Camden County Sheriff

Charles Billingham

Sheriff Charles “Chuck” Billingham took the office of Sheriff of Camden County in January 2007. Prior to becoming Sheriff, he was Chief of Police in Washington Township (Gloucester County), NJ where he was the Chief Executive Officer of a police department employing more than 130 employees, including 86 sworn officers.

Sheriff Billingham started his career in 1981 in the Gloucester City Police Department as a patrolman.  After seven years in law enforcement, he rose to the rank of Sergeant where he supervised and managed daily activity of a Patrol Platoon.

In January of 1990, Sheriff Billingham went to work with the Washington Township Police Department. During his tenure in Washington Township, he served in numerous bureaus and units including; Police Lieutenant, where he supervised and managed daily activity of the five platoons in the Patrol Division and Community Policing Sergeant, where he supervised and managed daily activity of the Community Response Unit. Duties included customary law enforcement supervisory functions such as discipline, training, evaluating subordinates, etc. Responsibilities included all aspects of community problem solving and outreach, educational programs including crime prevention, issues concerning youths, Domestic Violence, and drug awareness such as “Project Aware” and D.A.R.E.

Sheriff Billingham possesses a Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s Degree in Administrative Sciences from Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU). He has served as an adjunct instructor for FDU teaching Master’s level courses and he was also an adjunct instructor at Gloucester County College in the field of Law Enforcement.

He previously held public office for nearly four years as a Councilman and Mayor of Gloucester City. Through these positions he has gained a wealth of knowledge regarding municipal, county, and state government, including management, labor issues, budgeting, and certainly mitigating and managing crisis situations.

Sheriff Billingham believes that he truly understands the important partnership that must exist between the public, politics, government, and the law enforcement executive in operating a law enforcement agency.

Some of Sheriff Billingham’s accomplishments over the years have been acknowledged with numerous awards and accomplishments, letters of commendation and recognition.

A resident of Gloucester City with his wife Marion and their two sons, Chuckie and Michael, Sheriff Billingham’s commitment to the citizens of Camden County is governed by his concern for family and community.

Camden County Freeholders

Jeffrey Nash

Jeff Nash was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, where he was always politically involved and public service minded. His strong desire to help others was evident at a young age. By the time he was nineteen years old, he had created a senior citizen’s help service. He started college at Brockport State University in New York where he earned the honor of being the only sophomore accepted into the prestigious Political Studies Semester program in Washington, DC. He remained in Washington as a transfer student to George Washington University where he completed his degree in Political Science. Choosing to pursue a career in law, Jeff is a graduate of Hofstra University School of Law.

Jeff was first elected to public office in 1989 as a member of Cherry Hill Council, where he served from 1990 to 1993. In November 1991, Jeff was elected to the seven-member Camden County Board of Chosen Freeholders. Initially he served as the Freeholder Liaison to Camden County’s Department of Health and Human Services. Under his direction, the Department began the County's nationally acclaimed Child Immunization program. Additionally, his concern for children led to the creation of the County YES facility, Youth Empowerment System – a safe haven for troubled children and abused runaways.

In 1995 Jeff was selected by his colleagues to serve as Camden County Freeholder Director, a position he held for 10 years. Serving as Freeholder Director, Jeff’s vision for a better Camden County is evident in so many areas. Under his leadership, Camden County has improved government programs and public access to programs while eliminating waste and mismanagement. Consequently, Camden County has received two bond-rating upgrades by Wall Street rating agencies. He led the efforts to support the expansion of Camden County College now viewed as the best 2-year college in the State. He led a bold initiative to secure and preserve nearly a thousand acres of open space and farmland with plans to double that in the near future. Jeff’s passion for improving communities and more importantly the quality of family life is best illustrated in his commitment to the revitalization of the City of Camden. He worked tirelessly on a viable plan to provide State aid that is finally beginning to transform the image of Camden to attract business, and make it a place where people want to live and bring their families.

Ian K. Leonard

Freeholder Ian Leonard brought nearly a decade of statewide experience to the Camden County Freeholder Board when he was appointed to fill the slot left vacant when Joe Ripa became Camden County Clerk. At 32, Leonard became the youngest freeholder in the state of New Jersey. In his role as chief of staff for Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts, he worked on statewide issues that affected millions of New Jerseyans. He also acted as a liaison between the state and the 19 municipalities of the 5th legislative District. More importantly, he learned the value of helping those in need, especially those who didn’t have much and had no where else to go. Leonard became known for his tireless work on behalf of Speaker Roberts’ constituents and has brought that belief in helping others to his role as Camden County Freeholder. Born and raised in Pemberton, NJ, Freeholder Leonard moved to Camden in 1996 to attend Rutgers University, where he earned a degree in Political Science and a Master’s in Public Administration. Shortly after graduation, he bought an historic home in Camden City, where he lives today. In 1998, Freeholder Leonard joined the Air National Guard and currently serves in the 177th Fighter wing. He has served on the Rutgers Alumni Board from 2003 to the present, out of a deep commitment to give back to the institution that prepared him for his career. Freeholder Leonard was elected to his first full term in November 2009. He brings to the Freeholder Board both a fresh perspective and a wealth of experience from his statewide and military service.

Michelle A. Gentek

Michelle Gentek is a resident of Gloucester Township where she resides with her sons, Ryan, Matthew and Thomas. Michelle currently serves as Gloucester Township Councilwoman, a position she was first elected to in 2009. During her first term on Council, Michelle took a leadership role in he township’s sustainability program, and in just one year spearheaded the township’s qualification for the Sustainable New Jersey Program, receiving Bronze certification.

Through her leadership, Michelle has helped the township develop a comprehensive Energy Master Plan that includes installation of solar panels on the municipal building; a 21 million dollar shared services solar project with both the Gloucester Township Public Schools and the Black Horse Pike Regional School District; as well as the implementation of the township’s first Community Gardens Program. Michelle, is also working to revitalize downtown Blackwood by merging economic development with the arts.

Whether it is Michelle’s advocacy for environmental sustainability, or her vision for economic development, she is grounded in community activism. Prior to her election in 2009, Michelle was involved in many aspects of her community, including Chairwoman of her Neighborhood Watch for over 12 years, which resulted in her taking on the National Rifle Association in a hunting dispute in order to prevent hunting within her neighborhood.

In 2008, Michelle received the distinction of “A Woman Who Makes a Difference” Award from the Gloucester Township Council and Mayor. As a former Cub Scout Leader, Member of her Parent Teacher Council, and Religious Education Teacher, Michelle understands that it takes community involvement to produce a great place to live.

Michelle, also understands the challenges faced by small businesses. As a former owner of a small business and as a manager, she has worked to restore financial stability and expand sales. Michelle currently serves as Strategic Counselor for Fox - Shuffler Associates, a public affairs firm based in New York.

4th Legislative District

Gabriela "Gabby" Mosquera

State Assembly

Gabriela M. Mosquera was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador and immigrated to the United States at the age of three, becoming a citizen at age 18. Gabriela received her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from The College of New Jersey and earned a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from DeVry University Keller School of Management. She is a resident of Gloucester Township.

While being the first in her family to attend college, Gabriela knew she wanted to give back to her community, and such believed that working in government could best achieve this. She began her career in government as an intern with the Office of Congressman William Pascrell.  In this role, she became involved with constituent casework ranging from immigration to social security issues.  During her junior and senior year in college, she went on to an internship with the Assembly Democratic Office where she became deeply familiar with state issues and gained experience in government affairs.

After graduating college, Gabriela began working for the Assembly Democratic Office as a Policy Researcher and later, as a Policy and Operations Assistant. In these roles, Gabriela honed her skills as someone who could navigate the intricacies of government while seeing first hand how these policies could positively affect the residents of New Jersey.  Gabriela later went on to serve as Director of Policy for then Assemblywoman Nilsa Cruz-Perez of the Fifth Legislative District.  Currently, she serves as Chief of Staff to Gloucester Township Mayor David R. Mayer.

Through her career, Gabriela has made being a civic leader and giving back to her community an essential priority. That is why she is running to represent the 4th  district in the State Assembly.

U.S. Senate

Robert Menendez

Bob Menendez’s story is a quintessential American story. He grew up the son of immigrants in a tenement building in Union City and has risen to become one of 100 United States Senators. He has earned the reputation of a fighter for New Jersey families who puts their economic security and hometown security ahead of powerful special interests.

A product of New Jersey's public schools and a graduate of the state's universities, Bob learned early on the importance of standing up for what's right, no matter how powerful the opposition. He first entered public service as a 19-year-old college student when he witnessed shortcomings in the public education system and launched a successful petition drive to reform his local school board. He stood up to corruption in Union City as a witness against the political machine in a Federal trial.

He has served as a school board member, a mayor and a state legislator. Since 1993, he has been standing up for New Jersey families in Washington, where he rose to become the third-highest ranking Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives. After being elected to the U.S. Senate, Bob was soon appointed to be a member of the Senate leadership during his first term, serving as the Chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee where he successfully retained Democrats’ majority in the U.S. Senate.

Bob was sworn in to the Senate on January 18, 2006, having been appointed by New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine to fill the remainder of his term. Later that year, New Jerseyans elected Bob to serve a full six-year term as United States Senator. He currently serves on the Senate Committees on Finance; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; and Foreign Relations. Bob is also the Chairman of the Banking Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation and Community Development; and the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps, and Global Narcotics Affairs.

In Congress, Bob is working to make a real difference in the lives of New Jerseyans. That includes working to achieve economic security for families by creating jobs, promoting clean energy development, providing tax relief, investing in education, making health care more affordable, protecting consumers, and preserving Medicare and Social Security.

U.S. Congress

Robert E. Andrews

Congressional District 1

On November 4th, 2008, Congressman Rob Andrews received more votes than anyone elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in the history of the State of New Jersey. He received a total of 206,453 votes that year, surpassing the previous state record, which he also set. He won the seat again in 2010 with 63 percent of the vote. He has represented the residents of the First Congressional District of New Jersey, which includes parts of Camden, Gloucester and Burlington Counties, since he was first elected to Congress in 1990.

Congressman Andrews has a bright vision for South Jersey, which sits directly between our nation’s political and financial centers of Washington and New York. Every day, he fights for programs to bring new and permanent jobs to the district. He wants to upgrade the energy infrastructure, roads, and sewer capacities of South Jersey, as well as promoting solar and other alternative energy sources, so that the First District of New Jersey can be the working industrial hub of the East Coast.

Throughout his eleven terms in Congress, Rob has worked to create and retain good jobs in South Jersey. He facilitated the creation of high tech jobs in Camden through the Applied Communications and Information Networking (ACIN) project, and he coordinates with business heads throughout the district on an ongoing basis to build and expand smart, future-oriented growth. Recently, Rob secured millions of federal dollars to create an alternative energy program at Maguire Air Force Base, which will eventually create over 1,000 jobs.

While he works hard to help South Jersey businesses, Rob only supports government spending when it is sensible and useful for taxpayers. For instance, Rob recently secured $2.5 million to repair a sluicegate in Gloucester County, which will prevent a potentially catastrophic flood. However, he has continually fought to prevent wasting millions of taxpayer dollars to dredge the Delaware River, as the plan makes no economic sense and would negatively impact the local environment. Congressman Andrews wants to create jobs and build the economy of the future in South Jersey, not waste taxpayers’ money on backward projects.

Cassandra Shober

Congressional District 2

Cassandra Shober is running for Congress because New Jersey’s 2nd Congressional District deserves a representative who will put middle class families, children, and seniors first. With her personal and professional background, Cassandra has the skill-set, ideas, and steadfast dedication to stand up to special interests and get our economy moving forward.

A working mother, small business owner, and community leader, Cassandra grew up in South Jersey and currently lives in Ventnor with her husband, Bard and their son, Dale. She earned her BFA degree at Pratt institute in New York which prepared her for a career path that included experiences in marketing and merchandising in a variety of fashion industry companies. Most recently, Cassandra served as marketing consultant as the principal of Art on Your Sleeve and has been working as the office and marketing manager of her husband’s law office.

A dedicated community activist, Cassandra has volunteered with many local non-profits such as the United Way of Atlantic County and the Atlantic County Bar Association’s charitable programs. Cassandra is actively involved in her hometown; participating in her son’s school, protecting the beaches and the environment, and supporting the local arts organization. Notably, her involvement with the Jersey Shore Council Boy Scouts of America spans nearly a decade. Cassandra, Bard & Dale are active members of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Ocean City.

There is too much gridlock in Washington and our current Congressman (for the past 18 years), has been part of the problem with his misplaced interests and partisan game play. The House of Representatives is the seat of the people, and we need a representative who will work for and with the people. Cassandra Shober will never let partisan politics get in the way of the needs of South Jersey families, children, and seniors.

President

Barack Obama

Barack H. Obama is the 44th President of the United States.

His story is the American story — values from the heartland, a middle-class upbringing in a strong family, hard work and education as the means of getting ahead, and the conviction that a life so blessed should be lived in service to others.

With a father from Kenya and a mother from Kansas, President Obama was born in Hawaii on August 4, 1961. He was raised with help from his grandfather, who served in Patton's army, and his grandmother, who worked her way up from the secretarial pool to middle management at a bank.

After working his way through college with the help of scholarships and student loans, President Obama moved to Chicago, where he worked with a group of churches to help rebuild communities devastated by the closure of local steel plants.

He went on to attend law school, where he became the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review. Upon graduation, he returned to Chicago to help lead a voter registration drive, teach constitutional law at the University of Chicago, and remain active in his community.

President Obama's years of public service are based around his unwavering belief in the ability to unite people around a politics of purpose. In the Illinois State Senate, he passed the first major ethics reform in 25 years, cut taxes for working families, and expanded health care for children and their parents. As a United States Senator, he reached across the aisle to pass groundbreaking lobbying reform, lock up the world's most dangerous weapons, and bring transparency to government by putting federal spending online.

He was elected the 44th President of the United States on November 4, 2008, and sworn in on January 20, 2009. He and his wife, Michelle, are the proud parents of two daughters, Malia, 13, and Sasha, 10.

Vice President

Joe Biden

Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr., was born November 20, 1942, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the first of four siblings. In 1953, the Biden family moved from Pennsylvania to Claymont, Delaware. He graduated from the University of Delaware and Syracuse Law School and served on the New Castle County Council. Then, at age 29, he became one of the youngest people ever elected to the United States Senate.

Just weeks after the election, tragedy struck the Biden family, when Biden's wife, Neilia, and their 1-year old daughter, Naomi, were killed and their two young sons critically injured in an auto accident. Vice President Biden was sworn in to the U.S. Senate at his sons' hospital bedside and began commuting to Washington every day by train, a practice he maintained throughout his career in the Senate.

In 1977, Vice President Biden married Jill Jacobs. Jill Biden, who holds a Ph.D. in Education, has been an educator for over two decades and currently teaches at a DC-area community college. The Vice President has three children: Beau, Hunter, and Ashley. Beau serves as Delaware's Attorney General and recently returned home from Iraq where he served as a Captain in the 261st Signal Brigade of the Delaware National Guard. Ashley is a social worker and Hunter is an attorney. Vice President Biden has five grandchildren: Naomi, Finnegan, Roberta Mabel ("Maisy"), Natalie, and Robert Hunter.

As a Senator from Delaware for 36 years, Senator Biden established himself as a leader on some of our nation's most important domestic and international challenges. As Chairman or Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee for 17 years, then-Senator Biden was widely recognized for his work on criminal justice issues including the landmark 1994 Crime Bill and the Violence Against Women Act. As Chairman or Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee since 1997, then-Senator Biden played a pivotal role in shaping U.S. foreign policy. He has been at the forefront of issues and legislation related to terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, post-Cold War Europe, the Middle East, and Southwest Asia.

Now, as the 47th Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden has continued his leadership on important issues facing the nation. The Vice President was tasked with implementing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, helping to rebuild our economy and lay the foundation for a sustainable economic future. As part of his continued efforts to raise the living standards of middle class Americans across the country, Vice President Biden has also focused on the issues of college affordability and American manufacturing growth, key priorities of the Administration.