Vicari: Hard times call for seasoned freeholder
BY PATRICIA A. MILLER Staff Writer
In these tough economic times, experience counts, says Republican Freeholder Joseph H. Vicari, who is seeking his 10th term on the board.

Joseph H. Vicari

"Now more than ever, people need the experience," Vicari said in a recent interview at his freeholder office in the Ocean County Administration Building in Toms River. "Why would you want to elect someone without any experience in government? There's a learning curve."

Vicari, 62, said he is running a "highlevel" campaign against his Democratic challenger, newcomer Stacy Lubrecht of Brick Township, for the one three-year term on the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders up this year.

"I want to set an example for others in Ocean County," Vicari said. "It will be strictly on the issues, the experience and our platform."

And the major issues for the veteran freeholder are the economy, a stable tax rate and alternative energy sources.

Vicari is well aware that the ratable value in Ocean County is "going down" because of the sagging real estate market and current financial conditions in both New Jersey and the United States. And he remembers the empty storefronts on Main and Washington streets in Toms River during the early 1990s.

"I know what it was like in Ocean County during the last economic recession," he said.

There has been a hiring freeze in Ocean County government since Jan. 1. County officials have tried to reduce the workforce through attrition instead of layoffs. The county construction department was abolished earlier this year.

"We reduced overtime by 10 percent," he said. "We abolished the construction department."

Almost half of Ocean County's budget — 43 percent — is funneled into law enforcement: the sheriff's office, prosecutor's office, the Ocean County Jail, the probation department and the juvenile detention center, he said.

Vicari was slated to speak tonight at the Ocean County Library at a workshop aimed at making it easier for small businesses in the county to compete for contracts with area military bases, like Navy Lakehurst, Fort Dix and McGuire Air Force Base.

The U.S. Department of Defense has committed to spending more than $450 million at the three military bases over the next three years. Vicari wants to make sure local businesses can compete on a "level playing field" for defense contracts, he said.

"We have to be more creative in government," he said. "We have to do more business with military bases, to bring more money into the county."

"Going green" is also a major concern for Vicari.

The freeholder board earlier this year awarded PMK Group a $142,000 contract to conduct a Sustainable Energy Master Plan aimed at reducing energy usage and increasing energy efficiency in Ocean County's more than 100 buildings.

The plan, which county officials released on Sept. 28, details 83 energy conservation measures that will provide a savings of $2 million annually, $110,000 in rebates and could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by almost 12 percent.

"The plan will also provide us with information on the financial options that may be available to the county for implementing these alternatives," Vicari said.

The county has already installed solar tubes to capture daylight and light some county buildings, uses hybrid vehicles and plans to install solar panels at the county's new government complex in Stafford Township.

"We're also looking at windmills and wind turbines," said Vicari, who is serving as freeholder director this year.

Vicari was born and raised in Jersey City. He graduated from St. Peter's College — "It was right down the street." His first job in education was at St. Peter's Grammar School in Jersey City.

He and his wife, Joyce, moved to Ocean County from Jersey City in 1969. They still live in the same bilevel home on Shady Lane in Toms River they bought back then. They have two grown children, Joseph, a New Jersey state trooper, and Dina Marie, an attorney.

"When I retire, I plan to live there," he said. "I have no intention of moving. No McMansions for me. I live a very basic type of lifestyle. I just want to live comfortably."

Vicari, who has more than 40 years in public education, is the superintendent of the Berkeley Township school district. Prior to that, he worked in the Brick Township school district from 1969 through 2003, as principal, curriculum supervisor and teacher.

He also served on the then-Dover Township Committee (now the Toms River Township Council) from 1979 to 1994. He served as Dover Township m ayor in 1982, 1987, 1989, 1991 and 1994.

This will be Vicari's 30th election, counting the freeholder races, Dover Township Committee races and all the primaries.

"I can't believe it," he said.

But he said he hasn't lost his enthusiasm for his work as a freeholder. The part-time position pays $30,000 a year.

"I just do my job every single day," he said. "I will continue to do so. Whether I win or lose, it will be an example for other people."