Dickson: We Can't Afford to Ignore County Spending Any Longer

Councilwoman Ellen Dickson knows she's got a learning curve. But if you ask her, that's the way she likes it.

Dickson, 2009 council president, announced April 8 at the Republican City Committee Mini-Convention that she would be filing a petition to run for Union County Freeholder, several months after many candidates traditionally start campaigning for county-wide office.

"I need a steep learning curve again," she said. "I think we're sending $25 million to the county, we should have a better understanding of how the money is being spent. What are their priorities? 

"I just want to be sure at the county level that the money is being spent wisely and they're making the hard decisions."

Initially, Dickson said, she wasn't thinking of herself as a candidate, but rather fellow councilmember Tom Getzendanner who also serves in Ward I because of his knowledge of county issues and his background in finance. But Getzendanner told Dickson, as he has said publicly, he is not a politician. 

Dickson said the idea of freeholder always intrigued her and when she discovered that only one candidate was slated to run this November, she knew she had to throw her name into the mix.

"(Gov. Chris) Christie is trying so hard in the state to cut spending and get us back on the right track with the budget to make it livable for New Jerseyans again," she said. "It behooves us to help him out as much as we can with these other races."

Running for county office will force her to learn about county issues and find out the truth behind how the county spends its money and how much of a return we are actually getting for its tax dollars.

"We all get very comfortable here and pretend like this is our own little world and we never have to leave," she said.

But part of the problem, Dickson said, is the county's long history of one-party rule. There has been a chronic lack of representation from the western end of Union County on the Board of Chosen Freeholders, all of whom serve at-large.

"I think it doesn't hurt to have someone come in and take a fresh look and have no agenda," she said. "I don't owe anybody anything."

This opposition to one-party rule is the one thing she thinks might help lessen the late start she is getting on the campaign. Without a big statewide race, Dickson is optimistic that Democratic voter turnout will be low and that Republican Congressman Leonard Lance will easily win re-election at the top of the ticket. She knows she's the long-shot candidate, but that doesn't mean she's counting herself out.

"It is possible," she said of winning.  "And in some towns people will vote because they don't want one party, they want a different point of view."

Dickson said she has a lot of catching up to do before she defines her campaign issues, but the one she does know for certain is fiscal responsibility. While municipalities are going through painstaking processes to keep tax levy increases low despite huge loses in state aid, Dickson said it is unclear what the county is doing with its money.

"If there is waste at county level, we can't afford to ignore it anymore," she said. "We just used to just keep it at arms length and hope for the best."

Dickson suggested that perhaps an audit of county government would be beneficial to not only see how much the county spends on certain services but to help answer a critical question: is the service something the county should be funding or providing?

With almost two terms on common council under her belt, and having served on the zoning board and as a PTO president, Dickson said running for Freeholder is a logical next step for her. However, if elected, Dickson will have to vacate her common council seat with a year remaining in her term. Republican City Committee Chairman Chip Dickson, also Ellen's husband, would nominate three candidates to fill her seat and common council would have the final say on who that appointee would be.

Dickson also recognizes that vast differences between the municipality and the county, such as the wide array of social programs the county runs, the operation of jails and detention centers and the operation of a Co-Generation plant in Linden.

"It's a much, much bigger playing field," she said.

But however this year's race turns out, Dickson said she is positioning herself well for another run again next year if she decides that is what she wants to do.

"Next year is another decision," she said. If I make some headway, I think its at least a good dry run for a more serious race next year."

Stay tuned to Patch.com for details on Dickson's campaign.