Atlantic Democrats Announce Freeholder Candidates

(MARGATE) Today, three Democrats announced their candidacies for Atlantic County Freeholder.

Celeste Fernandez will run for Atlantic County Freeholder-at-Large. An immigrant from the Dominican Republic, Celeste came to this country with nothing but work ethic and the drive to succeed. Now, Celeste is a U.S. citizen and the owner of her own insurance business in Pleasantville, Fernandez Services LLC. She is an actively involved in advocating for Pleasantville’s Main Street business community and helps newly-naturalized citizens become acclimated in the Atlantic County community. She lives in Egg Harbor Township and is a proud grandmother.

Maureen Leidy will run for District 2 Freeholder, which is mostly made up of the downbeach communities of Chelsea, Chelsea Heights, Ventnor, Margate, and Longport as well as the mainland communities of Northfield, Linwood, and Somers Point. A former domestic violence counselor, Maureen has a long history of working in the nonprofit sector, including the Pew Charitable Trusts and the John Templeton Foundation. She currently works in the administrative offices of the Inspira Health Network and lives in Ventnor.

Barbara Butterhof-Rheault will run for District 5 Freeholder, which is the western end of Atlantic County, including Hammonton, Buena Vista Township, Mullica Township, Egg Harbor City, and roughly half of Hamilton Township. Barbara is a STEM teacher in the Mullica Township School District and leads the Mullica Township Education Association. Barbara is also a Mullica Township Committeewoman, where she serves as the Director of Public Safety. During her time on Township Committee, Barbara has fought to maintain services and hold the line on tax increases.

“The people of Atlantic County want public servants who will roll up their sleeves and make Atlantic County a better place to live and work,” said Fernandez, Leidy, and Butterhof-Rheault. “As Freeholders, we’ll work to increase educational and employment opportunities for our residents as well as make Atlantic County a more affordable place to live for middle-class families and seniors.”

Fernandez, Leidy, and Butterhof-Rheault will seek the endorsement of the Atlantic County Democratic Committee at its nominating convention this Sunday, March 18. Any members of the media wishing to attend the convention must RSVP by emailing info@atlanticdemocrats.com.