Meet The Haddonfield Commissioner Candidate: Adam Puff

HADDONFIELD, NJ — Eight candidates will run for three open seats on the Haddonfield Board of Commissioners in the May 11 non-partisan elections.

Patch asked each candidate to complete a questionnaire outlining biographical information, their platform and their stands on a handful of issues.

This week, Patch will run profiles of all the candidates who responded. Profiles are presented here in the same format as the questionnaires given to the candidates. There were no further instructions, and none of the responses has been edited (beyond basic proofreading and formatting). Readers can make their own judgments on how the candidates did or didn't answer the questions.

Today's profile: Adam Puff

Age (as of Election Day)

39

Family

Wife Jessica. Daughters Bailey 5, Charlotte 3, Willow 6 months

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Haddonfield Memorial High School Graduate Class of 2000. Bucknell University, BA in Economics Class of 2004

Occupation

Financial advisor and accredited investment fiduciary. After five years with two of the region's largest investment firms, I established my own business, Haddonfield Financial Planning, 12 years ago. My office is on N. Haddon Avenue, in a building I purchased and renovated last year.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

None

Campaign website

adampuff2021.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

I was born in Haddonfield and benefited greatly from the "village" that raised me. Like many others, I returned after college to settle here, raise a family, start a business, and get involved again in the community.

Now I want to put my lifelong local experience, diverse community involvement, professional expertise, and personal qualities to work at the municipal level, for the benefit of the entire town. I hope the voters will give me the opportunity, on May 11.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The obvious hot-button issue is Bancroft, and that absolutely needs to get resolved. But the top priority, in my view, is the vitality of our downtown. Why? Because it's absolutely true that "as the downtown goes, so the whole town goes."

It's imperative that we make it easier for businesses to open up here and to operate here. We can do that in a variety of ways:

• By revitalizing our business recruitment activities.

• By developing a comprehensive orientation program for new business owners – in part, to help them avoid making incorrect assumptions about what they can and can't do with respect to signage, outdoor displays of merchandise, hours of operation, decorative lights, etc.

• By assigning seasoned and savvy mentors to new business owners.

• By developing innovative and effective ways to help existing businesses owners recover from pandemic-related setbacks, so they will not just survive, but thrive.

• By treating business owners as the Borough's customers, providing them with a superior level of customer service, and by showing them – in thought, word, and deed – that they are supported and valued members of our community.

• We need to energize the Partnership for Haddonfield and turn it into a proactive force for progress, rather than a reactive naysayer. "Yes!" will be the new "No." A first step would be to hire an experienced full-time director and to give that person the executive authority to make decisions and spend money, within the context of policies and procedures established by the board, and without the need for time-consuming and momentum-killing committee approvals.

• We need to provide public restrooms downtown that are convenient, accessible, open seven days a week during normal business hours, and spotlessly maintained. Haddonfield spends a lot of money encouraging shoppers to come to our downtown. The least we can do is give them a place to "go."

• We need to improve trash collection downtown. Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays are now the busiest shopping days. As a result, trash receptacles are often overflowing by Saturday afternoon. But they don't get emptied until Monday morning. Open-top trash receptacles in the business district need to be emptied seven days a week, and twice a day on weekends.

• Our sidewalks need to be cleaner and free from litter. We should purchase a sidewalk sweeper, and put it to work throughout the downtown every morning.

These things will cost money, but it will be money well spent. The investment will pay dividends to our businesses – and to our community – for years to come.

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

• I am on the only candidate who was born and raised in Haddonfield and who attended the public schools, K-12. As a result, I understand, appreciate, and value Haddonfield not just from an adult and parent perspective – as most other candidates do – but also from the perspective of a Little League player, a Plays & Players' actor and singer, a Middle School band member, a Wedgewood Ducks swimmer, a church youth group participant, a High School soccer player, and a proud HMHS graduate. The fact that Haddonfield is intertwined with my DNA gives me unique insight to what this town is, to what it wants and needs, and to how to keep it moving forward.

• When it comes to involvement in the community over time, the resumes of some candidates are rather sparse. By contrast, I am a longtime member of the Lions Club (motto: We Serve), a trustee of the Haddonfield Outdoor Sculpture Trust, a trustee and current chair of the Haddonfield Educational Trust (which provides financial support for public schools and students), a board member for the Partnership for Haddonfield (which promotes the business district), and a member of the congregation at Haddonfield United Methodist Church.

• Like most of the other candidates, I pay residential property taxes. But as the owner of an office building in town, I also pay commercial property taxes as well as an annual levy to support the business district. So I have double the desire to ensure that the taxes we pay are well spent!

• Another difference between me and the other candidates is that I have three children under the age of five. My wife and I are committed to raising them in Haddonfield and to sending them to the public schools. I'm invested in this town in more ways than one!

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

I talk daily with other residents and business owners, and those conversations inform my own observations and perceptions.

• Some tell me they are disappointed with the content, frequency, and technical sophistication of communications from the Borough and from individual commissioners. I agree. We can do better.

• Some tell me they are not just concerned but appalled by the Board of Commissioners' lack of transparency. I agree. (One example: The commissioners have yet to approve minutes for 9 of their 16 work sessions in 2020 and for 8 of their 17 work sessions in 2018. The fact that those minutes are not available for public scrutiny verges on scandalous.) We must do better.

• Some talk about a lack of leadership and a proactive approach to addressing developing issues and community concerns. I agree. Bancroft is the most frequently mentioned example. The proposed cell tower at the Public Works facility is another. In that case, the commissioners failed to foresee that residents would be up in arms not only about the proposal itself, but also about their failure to communicate even the basics of the proposal in advance. And many business owners are disappointed – to put it mildly – with the commissioners' handling of business issues related to the pandemic. We deserve better.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Haddonfield has a long tradition of volunteer service. During the past year, it has been difficult, and often impossible, for many people to participate in the life of our community as they used to, and wanted to.

As we emerge from a year unlike any other in living memory, we need to recognize that in this small community of 12,000 residents we have extraordinary expertise, resources, and spirit, and a deep desire to work together, as volunteers, for the benefit of all.

I am using the campaign slogan "Let's Go, Haddonfield!" to convey my belief that with commissioners who have the trust and support of residents and business owners, Haddonfield will successfully address the challenges and opportunities before us.

Bancroft (including Lullworth Hall) and Boxwood Hall are high on a list that now includes discussions about the future of the Archer Law building and the former Kingsway Learning Center.

Meeting our obligations to provide affordable housing will remain an ongoing challenge that will require a more enlightened approach and greater willingness to explore innovative solutions.

Infrastructure – including road maintenance, shade trees, stormwater management, and utilities – requires constant attention and significant investment.

Our limited open space must be managed intelligently, and our recreation facilities must be continually improved and, to the extent possible, expanded to meet increasing needs.

The pandemic has highlighted the extent to which we rely on the essential services provided by our Public Safety and Public Works departments. We must ensure that frontline responders have the resources they need to do their jobs efficiently and effectively.

And, as always, the commissioners must be continually conscious of the cost of operating our municipal government – a cost born primarily by taxpayers – and of the need to keep the tax rate in check, while providing the range and quality of services and programs the community wants and needs.

The pandemic has changed many things in many ways. It has changed us as individuals and as family members. As business owners, employers, and employees. As members of community organizations, religious congregations, and municipal boards and commissions. The pandemic has changed the way we do things, and the ways we relate to each other and to our world.

If we embrace these changes, utilize the extraordinary resources of our residential and business communities, and adopt new and innovative approaches to addressing issues, solving problems, and taking advantage of opportunities, I have no doubt that Haddonfield will continue to be the best place to live, work, learn, shop, play, worship, and visit in the Delaware Valley.

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

My main accomplishment of relevance would be the founding in 2009, and successful management since then, of my own business – Haddonfield Financial Planning. We operate in a highly regulated environment, so it is important to know the rules and regulations and to abide by them. It's a highly competitive environment, so it is important to be alert to the wants and needs of the market, and to be proactive in addressing them. Of utmost importance is the level of trust between advisor and client. (I am an Accredited Investment Fiduciary, which means that I am pledged to abide by the highest standards of ethical behavior in acting on my clients' behalf.)

I believe my success and reputation in business provide ample evidence of my ability to do the job of commissioner well, to do it ethically, and to do it successfully.

In addition, voters can rely on my record of community involvement. Through my work as a member of the Lions Club and chair of the Haddonfield Educational Trust, I have a gained a reputation as a person who gets things done.

Voters might take note, also, of the strong endorsements I have received from some current and former leaders of our community, including two former mayors and a number of citizens of the year.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

The best advice I ever received was from my parents. They didn't impart it directly, on a specific occasion, but indirectly, throughout my childhood. "Treat others as you wish to be treated."
The Golden Rule has guided me in my personal life and in my professional life. It has served me well. If I am fortunate enough to be elected to the Board of Commissioners, it will be with me there, at all times, as an elected official.

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

Folks who know me say I’m a good listener, open-minded, action-oriented. That I seek advice from experts and encourage participation by volunteers. And that I see our heritage as the context for thoughtful decision-making about our future.

I love our town and I have a deep desire to serve. I hope the voters of Haddonfield will give me the chance.