Our Candidates

Ed McDonnell for Freeholder


FREEHOLDER EDWARD T. MCDONNELL was elected to the Camden County Board of Freeholders in 1995. He is the Vice President of Economic Development at Camden County College and Executive Dean of the college's Cherry Hill campus. He devotes much of his personal time working with disabled citizens.

As a Freeholder, Ed has been a leader in reducing the size of the county payroll, cutting wasteful government spending and implementing other spending and ethics reforms. He was instrumental in reducing the county tax levy – the amount of money taxpayers actually pay to support the cost of government --three years in a row. Ed helped lead the effort requiring county employees to pay a portion of the costs of their health benefits, both during their employment and in retirement. He also led the fight to require county jail inmates to pay for their room and board while incarcerated.

Ed is the founder and board member of the New Jersey Community College Consortium for Workforce and Economic Development, and former Chairman of the Philadelphia-based Collegiate Consortium for Workforce and Economic Development (CCWED). He is a member of the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education, and a Program Evaluator for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. He is co-chair of the Camden County Alliance for Action, and a member of the State Government Committee of the Southern New Jersey Chamber of Commerce (SNJCC).

Freeholder McDonnell has been Chairman of the Board of Directors of LARC School, a school for disabled children and young adults, for more than 30 years. He has served as a member of the Regional Family Support Planning Council of the New Jersey Division of Developmental Disabilities, and as a member of the South Jersey Advisory Board for the Epilepsy Foundation of America.
Ed is a resident of Pennsauken Township and the father of two daughters, Mandy and Kate.

Carmen Rodriguez for Freeholder


FREEHOLDER CARMEN RODRIGUEZ is an American success story. She was born in Puerto Rico and came to America with her parents when she was four. Her family lived in Philadelphia before moving to Camden. And today, she is the first Hispanic member of the county Board of Freeholders. Carmen fulfilled her parents’ dream for her to receive a quality education, and as a freeholder she has worked to make sure that others could do the same. She has been a passionate advocate for the needs of families and children, and she has played a leadership role in opening up educational opportunities for students throughout the county.

Freeholder Rodriguez graduated with honors from Woodrow Wilson High School and earned a degree in biological science, with a minor in Spanish, from Rutgers University. She went on to earn a Masters Degree in Education in Teaching English as a Second Language from the College of New Jersey; and a Masters of Chemistry Education from the University of Pennsylvania.

Carmen taught science in the Camden City and Audubon school districts and received teaching certificates in Physical Science, Biological Science, Bilingual Science and K-8 education. She currently teaches physics and chemistry at Brimm Medical Arts High School.

As a teacher and the mother of four children, Freeholder Rodriguez understands the value of strong families and the power of an education, and her experience motivated her to enter public service.

Her passion for the challenges faced by families and children has touched the lives of many in Camden County. As the freeholders’ liaison to the Board of Social Services, she has helped many residents in need. She expanded the Code Blue protocol for cold weather to include a new Code Blue Warming site in downtown Camden, where the homeless can receive shelter on the coldest winter days, and she works with agencies to find permanent homes for the homeless.

Freeholder Rodriguez has helped the Health Department maintain a level budget without reducing services and has helped bring more digital access to their services by supporting online health inspections of restaurants and cafeterias throughout the county. She is liaison to the Covenant for Children, a partnership among various agencies to help children and families guided by a Children’s Bill of Rights and the Freeholders’ proclamation and support for helping children and families. She is also co-chair of the Mental Health Leadership Task Force.
Carmen lives in Merchantville with her husband and children.

Pat Jones for Surrogate


SURROGATE PAT JONES has devoted her life to public service. A community activist and volunteer for over thirty-five years, Jones has used her community organization skills to benefit the residents in her home town of Barrington, NJ. and throughout Camden County.

Pat served as a county freeholder from 1998 to 2000 before her election as the county surrogate. She helped lead the county’s successful effort to relocate the famed USS Battleship New Jersey to the city of Camden. The battleship museum and memorial has provided a powerful boost to economic development at the waterfront, attracting thousands of visitors and providing numerous employment opportunities for area residents.

As the county surrogate, Pat has worked tirelessly to provide the kind of quality, cost-effective services that taxpayers deserve. Through her efforts, county residents receive speedy access to important documents and the assistance of an efficient, pleasant staff. She is continually looking for ways to keep costs down while maintaining first-rate services for constituents.

Pat has been the recipient of numerous public-service awards, including the Camden County Chapter of the American Red Cross’s “Good Neighbor Award,” and the Southern Star Award for distinguished service from the Southern New Jersey Freeholder’s Association.