Democrats Call Council Victory Proof of Residents' Confidence

After sweeping to victory in the four-seat township council race Tuesday, Cherry Hill Democrats called the win validation of their moves over the last two years and proof residents believe things are moving in the right direction.

“It’s always a competitive race—we never take anything for granted,” said council President David Fleisher, who was re-elected with the highest vote total. “In the end, Cherry Hill residents value effective government and honest leadership, and that’s what we feel we provide.”

Though Fleisher admitted a certain amount of nerves, given the popularity of Gov. Chris Christie, the results proved it wasn’t all about who was at the top of the ticket Tuesday.

“On the local level, Cherry Hill voters tend to look much more closely at individual leadership versus blanket party lines,” he said.

Mayor Chuck Cahn went a step further, saying it wasn’t just an endorsement of the current crop of candidates, but what local government is doing on the whole.

“I think it’s a resounding message in the confidence the residents have in what we’ve done,” he said. “It’s about teamwork. The residents realize we need a strong team—a cohesive team—in order to really keep things going.”

New councilwoman-elect Carole Roskoph said she’s eager to join that team and work toward bettering the township and making it a town where generations of people stay.

“I want to make sure that Cherry Hill is that place, that our kids want to be here,” she said. “I want that tradition to continue.”

She saw a bit of that on Election Day itself—after putting out a call on Facebook for extra volunteers, a handful of her former students made the trek down and worked the phones for a few hours to help out.

“That was the best part,” she said.

Fellow council representatives Susan Shin Angulo and Jim Bannar said they’ll continue working on the issues that matter locally—whether open-space concerns or neighborhood issues, they said it’s about representing everyone in the township as best they can.

“The majority, as you saw tonight, is happy with Cherry Hill’s direction,” Bannar said.

Their opponents were somewhat in disbelief at the returns, which left the council completely under Democratic control, given what they said were the complaints they’d heard through election season.

“It’s very interesting how everyone complains about their taxes, but they always vote the same way,” said Nancy O’Dowd. “Burlington County stayed Republican. I’m gong to start looking for real estate there.”

Turnout didn’t help their cause—in fact, it was the first concern Republicans raised as they gathered after the polls closed. Despite polls indicating there could be a bump down the ticket, the local candidates didn’t see much help from Christie’s easy victory over Democrat Barbara Buono—and because it was so easy for the governor, that may have hurt turnout at the local level, they said.

It ended up a difference of about 3,500 voters, and though an increase in voter registration clouds the math somewhat, the township went from 47-percent turnout down to 36 percent.

“The reduced turnout shifted the whole thing,” said campaign manager Phil Guerrieri. “It tells me the Republicans stayed home.”

REP - NANCY O'DOWD—8,263

REP - JOHN R. GALIE—7,567

REP - DAN LOVELAND, SR.—7,402

REP - STEPHEN R. COHEN—7,708

DEM - DAVID FLEISHER—10,481           

DEM - CAROLE ROSKOPH—10,046

DEM - SUSAN SHIN ANGULO—10,146

DEM - JAMES BANNAR—9,990

Write-In—17