizing tourism can be beneficial to Galloway Township.

“I am a firm believer in marketing destination,” said Tyrrell, who said he’s monitoring the developments in the tourism district with an eye on how it will affect Galloway Township.

“A good number of residents work in the industry and understand the issues,” Tyrrell said. “I understand the unique challenges they face.”

Tyrrell characterizes himself as a fiscal conservative who believes government should be run the way the average household is run, i.e. not spending more money than it generates.

He said he started considering running for a position in politics after testifying in Trenton and Harrisburg as part of his position at Stockton.

“I’ve seen government in action and I felt like I could bring something to the table,” Tyrrell said. “I bring a common sense approach, a lot of energy and the ability to learn about any issue.”

This included attending a Tea Party Happy Hour at Gourmet Italian Cuisine last month, as he was attempting to learn more about a 55-and-over community in Absecon that was facing the prospect of being converted into a general housing community. People involved in that issue attended the happy hour.

While not a member of the Tea Party, Tyrrell recognizes it as a fiscally conservative group with which he shares some values.

Tyrrell worked at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas for four years, but while there, he and his wife had their first child. Deciding Las Vegas wasn’t the ideal place to raise a family, Tyrrell and his wife moved to Galloway Township six years ago and he took a position with Stockton.

They now have three children, have been married for 12 years and he coaches youth soccer for Galloway United.

He is currently on the Economic Development committees for both Galloway and Stockton, the Planning Board, the Budget Committee, the Board of Atlantic City Hotel Lodging Association and the Executive Board of New Jersey Travel Industry Association.

“I have a lot of willingness and I’ll put the time in to make sure the residents are well represented,” Tyrrell said.