Ed Gore
During its early January reorganization meeting, the Hamilton Township council voted Republican Ed Gore as its president for 2013.
Gore has served on township council since 2010, when he filled a vacant seat left by Tom Goodwin’s appointment to state senate. Gore won re-election in November 2010, earning the reminder of a term that expires in December of this year. An attorney by trade, Gore previously served on the Hamilton Township Board of Education from 1994-97.
Gore was one of the three people nominated by the township Republicans last November to fill the mayoral vacancy created by John Bencivengo’s resignation. Bencivengo stepped down a day after being convicted in federal district court of extortion and other corruption charges. Kelly Yaede, at the time also a member of council, wound up earning the mayor’s office.
Hamilton Post senior community editor Rob Anthes spoke with Gore via telephone Jan. 11 to get his thoughts on his new position, the township’s new mayor and where he hopes Hamilton will head after a turbulent 2012. The transcript follows:
HP: First off, what is your reaction to being selected as council president for 2013?
EG: I’m very honored that my follow council members elected me as council president. I have a lot to do to live up to what the last council president did. I’m just honored such a great group of fellow citizens allowed me to be council president this year.
HP: As we saw this year, the council president has a lot of power and responsibility. Do you have any plans for your time in the position?
EG: One thing I want to do, and it’s the issue most taxpayers are interested in, is hold down municipal taxes. My goal is for there to be no tax increase on the municipal portion of the tax rate, and I want to do what I can, particularly in bad economic times, to make sure the taxpayers aren’t burdened with additional taxes.
HP: It’s early in the process, but do you know how much work would be required to achieve the goal of no tax increase?
EG: We’re expecting a little bit more in the way of revenue numbers in the beginning of February and a preliminary budget around that time. I believe the mayor’s State of the Township address is Feb. 5. Right around that time, we’re expecting the budget.
Every year it’s tough to do. It’s a tough battle. You have property tax, which is one place you get your revenue from. Then, you have a very fluctuating and unstable source of funding, that being the state government funds, whether it’s state aid or gross tax receipts money. And there’s federal money, which is the third way [we get funding].
HP: Last year, a lot of the blame for the municipal tax increase was placed on the state. I know former mayor John Bencivengo blamed the state skimming the energy receipts. Has that issue been resolved?
EG: We don’t know what they’re going to do. The governor and the legislature have to get together and straighten the state budget to decide whether they’re going to fully fund the formula for gross receipts. I certainly encourage both the legislature and the governor to fully fund gross receipts, so Hamilton gets its fair share of the money.
The alternative is, if they want to do it fairly, is the matter of equity. Do away with it for the gross receipts tax, and let us assess the real value of the utilities, just as we assess the value of the property of any other taxpayer.
HP: Aside from taxes, what do you hope to focus on this year?
EG: Economic development, primarily by putting out there to the public through the Hamilton Township Economic Development Commission that Hamilton Township is a great place to locate your business. Also, Dave Kenny and myself have already begun the process, we did a few things last year, of going through township code, and eliminating any needless regulation relative to business. For example, last year, councilman Kenny sponsored an ordinance that eliminated some very antiquated provisions in the municipal code that called for bonding for certain services. We eliminated that. We’re going to continue to work towards streamlining the regulatory process.
HP: That would seem to require a lot of close reading. How long would it take you to read through the code and determine what can be eliminated?
EG: What primarily happens is you hear of a problem from a constituent or a business. That gives you an idea, and you look through the code, and work it that way. Some of our best ordinances and changes in code have come about through input from citizens. I encourage citizens to help us streamline the process, making any suggestions they may have.
HP: Has anyone approached you with any input since you’ve become council president?
EG: Not yet. I’m over on Quakerbridge Road five days a week at my law office, so they’re always welcome.
HP: So, you want people to know you’re not hiding then?
EG: Absolutely.
HP: You were one of the three candidates the municipal Republican committee put forward to be mayor after Bencivengo resigned. Why did you run for that office?
EG: I thought I had to step forward at that time, there being a call for a new mayor, crying out for someone to move things forward, put the transgressions of the previous mayor aside and to push forward. At the time I put my name forward, I wasn’t exactly sure who the other candidates would be. I’m glad Kelly Yaede put her name forward, and she was ultimately successful. I certainly have no problem with that. She’s done a fine job since she moved on to be mayor.
HP: You worked with Kelly on council. Is it important to continue working together in order to restore some confidence in government?
EG: Absolutely, I do. One thing is, people who come to our meetings see we aren’t a rubber stamp. We certainly weren’t a rubber stamp for Bencivengo, and we won’t be for Mayor Yaede either. If there are things we disagree with, we’ll vote against her. If we make suggestions on any policies she put forward, we won’t hesitate to make the necessary amendments and shoot them back or put them on hold until we get some clarification. We’re going to continue to do that. So far, I’m very pleased with the mayor, but if we disagree, the council certainly reserves the right to tell the mayor we have a contrary opinion.
HP: As a council member, you actually work more closely with township business administrator John Ricci than you do with Mayor Yaede. Ricci served in the same position under the last mayor. Have you seen any change in how Ricci and the administration operates since Yaede took office?
EG: Mayor Bencivengo did things his way. Rarely did he reach out to council for any input in any way, shape or form. Mayor Yaede has a different style, both in working with the employees of the township and with council. She’s not afraid to pick up the phone and speak with council or to let her feelings be known. Mayor Bencivengo was much more formal. The only ones we really dealt with were Mister Ricci and, every once in awhile, Mister [Lindsay] Burbage, who is the township [attorney].
I like Mayor Yaede’s style better. It’s much more conducive to working in a positive manner.
HP: Is Mayor Yaede’s way how government is supposed to work?
EG: Absolutely. I don’t want to say I was frustrated, but I did feel the need for a little more communication. We’re getting that with Mayor Yaede. Who knows? Perhaps if there was more communication from the previous mayor, maybe things would have turned out a little differently. We’ll never know, but it’s food for thought.
HP: Right after the Bencivengo resigned, several councilmen said that the township should move on from the scandal quickly now that those involved were out of government. Do you agree with that?
EG: Yeah, I do. I don’t know this for sure, but the mayor assured me she would deal with it shortly. I would like to see some systemic reform within the executive branch of government to ensure those kinds of situations don’t occur again. We had the mayor, but we also had one of the directors, [planning department head Rob] Warney, plead guilty. While the state government says, ‘You deal with the mayor with a recall or otherwise he must resign,’ directors and those type of employees under the mayor can be terminated. I think what we need is a more comprehensive plan in terms of oversight within the executive branch. It’s my understanding that Mayor Yaede plans to address those problems in the near future. I hope she will. I think she will. I have no reason to doubt that.
HP: In the week Kevin Meara was mayor, he held a press conference with Bob Morrison, whose firm has led audits of the township. Morrison said he went back and double-checked everything in the audit after the allegations against Bencivengo surfaced. He said that review found nothing, and it seems township business and finances were not involved with whatever Bencivengo had been doing. Are you satisfied with those results?
EG: Yeah, I am, but the one thing Mister Meara asked for was an more in-depth audit. What I said is , prior to going that direction, we should find out what that costs. I haven’t got that information yet.
But am I satisfied, based on the information I have now, that there’s no longer a problem? There was actually never a problem with the day-to-day operation of the township. But the answer to that is yes.
HP: Let’s say we found out a forensic audit is something the township could afford. Would you pursue that as council president?
EG: Uh. That’s a difficult question. At this point, if I felt there’s some reason for it, I would say ‘Yes,’ regardless of the cost. At this time, we have invited the Department of Community Affairs to go through our records. And any other agency. Anything that may raise a red flag, we certainly would like to institute reforms immediately and get to the bottom of it to ensure nothing is continuously askew, for the township’s purposes but also for the citizens so they have assurance their tax dollars are well spent.
HP: Members of this council have consistently run on a record of financial responsibility. Amid the scandal in the township, do you think people give council members the benefit of the doubt because of this thought that council has been cautious in spending taxpayers’ money?
EG: I certainly hope so. Prior to coming to council—I’m fairly new compared to Mister Kenny and [Dennis] Pone—I certainly appreciated the job they did. I’ve been happy so far to be part of continuing to hold municipal taxes down. I think taxpayers certainly give us the benefit of the doubt so long as they’re assured that the administration of the government is being run in an ethical and fair matter. I think we can provide that assurance both by any necessary reforms that come about and by our good example as councilpeople and administrators.
HP: You’ve mentioned necessary reforms a few times. Do you have any examples to speak about now?
EG: Not specifically. Although, as I did indicate, the mayor has indicated to me that she will have an announcement in the next few weeks. And, going forward, we may want to do more than what she suggests.
HP: In recent years, it seems like the first thing on Hamilton politicians’ mind is taxes. More specifically, they seem incredibly focused on keeping taxes low or, at least, flat. Why is that so important?
EG: Why do people care about taxes? I think, in this market economy, every dollar is important, particularly in these economic times. Every dollar’s important. It’s not an area where profits are going up for businesses, people are able to expand their business. They’re being hit heavily by new regulations from the federal government, relative to health care, relative to the administration of business in general. The state certainly hasn’t lessened its regulatory hold on businesses. It’s a very difficult business climate. That’s why it’s incumbent on municipal government, whose primarily way of raising funds is property tax, to hold the line, so, at least at the local level, businesses can stay afloat and hopefully find the wherewithal to withstand difficult economic times.
HP: Is there anything else you want people in Hamilton to know?
EG: Just for people to get involved in their community. It doesn’t have to be in government. Hamilton is a great place to live and to work and to raise a family. I chose to do it, and my parents—who are still alive, God bless them—they chose to raise us in Hamilton Township. I’m very glad that they did.
Hamilton’s a resilient enough community that even though we had a little difficulty with the mayor last year, getting himself convicted of a crime, we in the community can move forward and work together, regardless of any differences, and look forward for the betterment of all Hamilton.
I try to work well with Republicans and Democrats alike. I think we can work together as a community to move forward.
HP: Now, I know you are involved in activities outside of council. Does having people involved like that help the political process?
EG: Absolutely, it does, in a number of ways. I work in officiating high school and college sports, for football, track and field and even an off-ice official for the ECHL professional hockey league. That and my other community involvement keeps me talking to the community. I talk to students all the time. I find out what’s important to them, as students in Hamilton Township. I think that’s important. I then relate that to the mayor or the people in the recreation department. You give their voice a chance to be heard.
Superintendent [James] Parla, this past week, indicated he was looking to reestablish sports in the middle schools and also re-institute the winter track and field programs in the high schools. I think that’s a step in the right direction. It’s important, particularly the winter track. That’s a program for 100-150 students in the winter who didn’t have something to do. It gives them something they like to do. Rather then them doing other things, perhaps some things you might not want, you focus them on something to do in the winter months between the fall sports season and the spring sports season. In terms of a cost-effective means of providing activity to high school students, that’s a step in the right direction, in my opinion. I certainly applaud Superintendent Parla for his initiative.
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