EXPERIENCED, RESULTS- DRIVEN LEADERSHIP

Ray Coxe – Democrat for Medford Twp. Council

With over 25 years of public-sector service, Ray has a track record of proven, results-driven leadership. He has served his community in a number of capacities from the Planning Board, Housing Authority, Charter Study Commission, to the Board of Education. Ray brings an unmatched level of experience which will serve our Township well.

Ray and his family moved to Medford for the sense of community, open space, and the small-town feel that touches all those who come to know and love Medford Township.

Raymond ‘Ray’ Coxe, age 46, moved to Medford Twp. in 2021. He resides in Medford with his husband, Patrick, and his two sons ages 13 and 11. Ray has his Certificate in Advanced Graduate Studies from Northeastern University; Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Drexel University; and Bachelors Degree in Political Science from Rutgers University. Ray is currently the Chief Operating Officer and Board Secretary for the Camden City School District.

Although this is Ray’s first time running for Council, he has previously run for, and was elected for the Board of Education in his hometown of Gloucester City as well as the City’s Charter Study Commission. While serving, Ray was elected by his peers to serve as Vice-President of the Board of Education and Vice-Chair of the Charter Study Commission. In addition to serving in these elected capacities, Ray has served his community on the Planning Board and Housing Authority. He currently serves as a committee person for District 2 in Medford.

Ray chose to run for Medford Twp. Council for two main reasons:

He believes the quality of communication between the Township Council and residents could be more open, factual, and transparent.
He sees many opportunities to enhance the quality of life for Medford residents through improvements to parks and recreation, streetscapes, trash pick-up, and traffic.

If elected, one main area of concentration for Ray is development in Medford Twp. While acknowledging Medford is required to meet its affordable housing obligations under COAH and the Mt. Laurel decision, it is his desire to look at alternative methods to meeting those obligations, such as using current housing stock in the Township, rather than focusing on new development.

Additionally, Ray would like to see an increase in the minimum area necessary to build new housing, increasing to a minimum area of ¾ to 1-acre. Finally, Ray is committed to bringing transparency to Council to ensure residents know and understand the actions taken by Mayor and Council.

Ray hopes to bring his background and experience to Council to be a new voice, representative of all residents in Medford.

About Ray Coxe

What Does Experienced, Results-Driven Leadership Mean?

Experience

Ray has been elected and/or appointed to the following:

Municipal Planning Board
Municipal Housing Authority
- Governor’s appointee
Charter Study Commission
- Served as Vice-Chairperson
Board of Education
- Elected Vice-President by his peers

In Ray’s professional life:

26 years of public service
Developed balanced school district budgets below the tax levy cap
Prepared bids and Requests for Proposals for public bidding
Led the marketing and sale of a former public-school building.

Results-Driven

Developed and currently leading $69 million capital improvement program to school district facilities. The largest capital investment in the school district in more than a decade.
Leading the school district from a negative fund balance when he came to the district to ending FY23 with an approximate fund balance of $40 million.
Leading a transportation initiative which is resulting in projected savings of $4.3 million.
Developing and proposing annual school district budgets which are below the statutory tax levy cap.
Development of various bid specifications which result in penalties to be paid by a vendor for failure to meet the terms of the public bid.
Leading the district to a passing Fiscal score in a recent State monitoring.
Lobbied and collaborated with municipal, county and state elected officials for school facility projects to create equity for students.

Pillars of the Campaign

Committed To

Transparency

All actions taken by the Mayor and Council should be properly vetted, advertised, and discussed with the Medford Twp. Community. Residents should not be learning of issues after action has been taken.

Development

Utilize Farmland and Open-Space Preservation funds to protect the open space which Medford is known for. Collaborate with the Department of Community Affairs to undertake a master development plan study.

Recreation

Establish a Department of Recreation to coordinate family fun events in the Township. Establish a concert in the park series to be held in the summer months. Collaborate with local organizations and Main Street Business Association to develop recreational offerings.

Fiscal

Focus on smart-budgeting to hold the municipal tax levy at current level or lower, when possible. Focus on alternative revenue streams such as contractual penalties.

IF ELECTED, Raymond intends to implement Medford 3, to ensure Mayor and Council are Forthright, Focused, and Fiscally Responsible

FORTHRIGHT * FOCUSED * FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE

FORTHRIGHT

Establish transparency for Medford’s Mayor & Council:

Address questions from residents directly
Create dialogue on decision points for Mayor & Council
Conduct roundtable groups to hear directly from residents the issues of concern
End “closed-door deals” such as the sale of Township owned properties
Evaluate the Township website and solicit a redesign to ease navigation and ensure items of interest to residents are easily accessed
Create a dialogue with residents to explain state mandates and the impact on various municipal decisions

FOCUSED

Address quality of life issues that are residents are facing:

Work with County and State partners to develop a robust, sensible development plan
Increase lot requirement sizes the lessen overdevelopment
Establish safe corridors for walking, running, and biking around the Township and on roadways
Examine current traffic patterns and speeds to explore safety options for our crowded roadways
Work with County and State partners to efficiently utilize Farmland and Open Space Trust funds to preserve the quality open spaces that exist in Medford
Hold contracted companies accountable to ensure providing the highest level of municipal services, such as trash collection, to our residents

FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE

Utilize 16 years of public sector budget development on Council:

Examine current shared services and explore potential expansion for greater efficiency
Establish financial penalties in bid specifications for vendors failing to comply with contracted service, ie. failure to pick up trash in accordance with scheduled pick-up days
Collaborate with the school districts in budget development to minimize increases to respective tax levies
Analyze district expenditures to ensure year-end surplus to be utilized to support subsequent year budgets
Utilize budget surpluses to offset the cost of new initiatives such as the creation of Parks & Recreation Department

Ray Coxe