Jordan 'Stepping Back,' Won't Seek Re-Election In Moorestown

MOORESTOWN, NJ — When Stacey Jordan and her fiancee were looking for a home in 1993, Jordan wanted to live in Moorestown and her soon-to-be husband wanted to live in Pennsylvania.

"I won," Jordan said in a telephone interview with Patch Friday morning. She said her husband was soon excited about living in Moorestown, and told her, "this is the best place we could've bought."

Jordan has been active in the community since, and said she will continue to be active despite Friday morning's announcement that she doesn't intend to run for another term on council.

“It’s with a heart full of appreciation for the opportunities you have given me and love for the people that make this town great that I announce that I will not be seeking a third term this November,” the mayor said in a prepared statement. “I look forward to completing my final year on Town Council with the same energy, enthusiasm, and dedication that I have delivered over the last seven, and thank each and every one of you for the chance to serve the town I love.”

Jordan, who has served on council for eight years, became Moorestown’s first female mayor in 2013. She took the oath of office for her second term as mayor earlier this year. Jordan and Deputy Mayor Manny Delgado were both up for re-election this year.

Moorestown Democrats have already endorsed Nicole Gillespie and Brian Donnelly in this year’s elections for the two open, four-year seats. The deadline to file petitions in the primaries is April 2. The primary elections and the deadline to file petitions to run as independent or third-party candidates is June 5. The general elections are set for Nov. 6.

In Moorestown, the residents elect council members in the general election, and the council selects the mayor and deputy mayor from within the governing body.

“As I reflect on the last eight years I’ve spent on the Moorestown Town Council, I feel a sense of great pride looking back on the many accomplishments we have been able to achieve by putting the people of Moorestown first,” Jordan said.

She said she always intended to serve two terms on council, and feels that now it's time to give someone else a chance to serve.

"I'm just stepping back," said Jordan, who has two children in high school. "I'll still be involved in politics. I'll still be a committee person for the district."

With the announcement on Friday, Jordan highlighted some of the accomplishments from her tenure, including:

• Opening the doors on the new Town Hall and Library Complex;
• Moorestown’s athletic facilities have been upgraded all around town, including improved fields, rehabilitated Church Street Recreation Center and Moorestown’s first dog park;
• Boosting Moorestown’s protected open space to a full 810 acres and started a 5-year process to rehabilitate Strawbridge Lake;
• Restoring the “Residents Requests & Presentations” to Town Council meetings and launching MoorestownTV, ensuring that all residents can view recordings of each Council meeting;
• Securing a $1 million federal grant to revitalize the Lenola Town Center, with work anticipated to begin later this year;
• Investing in a massive overhaul to Moorestown’s infrastructure and water treatment facilities, putting the town on track to deliver some of the cleanest water in the country, with Erin Brockovich stating, “The Township Council is definitely on top of the issues and has taken steps with New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to ensure the community drinking water is more than just compliant with Safe Drinking Water Act regulations and is indeed safer;”
• Receiving two bond rating increases, boosting Moorestown’s standing to the highest in Burlington County and above the national average thanks to increased ratables, new businesses opening their doors, and a healthy surplus; and

Holding the line on municipal taxes, delivering the lowest property tax rate in Burlington County and cutting local taxes for residents in the last two budgets.

“None of these successes would have been possible without my incredible and dynamic Town Council colleagues, both current and former,” Jordan said. “I am especially grateful to have had my friend and running mate, Manny Delgado, with me every step of the way over the last four years with his depth of knowledge, expertise, passion, and heart.”

Jordan was first elected in 2010, at which time she said she knew “difficult days would lie ahead,” but she feels she is leaving the township in better shape than it was when she was first elected.

“I approached the job with clear eyes and boundless optimism, and consider it the honor of a lifetime to have been entrusted by my neighbors to serve as Councilwoman, Deputy Mayor, and as Moorestown’s first female Mayor,” Jordan said. “Moorestown's core is its people. The moms and dads, the coaches, the activists, the volunteers. It's the people in the spotlight, and it's those working tirelessly behind the scenes. To truly grasp the spirit of the Moorestown community, look no further than our town's recent event celebrating the Eagles Super Bowl win. Placing aside our differences, forgetting where we live in town or what party we're affiliated with, we joined together to celebrate some of the things that unite us as a town. My hope for Moorestown is that we never forget those little things that make our town the best place to live in America.”

The attached image of Stacey Jordan was provided