Pickup is done! If we missed your home, or you forgot to put out your bags, please give Lisa Lopez a call at 856-316-6263, and she will arrange for pickup.

And this is what I am talking about... if we continue to raise the debt ceiling, we are continuing to force ourselves to find more sources of funding... Look at it this way - you go to work every day, and bring home a paycheck every week. When you cash your paycheck, and you look at your budget, you realize that you don't have money to buy steak every night AND have every channel on the cable lineup. You don't sit there and say, well, I will keep both and hope somehow the money shows up. No, instead, you say, I have to cut my budget. You decide you'll only eat steak one night a week, and you'll eliminate half the cable channels. Then, you can afford to have what you want and need. We all know it is irresponsible to run our credit cards up with no expectation of being able to pay for them. We all understand that running up debt costs us in interest, and we will end up paying more for something in the long run... it really IS cheaper to go to the store and buy a tv straight out than go to Rent-A-Center and pay $50 a week for 26 months. Sometimes, it is unavoidable - we go to the hospital, and we have to get care, so we rack up a hospital bill, and we spend the time paying it off... but it doesn't make sense to do that for everything, because eventually, we will get to the point where we cannot, or will not pay anything off... The Republicans simply want to trim the budget so that we are not buying a tv from Rent-A-Center. Instead, we trim our budget so that we can afford the tv...

The true problem is solely that people don't get what the Republican party stands for. They do NOT stand for catering blatantly to millionaires... they stand for smaller government, and personal responsibility. They believe that if government stays out of your business, you can manage your life the way you know best. Fewer laws, simpler taxes. Someone needs to explain to me how the whole millionaire tax thing gets so much press. The same "loophole" that allows millionaires to get tax breaks (long term capital gains), applies to the everyday middle class who invest their money. Republicans don't mind funding programs, but you have got to have someplace to get the money from, and that's what keeps them from giving across the board funding like the Congressional Democrats do - explain what funding you will cut to pay for the programs you want, and the Republicans can get behind it. But when you just want to throw money at problems without wondering where to get the cash from, or worse, when you think that naturally, the millionaires should fund every single program, there are no solutions, only more problems.

I can get behind My Thought's statement totally - and don't forget, in the third ward, we have two alternative candidates on the ballot... Lisa Lopez Candidate for City Council, Third Ward llopez81374@yahoo.com

3rd Ward Voter, I'm sorry you feel that way about my post, but I can't see where you are coming from. Where did I prove I am unable to make a decision? I very clearly have stated that the current administration is wrong in going against an executive order. I was unsure about why they decided to do so, because I have not spoken to anyone in the administration and do not have the facts. I am conflicted about whether the governor has the right to decide what a municipality does. On the one hand, he is responsible for the safety of the entire state. However, the best government is one which governs on the smallest scale - and clearly here, in a situation where we would not be looking for a state-wide response, as in the evacuation of Atlantic City), it seems Gloucester City would be best equipped to make the decision. The question really becomes when do you stop following what you think are unrighteous orders. In this instance, it would have hurt nothing to wait five days. As for me complaining about this, don't think that was what I did at all... pretty sure I asked a question. But as someone who HAS read the order, and not just the statement from the spokespeople, and the news media, what I read at the bottom of the order is as follows... "NOW, THEREFORE, I, CHRIS CHRISTIE, Governor of the State of New Jersey, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and by the Statutes of this State, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT: 1. Celebrations of Halloween scheduled for October 31, 2012 in all parts of New Jersey shall be held on Monday, November 5, 2012. 2. This Order shall take effect immediately. Nothing ambiguous about that.

Without knowing anything about this organization, the work it does, and any potential costs to the city, I will say that this sort of organization and training as, described in the news article, sounds like a valuable resource for the city. We can all agree that Gloucester City needs some revitalization, and education can only help, especially since, if it was, as Bob Bevans said, paid for by the host. I would love to see a report published by the folks who went, letting us know some of the things they learned. And I echo Mark Warren's sentiment - if you don't like the things that the current administration has done, do not re-elect the same group that has brought you those decisions. I'm always happy to have your vote, and my email address is llopez81374@yahoo.com. Lisa Lopez Candidate for City Council, Third Ward

You know Dan, I honestly could care less about what party someone is from... as you know, the "Republican" party in town is made up of a bunch of folks who have drastically differing opinions, but a shared basic philosophy, and I think that as long as we are all working together for the city's well-being, I could care less what your affiliation is. I don't want to presume that I know the motives of Mr. Lipsett or whoever made the ultimate decision to go ahead with Halloween today, so I don't want to presume it's party politics - by the time the executive order came out, the kids at Colds Springs were already dressed for their Halloween parade, and the fact that our celebrations were already beginning may have played a part in their decisions. And honestly, I am not sure if I like the idea that the governor made a decision on our safety based on his knowledge of what is happening elsewhere. I like my government to be small, and on the lowest level possible, so in reality, this decision probably should be made on a municipal level. I just think it might be a dangerous precedent to set, ignoring the governor's decree. After all, we see what a smart idea that was for Atlantic City regarding their evacuation. Oh, and thanks for the vote of confidence regarding the election on Tuesday... Lisa Lopez Candidate for City Council, Third Ward

45 minutes ago (about 1:15pm), one of the city employees was asked by Jack Lipsett to place on her personal Facebook page a notice that Trick or Treating was still being held in Gloucester tonight from 4-7pm.

I'd like to know why the city government is ignoring an executive order from the governor to delay Halloween celebrations. I understand that conditions in Gloucester City are not like they are in other parts of the state, and I'm not sure that I agree that the governor has the right to tell our municipalities what to do in this circumstance, but is there a time when we get to ignore an order because we think we know better? Just wondering what you all thought... Lisa Lopez Candidate for City Council, Third Ward

To Councilmen Marchese and Brophy, thank you for your commitment to Gloucester City and your willingness to serve. It takes dedication and love of your city to run for Council, and to make the decisions that affect an entire community. Thank you for your service, and enjoy your new-found time. Lisa Lopez

We have to remember that most programs are not bad ideas on their face - it is the implementation that ruins them. Seriously, on paper, school choice is a brilliant idea - let parents choose where to send their kids so that they get the best educations, and the receiving school gets excellent students who want to learn. But as we know, if the people making the decisions don't get it right, then the program will fail. So, before we decide it's a blanket bad idea, let's talk to the school board, and the council, and see what they have to say about it. Lisa Lopez Candidate for City Council, Third Ward

It's my understanding that the state took over Camden City' s police department in 2005... of course the state is looking for someone else to take responsibility... Lisa Lopez

First Ward - I think Mike would be a great candidate :-)... You all are right - the city shouldn't be in the real estate business - it should be in the business of encouraging private growth and industry. I can appreciate the desire of low income families to own property, and at that, property they don't have to "fixer-up", but there are, as said, properties that they could acquire which already exist. I do wonder though - this release says that the program is being authorized by the city, in accordance with a state agency - who pays? Is it the state, or is it the city? Lisa Lopez Candidate for City Council - Third Ward

Reader, Humorously enough, this story was from almost exactly one year ago... Someone revived the story with a comment, and now everyone's jumped in :-)... Lisa

I just want to say thank you to Mayor James and Chief Berglund for stepping out when fair representation was not being allowed at this meeting. Understanding that the point of the meeting was for municipalities surrounding Camden, I believe that the head of the Camden County Chiefs Association belonged at that meeting, and to bar them does not make any sense. So thank you, for having convictions, and standing firm for them. Lisa Lopez Candidate for City Council, Third Ward

Dan and all... Deep sigh... I don't like this at all... I can't say it's the answer, although I get your point... They are wrong, flat out wrong, on this fishing issue, and I hope tonight at the City Council meeting that we get a chance to make our opinion known. I hope you find a way to change your mind... remember that quote I used last week, and remember that YOU are one of the good guys... We need more people like you to act, and not to be scared off by bullies. Lisa Lopez Candidate for City Council, Third Ward

Jen, Just in case they don't get back to you in time, I think they are doing signups every Tuesday night at 8:30pm at their meetings at O'Donnell's... There's a facebook page, and also, a website at http://www.gcyouthsoccer.com . I hope you see this! Lisa

Cheers to Dave Stallwood, for stepping up to help the community! Lisa Lopez

My prayers to Brittany and her family.

Jack, We go through the motions because it is our responsibility. Edmund Burke said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Now, I am not saying that Mayor James is evil, but I will say that this quote emphasizes the point that when good people do nothing to stand against that which they see as wrong, bad things happen. The City explained as reported in another article, that the City is within its rights as property owners to post non-fishing signs before any ordinance is in effect. What the ordinance does is allow them to enforce with penalties the ban. I will be at that meeting on August 16. I hope you change your mind and show up as well. Lisa Lopez Republican Candidate for City Council http://www.facebook.com/LisaLopezforCityCouncil

You know, I remember reading this plea when it was first published... it makes me wonder though... how much fishing was being done in January? I also note that request that parents let their children know that the vandals will be caught and punished... kind of sounds like in January, the problem was teenagers... have the teenagers turned into fisherman in the last six months? Lisa Lopez Candidate for City Council 3rd Ward

Congratulations Cori!

You know, reader, that's the theory :-)... I would say that except in very rare circumstances (so rare that I'm struggling to come up with an example), the government should act within the desires of the people. Our representative government acts in this way specifically so that the voice of the people can be heard. Government should never be the enemy. I don't know that the current Council will hear the cries of the people from over here, on CNB. What I do know is that if the public who wants fishing to be permitted on this pier shows up on August 16th at the final reading, the current Council will be forced to act in direct opposition to the stated desires of the public, assuming they choose to go ahead with this ordinance. Trust me, we can make THAT heard all over Gloucester City, before November 6th. So, can we get a show of hands of who will show up on August 16th in support of fishing at the pier? Remember, it starts with us, and if we can't be bothered to let the current Council know how we feel, we can't be bothered to complain about them when they act against our will. Who will be there?