Meet The Moorestown Council Candidates: Brian Donnelly

MOORESTOWN, NJ — Moorestown voters head to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 6, to determine the makeup of its local government for the next few years. There are two, four-year seats on the five-member Moorestown Council that are up for grabs. Both seats currently belong to Republicans. There will also be a new mayor come January, as incumbent Mayor Stacey Jordan has opted not to run for re-election.

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 Republicans and the Democrats.

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.

Up next: Democratic candidate Brian Donnelly.

Why are you running for Moorestown Council?

I’m running for Council because there are deep structural problems in our finances, debt, taxes, infrastructure and water, and I am frustrated by the lack of transparency on all of these issues by the current majority on Council. My wife, daughter and I love living in Moorestown, but what I’ve come to observe is a phenomenon taking place that is always an issue when the same people or party are in power too long — loss of transparency and accountability to residents, taxpayers and voters. I have a history of service during my lifetime, and I am continuing in that role because someone has to stand up and have the integrity to take on and correct these issues. My daughter is four years old, and I am concerned that, if Moorestown continues on its current path, her generation will be left with a legacy of debt, tainted water and crumbling infrastructure. That is why I am running for council.

What do you feel are the most pressing issues currently facing Moorestown?

Lack of transparency and a sense of entitlement to retain power by the current majority on Council are the root of most of our problems. Rather than embrace our citizens and involve them in the political process, our Republican leaders are shutting out our residents and failing to keep the public informed. Moorestown is blessed to have a plethora of talented and highly successful residents, business owners and stakeholders from whom to draw opinions and guidance. The current majority on Council apparently does not realize that it serves at the behest of Moorestown’s citizens, not the other way around.

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

Our current Council has managed to maintain a AAA bond rating, which is good. However, what they fail to emphasize is that a bond rating is nothing more than a credit score. And rather than keep credit at arm’s length, they are continuing to tap our town’s line of credit and repeatedly engage in deficit spending. A “AAA” bond rating can be a good thing, until you realize you have to keep borrowing and paying to maintain it.

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

Transparency, transparency, transparency coupled with respect, respect, respect. If Nicole Gillespie and I are elected, we pledge to bring civility back to our local government, treat all residents and business owners with respect, and seek input before decisions are made. Partisan division is undermining the township committees and demoralizing the many great volunteer groups which Moorestown so heavily relies upon.

Also, Moorestown residents deserve much more careful stewardship of our finances and planning. Our Republican controlled council has not sought competitive bids for township professionals in over 5 years despite increasing fees. Our Township Master Plan has not been updated in over a decade, and yet earlier this year they began the re-examination process without any input from the public to date. How do you lead without a solid plan, and how do you start major revisions without taking the public’s input into account early in the process? I want to move us away from having a reactive government that minimizes input from its citizens and treats major issues as “emergencies” that cannot be discussed. We will be proactive instead of reactive.

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

The majority of my life has been spent in service. I realize that I serve the community and not the other way around. Further, I am a business and tax attorney that advises both small local businesses and multinational corporations. Moorestown, on a business level, functions much like a large corporation. Nicole and I spend our lives advising and running corporations. Our past leadership, military service and professional experiences make us uniquely qualified to understand that neither a corporation nor a Township can be run without taking in input and advising the key stakeholders.

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

Like Nicole, this is my first time running for office. While I have given 24 years of service in the military, this is my first engagement in politics. I decided to run for Township council because, both nationally and locally, I believe experienced politicians have put us in a precarious state through irresponsible stewardship. I decided to step up and stand in to run in this election, in order to secure the knowledge that my daughter’s generation and beyond will inherit a Moorestown with untainted drinking water, responsible debt, rising home values, a thriving economy and quality infrastructure.

Personal Background

I am a lifelong resident of Burlington County. I am a corporate and tax planning and litigation attorney and the managing member of a law firm. I am a former U.S. Marine, and currently serve as a Major in the Army Judge Advocate General's Corps. I am a 24-year veteran of the military who was mobilized for one year at the Pentagon from 2008 to 2009, where I was the leader of a team who prosecuted terrorists in Iraq under Iraqi law. I am a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. As an attorney I am a member of the Bar Register of Preeminent attorneys (less than 5% of attorneys in the US make that claim), a NJ Superlawyer, and chair of the Camden County Bar’s Tax Committee. I was named a “40 under 40” by the Burlington County Times. I live in Moorestown with my wife and daughter.

The attached image of Brian Donnelly was provided