Meet the Candidate: Pete Heinbaugh

On Nov. 3, residents will have the opportunity to go to the polls to vote for four members of Gloucester Township Council.

Gloucester Township Patch will share information and some of the thoughts of the eight candidates seeking four Council seats in a series of profiles.

Each candidate was asked the same questions via email in order to get the most accurate responses in their own words.

The candidates are profiled in alphabetical order, one each day.

Name: Peter Heinbaugh

Political Party: Republican (formerly an independent Democrat who could no longer abide the unethical environment created by Gloucester Township Democrats)

Years of residency in Gloucester Twp.: 27

Job: Former Accountant

Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Shippensburg (PA) University

Family: Wife of 30 years, Denise. Two grown children, Matthew and Leigh.

Why are you running for Gloucester Township Council? I truly desire to do what I can to make our town a little bit better. Certainly there is room for improvement in the way government is conducted in Gloucester Township.

Have you ever held public office? No

Why do you feel you are qualified to serve as a member of the Gloucester Township Council? I am an honest, well-intended, and ordinary resident of Gloucester Township. For a few years now, I have been attending Council meetings and following the issues very closely. I can confidently declare that I know the issues in our town better than most every member of our current Council. Also, utilizing my professional financial experience, I meticulously comb through GT’s budgets, financial statements, and reports. When elected, I will be able to hit the ground running.

In your opinion, what is the biggest issue currently facing Gloucester Township, and how should council deal with the issue? The biggest issue is the misplaced priorities of our current government leaders. With our property taxes at obscenely high levels (GT municipal property taxes have increased 56% since 2008), we should have more than enough money to efficiently provide services in our town. But instead, our current government’s priority is to enrich its political donors and political friends with lucrative government contracts and jobs. This practice increases the cost and decreases the effectiveness of Gloucester Township government.

What do you feel is Gloucester Township’s biggest asset at this time? How would you exploit that asset to the township’s benefit? The people of Gloucester Township are its biggest asset. Our town is filled with honest, hard-working folks. Folks that deserve a government that works for them. Gloucester Township residents should step up and demand better from their government.

What are some of the things council currently does that you feel could be done differently, and how would you make improvements? Again, the current government’s unethical practice of rewarding political donors needs to be stopped. (Since 2007, this political regime led by Mayor Mayer has collected $1.5 million in political donations, virtually all of them from firms that have been awarded government contracts year after year.) These favored donor-firms become too comfortable and complacent. For our government contracts, our town must level the playing field and return to true, free market, competitive bidding. This will ensure that the best contractors are chosen; thereby lowering costs and improving quality.

In what ways do you believe council is doing a good job for the residents of Gloucester Township? I believe that our current Council (all seven of them and the Mayor are a part of the same political regime) is doing a good job of enriching a couple dozen residents who are the connected favorites. This, at the expense of the rest of the 65,000 residents of Gloucester Township.