NJ 3rd District House Race: Martin Weber

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Voting in the Nov. 3 general election is underway in New Jersey, with mail-in ballots being distributed to voters to make their selections for offices from the president down to local races.

That includes voting for the House of Representatives for New Jersey's Third Congressional District, which includes portions of Ocean and Burlington counties.

Martin Weber is running as an independent, and is one of three candidates hoping to unseat incumbent Democrat Andy Kim. David Richter, the Republican candidate, and Robert Shapiro, a lawyer from Haddonfield running under the Independent Constitutional Candidate slogan, are the others.

Weber, who is not married, lives in Barnegat. He will be 56 at the time of the November general election.

Patch asked candidates a series of questions; here are Weber's responses.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

N/A

Education

Pinelands Regional High School, Little Egg Harbor Township

Occupation

30 years as owner of YoBuck Landscaping.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Currently a member of the Barnegat Zoning Board. Also served as a captain of the Barnegat First Aid Squad.

Campaign website

www.martinweberforcongress.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

I lost my best friend and partner to cancer while waiting in the VA health care system. The system is not working for the veterans. I am confident that my plan to fix VA health care can save others from feeling the pain I do in losing someone because help couldn't get there. No veteran gets left behind on my watch.

The single most pressing issue facing our community is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

This is a difficult one to answer. You can talk about COVID, small business relief, immigration, health care, VA health care, the national debt and deficits. I'll go back to something I've believed in for years — we need term limits in Congress. If we had term limits in place, I believe we would have a better focus on solving the problems that face us instead of using them to win elections.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I'm the true outsider in this race. I'm the only veteran in this race. I'm not scripted. Everything I say is from the heart and for the people of this country.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

By not getting anything done for the veterans. There haven't been any real accomplishments.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

We are going to look at the budget and spending like a family would look at theirs, like a business would look at theirs. I want to have reasonable immigration policies that help people who follow our laws to get their chance at the American Dream. We need to start bringing jobs back to America. We need to help small businesses get back again.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

My military service and my 30 years as a business owner.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

When I was in the Army, I wrote to former Congressman Jim Saxton. He wrote me back and told me to "never quit ... once you start it, finish it."

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Everything I say comes from the heart. I promise I can fix these problems.