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MARGATE Three incumbent commissioners announced in a press release Friday, April 5 that they would not be participating in the Margate Homeowners Association's planned candidates' forum.
As well-intentioned as the town hall forum was, there are drawbacks, incumbent Maury Blumberg said. It's a one-time event with limited duration and the majority in attendance won't get a chance to ask questions or directly discuss issues with the commissioners.
Instead, the incumbent team, which includes Blumberg, who is seeking his third term, Michael Becker, who is seeking his fourth term, and former assemblyman John Amodeo, who is seeking his second term, will take their show to the streets of Margate, going door-to-door to meet residents personally, Blumberg said.
Challenger Calvin Tesler, a newcomer to politics, expressed surprise and disappointment that the May 4 forum would not be held as planned.
A public forum is a great opportunity for the community of Margate to meet all of the candidates, to ask questions and receive important answers about the current state of the town, as well as what the candidates envision for the future of Margate, Tessler said in a statement.
MHA President Jay Weintraub said conducting an open forum with only one candidate in attendance would violate the organization's non-profit status.
I believe that if we conduct an open and by invitation forum for all four candidates with only one candidate in attendance, the incumbents will try to say we are acting in a political manner and will attack our 501c3 status, Weintraub said Saturday morning.
Weintraub believes the incumbents are ignoring the nearly year-old MHA's good deeds and are simply at odds with the organization, which Weintraub said includes year-round residents and renters, and second homeowners.
They do not like the MHA because we are asking for transparency in local government and our collective voice is getting stronger every day, Weintraub said. We will continue to do what our hundreds of members ask of us, but we will not be political.
Tesler said voters should have access to all the candidates, who deserve to have their voices heard.
In my opinion, there is no excuse for refusing to attend a public forum that would give the residents of Margate an opportunity to get answers so that they can make an informed decision as to who they want to elect. I regret that we, the candidates, won't get that opportunity," he said.
Although Weintraub set the Atlantic County League of Women Voters-moderated forum date for May 4 at the William H. Ross Elementary School, Becker and Blumberg would be out of town on that date, the Becker team's campaign manager Tim Perskie said. The parties could not come to terms on the date, venue and moderator.
Meanwhile, Becker team will start its neighborhood listening tour on Saturday and opt for a tele-town hall instead of a forum, he said.
The three incumbents will canvas neighborhoods over the next few weeks to discuss issues facing the city and answer questions, Becker said.
Our neighborhood listening tour is an opportunity to talk with as many people as possible to explain problems and solutions we've developed during my last term and answer any question they may have, the mayor said.
Talking with people individually would be the best way to address their priorities, understand their needs and earn their support, Becker said.
The incumbents will schedule a telephone town hall in late April or early May. Perskie said it would be a convenient and unique way for residents to communicate but he provided no further details.
We can reach more people and answer more questions by utilizing the tele-town hall technology that allows for direct engagement in real time, Blumberg said.
The team has also established a hotline for people to call if they have questions or want to know when the candidates would be in their neighborhood, but they did not provide the phone number.
Amodeo said all three candidates are passionate about Margate and pride themselves on serving the community.
So, while the forum didn't work out, we've developed several ways to communicate with residents and look forward to doing so over the next six weeks, Amodeo said.
The Tuesday, May 14 election will seat the top three vote-getters to four-year terms. The last day to register to vote in the non-partisan election is April 23. May 7 is the last day to apply for a mail-in ballot.
For more information, see https://atlanticcountyclerk.org/services/election-services/
