Meet The Candidate: Victoria Napolitano

Moorestown voters will go to the polls on Nov. 8 to not just elect the next President of the United States, but to determine a large part of the makeup of their local government for the next four years.

With three of the five council seats up for grabs, Moorestown residents will be determining the balance of power and direction of the township this fall.

Patch asked each candidate to complete a questionnaire outlining biographical information, their platform and their stands on a handful of issues.

This week, Patch will run profiles of all the candidates for council in alphabetical order, and alternating between the Democrats and the Republicans.

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.

Our final profile: Republican candidate Victoria Napolitano

Why are you running?

The reason I’m running now is the same reason I ran four years ago - I want to preserve the quality of life we enjoy here in Moorestown. I want to ensure that the next generation can inherit a Moorestown every bit as wonderful as the one we have today. I chose to run this year for a second term because I believe there is still more work to do, and I want to make sure that our town is moving in the right direction for tax relief, responsible government, and continued results over the next four years.

What do you feel are the most pressing issues?

The top issue for me is taxes. I’m proud that we were able to deliver a municipal tax cut for every single Moorestown family this year without impacting the level of services provided by the Township, and I hope that this trend can continue in the years to come. I'm proud of the rigorous, line-by-line budget process Town Council has utilized, ensuring efficiency in every dollar spent and removing any wasteful spending. Without question, tax relief will remain a top priority for me in my second term.

In the coming years, Town Council needs to maintain a strong commitment to growing our business districts and continuing the successes we have been seeing in this regard. This year, Town Council took the first steps in implementing a Shop Local program that will allow residents to lower their taxes by shopping at participating small businesses in town. The Moorestown Mall and East Gate Square have become a shopping and dining destination, and plans are in motion to overhaul the Camden Avenue corridor with the help of Burlington County - so it is critical that we elect officials this year who will continue to fight for our local small businesses and keep their success in the forefront.

I firmly believe that other issues of high importance include protecting our open spaces, continuing programs for our town’s individuals with special needs and their families, supporting our Township’s first responders, and delivering a local government that is both responsive and responsible.

What changes would you make to what the current council is doing?

In the next four years, I would like to see the Township’s Community Development Director more proactively involved in helping businesses open and thrive here in Moorestown. I have personally visited dozens of businesses throughout town, from Main Street to Lenola, and while over 50 new businesses have opened their doors during the last four years, I believe Town Council can take additional steps to cut red tape and streamline processes to better serve our various business districts.

Town Council recently voted to move forward with recording our Town Council meetings and both broadcasting them on television and streaming them over the internet, and I would like to see this move forward as quickly as possible so that individuals who cannot currently attend Council meetings in person have the opportunity to view them in their entirety from their homes.

What are some of the positive things you believe the current council is doing?

Over the last four years, the council has a record of proactive and creative decisions.

We have made our budgeting process more rigorous, holding meetings at all times of day to allow public participation and resulting in a budget this year that allowed us to cut taxes while maintaining a healthy surplus that we voted to reserve for tax relief in the years to come.

We have reconfigured the Municipal Parking Lot on Second Street, adding additional spaces and increasing access to businesses on Main Street; moved to begin the process of preserving Flying Feather Farm, which would boost Moorestown’s total open space to over 810 acres; partnered with our County Freeholders to build Moorestown’s first dog park; took the first step in a 5-year plan to revitalize Strawbridge Lake; created new opportunities for individuals with special needs and their families; moved forward with the largest infrastructure overhaul in Moorestown history; and increased transparency by posting Town Council documents on our newly revamped municipal website, holding office hours outside of regularly scheduled Town Council meetings, and restoring Residents Requests and Presentations to our Town Council meetings.

What do you bring to council that no one else can bring. i.e. strengths, experience, etc?

I believe that my point of view as a young woman who is expecting my first child gives me a perspective that is useful and valuable to the Town Council. I am fully invested in our community, and want to make sure our local government works for everyone. Town Council needs to keep our taxes as low as possible, and maintain our special quality of life to ensure that families like mine are able to stay in Moorestown for the long haul - to welcome our children into the world here, to see them go through our wonderful school system, and, someday, retire here.

I also believe that having spent the last four years on Town Council has helped me to truly understand this town in ways I never thought possible. Attending hundreds of community events, having countless conversations with residents, and learning what “works” have given me greater insight into the issues of the town and what must be done going forward.

What is your political background? What offices have you held/run for in the past?

I successfully ran for Town Council in 2012. I was sworn-in as the youngest female mayor in New Jersey history in 2015, and I am currently serving as Deputy Mayor. I currently serve as liaison to the Open Space Advisory Committee, the Telecommunications and Technology Committee, Sustainable Moorestown, and the Lenola Advisory Committee.

Personal Background

I came to Moorestown shortly before graduating from Drexel University with my Bachelor’s in Secondary Education and my Master’s in Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum, and we moved into our first apartment in Moorestowne Woods in Lenola. Vinny and I knew this town was the perfect place to start a family, and quickly became engaged in this amazing community. We are parishioners at Our Lady of Good Counsel, and I am a proud member of the Historical Society of Moorestown, MoorArts, Save the Environment of Moorestown (STEM), the Moorestown Improvement Association, Friends of the Moorestown Library & the National Foundation for Women Legislators. I have also served as an Ambassador for Autism New Jersey since 2013. In addition to my work in elected office, I work as an Instructional Designer and Trainer at Clarivate Analytics and reside in West Moorestown. My husband and I will be having our first child this April, and couldn't be more excited!