Ward 3, District 2 · Florence Township
What This Race Is About
57% of renters in Ward 3, District 2 are cost-burdened, paying more than 30% of their income just to stay housed. Warehouse traffic clogs our roads. Federal cuts threaten healthcare and food assistance. And for years, our seats on the Democratic Committee have sat empty. No one speaking up for us when the party makes decisions.
These are the issues that matter to our neighborhood. We're running to fill those vacant seats and bring these concerns to the table.
See the full Census dataStopping Warehouse Overdevelopment in Florence Township
Florence Township has been fighting warehouse expansion along the I-95 corridor for years. Warehouses approved in neighboring Mansfield over Florence's objections now send heavy truck traffic down Columbus Road, damaging our roads and the quality of life in our neighborhoods. The township council has passed resolutions requesting weight limits on Columbus Road to protect our streets.
As your Democratic County Committee members, we will make sure the party is on record supporting Florence residents who are tired of watching our town bear the cost of regional development decisions made without us.
The warehouse development along I-95 isn't happening on empty land. The former Griffin Pipe foundry—293 acres that operated for over a century and left contaminated groundwater requiring monitoring through 2025—is now becoming 1.2 million square feet of warehouses. New Jersey law gives communities like ours new tools to ensure we benefit from development, not just absorb its costs. Read more about our industrial legacy →
Progress: March 2026
This Is What Fighting for Florence Looks Like
After nearly a decade of pressure from our community, Burlington County Commissioners are finally moving forward with a major fix for the Route 130 and Florence-Columbus Road intersection, the same intersection choked with warehouse truck traffic that Florence residents have been fighting for years.
This didn't happen by accident. Commissioner Director Felicia Hopson and the County Commissioners listened. State Senator Troy Singleton helped secure state partnership. Mayor Kristan Marter has been pushing for this fix since 2016. This is what happens when Democrats at every level show up and fight for our community.
But ten years is a long time to wait. And this intersection is just one piece of a bigger fight: truck traffic on Columbus Road, warehouse expansion along I-95, and development decisions made without Florence at the table.
We can't afford another decade of being overlooked. We need neighbors in every seat, at every level, keeping the pressure on. That's why we're running to fill the vacant County Committee seats for Ward 3, District 2.
This progress proves advocacy works. Let's keep going.
Community Win: Open Space
What We Won When We Pushed Back
The 5th Street Rail Trail transformed an abandoned railroad corridor, once serving the Griffin Pipe foundry that operated at 1100 West Front Street for over a century, into a walkable trail and green space for Florence families. That foundry left more than just empty tracks—the 293-acre site required environmental cleanup, with groundwater monitoring continuing through 2025. But when the site was redeveloped, Florence demanded something back. Learn more about our industrial legacy.
This didn't happen because developers felt generous. It happened because Florence negotiated. When warehouse development was proposed, the community pushed for something back. The result: $375,000 from the developer, matched with a $562,000 federal grant. That's nearly a million dollars invested in our neighborhood because we demanded a seat at the table.
The Rail Trail has been a great enhancement to our neighborhood. But trails don't maintain themselves, and open space doesn't expand on its own. As your County Committee members, we will continue to advocate for open space and the 5th Street Rail Trail by:
- Pushing county and state officials to fund trail maintenance and expansion
- Ensuring the Democratic Party platform includes protecting green spaces
- Demanding that future development proposals include community amenities
- Supporting federal and state grant applications for trail connectivity
County Committee members have a seat at the table where priorities are set. We'll use those seats to keep open space on the agenda.
This is what smart advocacy looks like. Let's keep pushing.
Property Taxes and the Fight for Florence Township's Fair Share
New Jersey homeowners pay the highest property taxes in the nation. Florence Township passed Resolution 2025-110 demanding the state restore diverted energy tax revenue that rightfully belongs to municipalities like ours. Every dollar Trenton diverts is a dollar that could be reducing your tax bill.
As Florence homeowners and union members, we understand that rising costs are not an abstraction. They are something families in Florence feel every month when the bills come in.
Florence is already on record demanding what we're owed. Now we need Democrats at every level echoing that demand.
Defending What New Jersey Families Have Earned
The federal budget signed into law threatens to cut $3.6 billion annually from New Jersey's Medicaid funding. About 350,000 New Jersey residents, nearly 1 in 5 Medicaid recipients, risk losing their health coverage. Over 800,000 New Jersey families who rely on food assistance are also at risk.
Burlington County Democrats need to be organized and vocal about what these cuts mean for real families in our community. In Ward 3, District 2, 5.6% of households already rely on public assistance, and many more depend on Medicaid and SNAP. That starts with making sure every seat at the table is filled.
For our seniors who have worked their entire lives and earned their healthcare and retirement security, these cuts are not abstract policy debates. They are threats to the coverage you depend on. Burlington County Democrats need representatives who will stand up and say: Hands off Medicare. Hands off Social Security. Hands off Medicaid.
When Washington comes for what New Jersey families have earned, we need every seat filled and every voice loud.
Health concerns in Florence go beyond federal policy. Our community has lived with over a century of industrial activity, including sites that required federal cleanup. Ongoing groundwater monitoring at the former Griffin Pipe site is a reminder that environmental health is public health.
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Open Government and Accountability in Florence Township
Gavin created OPRAmachine, New Jersey's free platform for submitting public records requests to government agencies. He serves on the board of the NJ Foundation for Open Government. We believe that government works better when residents have access to information and when elected officials know they are being watched.
Accountability isn't just about watching from the outside. It's about having neighbors on the inside who know what questions to ask and aren't afraid to ask them.
That's the kind of representation we'll bring to the County Committee.
Housing Affordability and Renter Rights
In Ward 3, District 2, 57% of renter households are cost-burdened, paying more than 30% of their income on housing. Nearly 1 in 3 families pays half their income just to keep a roof overhead. That's the math of impossible choices: rent or groceries, rent or healthcare, rent or everything else.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates | See the full data breakdown
Too often, renters are treated like they don't have a stake in their community. That's wrong. Florence Township is a place where families have put down roots for generations. Renters deserve the same sense of belonging and stability that homeowners enjoy.
As your Democratic County Committee members, we will make sure the party's agenda includes housing affordability and fair treatment for tenants alongside property tax relief.
Whether you own or rent, this is your community. You deserve a voice, and on June 2, your vote counts the same.
Your housing situation doesn't determine your vote. Your voice does.
How to Write Us InStanding with Working Families
Gavin is a member of IBEW Local 30. Britney is a member of CWA Local 1036. We know what it means to work under a union contract. We know the value of collective bargaining, prevailing wage protections, and having a voice on the job.
The Democratic Party is supposed to be the party of working people. That means standing with LIUNA members building our infrastructure, NJEA members educating our children, CWA members keeping us connected, and every worker fighting for fair treatment.
Look at what's happening with our roads: when working people and Democratic leaders push together, things get done. That's the model. That's what we need on every issue.
As your County Committee members, we will make sure the Burlington County Democratic Party stays true to its roots as the party of working families.
Union member? Stand together on June 2.
I'm With YouReady to Make Your Voice Heard?
Write in ROZZI & FERDETTA on your June 2, 2026 ballot.