Tamar Sherer for Ocean County Freeholder

Background:

Tamar retired in 2001 as Senior Vice President from JP Morgan Chase. As an executive of the $1B Treasury Services Business, Tamar was responsible for developing the business's competitive strategy in the US and global markets. She also managed the Product Management function, with staff in the US, Europe and Asia, and was the senior financial officer for this business and others at the Bank, including the $350MM worldwide Operations and Technology function.

Prior to joining Chase, Tamar held a variety of senior positions in the financial services industry, including significant roles in management, consulting, and business improvement. Tamar also has experience in owning and running small businesses.

Since retiring to Ocean County Tamar has been active as a counselor with SCORE, providing expertise to small business owners, and has worked with the Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce. Tamar currently is an Adjunct Professor at Richard Stockton College of NJ where she teaches Business Policy and Strategy. She is a member of the Democratic Club of Long Beach Island.

Tamar is a graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia, from where she holds a BS in Communications and an MBA in Economics and Applied Statistics. She lives with her partner of 25 years in North Beach.

Goals:

Simply put, I'm running because it's time for a change. I am so concerned about the direction that our leaders in Washington are taking our country. And my concern has led me to get involved in politics at the grassroots level. Ocean County is certainly not Washington, but we've been in the same hands for a very long time. I've seen too many organizations and businesses fail because they have had the same leadership for far too long. They lose sight of what's in the best interest of their constituents. Every organization, every business, every government body needs an infusion of new blood and new ideas if it is to stay healthy and vigorous. The vision and leadership I've developed in my 25+ year career has given me the skills to bring positive change to Ocean County.
Some of my campaign goals include:
To unearth the real spending habits of the Board of Chosen Freeholders, and bring public awareness to the profligate spending, masked as a reduction in tax rate.
To determine how best to manage the enormous growth that Ocean County has experienced. The unintended consequences to infrastructure, services and quality of life must be evaluated and planned for the long term.

Issues:

1 Openness and inclusion in county government.
2. Unrestrained spending and lack of respect for taxpayer money.
3. Poorly managed development and traffi congestion.

Grassroots Support:

If every Democrat in Ocean County wants change, we will win!

DFA Values:

I believe that the Freeholders policy of setting a budget increase target equal to the sum of inflation plus growth is profoundly irresponsible. The Freeholders can mask their profligate spending as a tax rate reduction because of the significantly increased number of households to which to spread the spending increase. This is irresponsible.

In 25+ years in corporate budgeting, we worked hard to absorb inflation and growth. I've learned to make difficult choices and trade-offs. I believe that our government entities should be as efficient, effective and productive as we must be in our own lives, as corporations and small businesses must be, and as I have been in all my business experience.

As for social positions, I offer as an example, a letter-to-the-editor that I wrote several months ago condemning the Freeholders as cowards for their stand on benefits to the same-sex partner of a terminally ill County employee.