Election Profile: Stuart Feldman For Lacey Township Committee

LACEY, NJ — A pair of Lacey Township Committee seats are up for grabs and two candidates from each party have filed for a spot, according to the township’s clerk.

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

Democrat Stuart Feldman will be running for a seat in 2021. The candidate is retired from his 30-year career in the pharmaceutical industry where he worked in regulatory affairs and quality control. He also worked in academia for six years.

Read more about his plans for Lacey in this Patch Q&A below:

Age (as of Election Day): 72

Party Affiliation: Democrat

Family: Rebecca (wife), two children, one granddaughter

Education: University of Wisconsin, B.S. - Biochemistry, Rutgers University, Ph.D. - Biochemistry

Occupation: Retired. Academia, 6 years + Pharmaceutical Industry (Regulatory Affairs and Quality Control), 30 years

Previous, Current Elected or Appointed Office: None

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? Yes. Terrance Turnbach (nephew), Toms River Township Committee

Campaign website: Laceydemocrats.org

Why are you seeking elective office? To return Lacey to two party governance and to offer a fresh perspective on local issues important to the residents of Lacey.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it. Oyster Creek Power Plant Decommissioning. Holding Holtec accountable to the promised transparency during the decommissioning process. Explore opportunities to monetize the storage of spent nuclear waste at the site to the benefit of Lacey through direct storage fees or payments in lieu of taxes. These revenue ideas are currently being explored by communities in NY and MA where nuclear power plants are being decommissioned. Work to ensure the site infrastructure is appropriately utilized to support green energy initiatives (wind and solar) in NJ.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post? Our opponents have been too deferential to Holtec and have not held the company accountable for the promises made to the community.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency) Our current committee has been mostly reactive rather than proactive on issues related to the decommissioning of the plant. They have not actively explored opportunities to monetize the storage of nuclear waste at the site through direct storage fees or payments in lieu of taxes. Such payments could have a significant impact in closing potential budget gaps related to lower property tax revenue from the plant.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform. Fully support opening medical and recreational cannabis dispensaries in accordance with the will of the Lacey voters who overwhelmingly supported the cannabis legalization ballot question 64% to 36%. Contrary to the will of the people, the current committee recently voted in favor of an ordinance prohibiting the manufacture and/or sale of recreational cannabis in Lacey.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job? I have held a number of supervisory and executive positions during my career in the pharmaceutical industry including regulatory oversight of major multi-million dollar projects for new biotech manufacturing facilities.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions? Any decisions I make will always be in the best interests of the residents of Lacey. People over politics. Facts over lies Truth matters.