Meet The Haddonfield Commissioner Candidate: Kevin Roche

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: Kevin Roche

Age (as of Election Day)

49

Family

Lisa (wife, met in college, been together 28 years), Hannah (our daughter, a student at George Washington University), Taite (our son, a senior at Haddonfield Memorial High School)

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

BA from Catholic University, MBA from Babson College

Occupation

CEO and Founder of LHT Consultants, an Investment Advisory Firm with over 20 years experience in portfolio management, analysis and corporate strategy. Prior to launching LHT, I was a Senior Portfolio Manager and Partner at Penn Capital Management responsible for investments in excess of $1 billion dollars. Successfully launched and managed the daily operations of a fixed income product in excess of $300 million. I was also an analyst with LPL advisors in Boston, MA from 2000-2002

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

None

Campaign website

www.kevinroche.org

Why are you seeking elective office?

I am running for commissioner because we need someone who can think creatively and strategically about the issues affecting Haddonfield. The decisions made today will have an effect on our town for generations to come. It is time to look at these problems with a fresh perspective.

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

My team and I launched a survey about issues affecting our community and Bancroft has been at the top of the list. Resolving Bancroft will actually help other issues affecting town as well: from affordable housing to creating alternative revenue. My idea is to build age-restricted apartments on this location with a portion dedicated to Affordable Housing. These apartments will be rentals and not sales. The Borough will act as a co-investor and exchange the land for a stake in the overall project. Haddonfield will still receive revenue from the taxes, but being an investor, it will receive a portion of the rental income for the long term. This action resolves Bancroft, works towards our affordable housing requirement and provides additional revenue to the Borough to help address other issues around the community.

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

My background in financial analysis and corporate strategy is a significant difference between myself and the other candidates. I have worked on corporate restructurings and turnarounds, I understand capital structures and financing for businesses. But my first job was in customer service (with Fidelity Investments). There I learned how to listen to people. I also learned how to be more empathetic when they discussed their financial needs. This experience has served me well throughout my career. These are important foundations for serving the public as commissioner.

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

I think most people go into a position like commissioner wanting to make a difference. But, very quickly they realize there are a lot of implications with decisions they make. This causes them to be afraid of making a wrong decision; and ultimately it leads to indecision.

Issues like Bancroft and Affordable Housing have been problems for the Borough for years. Yet, nothing was done until the commissioners were forced into a decision-sometimes a rush to judgment. This has caused additional issues to arise and ultimately a lack of transparency.

Our community needs people who can make informed decisions and who are not afraid to explain why they chose one direction over another.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Diversity and inclusion is one of the top issues of my platform, and it has been an issue for Haddonfield. Acknowledgement is not enough; there also needs to be acceptance. I believe everyone should be celebrated for the very aspects that make them unique. Haddonfield always comes together to support each other. I want to work more on promoting our diversity through education and events that help us appreciate who we are as individuals and bring us together as a community. We may be many, but together we are one.

Open Spaces and Alternative Revenue are also two big issues for my platform. We have limited open space in town, and we not only need to protect it, but make it safe and available for both sports and recreational use. Alternative revenue sources can help with upgrades and updates to our open spaces as well as provide needed funds for the downtown and community.

The other two issues that I can help with are Public Works and Public Safety. With Public Works, we need to take a look at waste management contracts that will be up for negotiation. Also, I would expect with higher interest rates that gas and water utilities will increase their capital spending on infrastructure improvements; these utilities typically will use their capital spending programs as justification for increasing rates for customers. We need more transparency on where the dollars will be spent around the Borough.

With Public Safety, it is the Borough's job to ensure residents are protected in times of crisis, but also that our first responders have the right equipment to do their job . The goal is to help these men and women be better equipped and better prepared. I believe reviewing the age and use of all equipment and exploring programs to help reduce threats and losses is in everyone's best interest.

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

I have conducted analysis on a number of companies for over 20 years. I have examined how they make money, what they spend it on and ultimately what is leftover. I have served on committees to help management teams improve their cash flow and improve their business operationally and financially. At my former firm I managed over $1billion in investments for clients, ran the day-to-day operations of a fixed income product and met with clients on a regular basis.

As a volunteer, I served on the Haddonfield Crew board for almost five years, where I was president for the two. I was able to work with the other members of the board to go from carrying a deficit in the program to profitability. It wasn't just about getting more people to row, it was about managing the cash flow.

I will bring this enthusiasm and experience to the job and offer a fresh perspective to Haddonfield.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

It's okay to say "no" to an idea, but always offer an alternative. Always respect people for having the courage to offer a suggestion because you never want to stifle idea generation.

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

A lot of these positions are very personal to me and I look forward to serving the community and contributing to its success. I believe in researching issues, speaking with those more knowledgeable than myself and making informed decisions. This campaign has allowed me to meet so many different people and learn so much more about what they love about Haddonfield and what they would like to see us (as a community do better). Most of all, everyone has offered to help in whatever possible way. I could not ask for anything more.