Dear Friends and Neighbors, I would very much appreciate your vote on November 8. For those of you who don’t know me, I am a proud 1981 PHS graduate, having lived most of my life in Pitman. I have had the honor of serving my community for over 30 years. As the owner of Premier Accounting Services here in Pitman, I have brought my knowledge and experience as a CPA to Borough Council. I have been married to my wife, Maureen, for 32 years, and we have raised our five grown children in this community that we love. I served as past President of the Gloucester County Networkers, former Chairman of the Pitman Economic Development Committee, past President of the Greater Pitman Chamber of Commerce, past President of the Greater Woodbury Jaycees, and past President of Gloucester County Foster and Adoptive Services. I have had the opportunity to love and care for many children in the system, including my oldest son whom we adopted as a young child. I have also helped many families navigate the complex world of mental health and addiction services. Too many families are affected by this and need a road map of how to help their loved ones. I currently serve as Vice Chairman of Franklin Bank, following my time as Vice Chairman of Colonial Bank. I have been fortunate to use all of these experiences and knowledge to assist in our local municipal budgets, leading to no increase in municipal taxes in 2020, 2021, and 2022. I have been involved in the revitalization of Pitman since 2008, serving as President of the Chamber of Commerce for 4 years, and Chairman of the Pitman Economic Development Committee for 3 years. During that time, we implemented the incredibly popular Fourth Fridays, music festivals, Tour de Pitman Bicycle Race and many other events. Our committee raised over $50,000 for the Theatre Avenue pocket park that many people enjoy every day. As a member of Council since 2020, I have worked  with council on the former Sony property in an effort to have it developed. We have had many meetings with the owners of the property, potential developers, and with Rowan University. Because of the many hours of hard work, the former Sony property is now under contract. I have worked with the zoning and code enforcement officers on addressing the abandoned houses around our community. Working with the Administrator and Solicitor, we sold tax lien certificates in 2021 for three abandoned houses. These actions led to the house on East and Second Avenues getting a new owner who will soon demolish and construct a new home. The other two should soon follow. This will prevent these vacant properties from being eyesores in their neighborhoods and put them back on the tax rolls. As an avid cyclist, I have done many charity bike-a-thons every year -- including the MS 150 for which I have raised thousands of dollars. It is this love of cycling that has ignited a passion in me to work with Sustainable Pitman and the Borough Engineer to apply for grants for the Bicycle and Pedestrian plan that was completed a few years ago. I am happy to report that because of this work, we have received $65,000 in grants towards this goal. Our goal is to get Pitman more bicycle and pedestrian friendly at no cost to the taxpayers. As the liaison to Sustainable Pitman, we are working on a bike path that will connect the future "dinosaur trail" from Carew Avenue to Uptown Pitman then back to the trail through Ceres Park in Mantua. My goal has always been to see Pitman continue to improve and to create a welcoming environment to all and one that draws people in to visit and establish roots in our community. Although we have made great strides, our work is not done. We need to continue to work on the issues that impact our town. Parking in our business district is one of those issues. It is also vital that we do not fall victim to overwhelming college rental housing in our neighborhoods as has happened in a neighboring community. It is our sense of community and the support for our town from our residents that is so unique in our area and nation today. I ask that you give me the opportunity to continue this work by electing me to another term on Borough Council. If you have any questions, please reach me at john.fitzpatrick@pitman.org Respectfully yours,  Council President John Fitzpatrick