Cumberland Democrats Out for themselves. Not for you.
Higher taxes. Higher electric rates. Politicians who put themselves first.
Higher taxes. Higher electric rates. Politicians who put themselves first.
Cumberland County families work hard, pay their bills, and expect local leaders to do the same. But Ron Franceschini, Joe Pepitone, Larae Smith, and Robert Austino have built a record that raises costs, protects insiders, and puts political careers ahead of taxpayers.
Data Center Ron
Ron Franceschini
Rolled out the red carpet for data centers. Families got the bill.
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High Tax Joe
Joe Pepitone
Wants you to pay more while he pays less.
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High Tax Larae
Larae Smith
Thinks your taxes are too low. Her answer? Raise them.
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Career Politician Bob
Robert Austino
Said three terms. Now he wants six.
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Meet Data Center Democrat Ron FranceschiniRon Franceschini voted to give major development projects like data centers a rate cut—while working families were forced to tighten their belts.
Data centers can demand enormous amounts of power, land, and public infrastructure. Yet instead of putting Vineland families first, Franceschini backed policies that gave large projects special treatment.
Why should families pay more while massive data center projects get a better deal?
Just weeks after taking office, Ron Franceschini voted to give himself a raise.
After putting more money in his own pocket, Franceschini backed higher taxes and electric rates that made life more expensive for Vineland families.
Now he wants voters to reward him with a promotion.
Sources: The Daily Journal, 2/28/2017; The Daily Journal, 3/29/2018; City of Vineland, Ord. No. 2018-17 (legal notice); The Daily Journal, 3/16/2018; “Electric bills to rise for Vineland residents/City Council OKs rate hike starting April 1,” The Daily Journal, 3/29/2018.
Meet High Tax Joe PepitoneJoe Pepitone supported higher taxes on Millville families. But when it came to his own tax obligations, Pepitone failed to meet them.
That is the Cumberland Democrat approach: demand more from taxpayers while playing by different rules themselves.
As a City Commissioner, on his watch:
As a Millville city commissioner, Joe Pepitone was part of a local government that raised taxes by $1.43 million. For homeowners, renters, seniors, and small businesses already dealing with rising costs, those decisions made life more expensive.
Pepitone had a choice: fight for taxpayers or back higher taxes. He chose higher taxes.
Millville families are expected to pay what they owe. So are local businesses. But Joe Pepitone supported higher tax burdens on others while failing to meet his own tax obligations.
Taxpayers deserve leaders who live by the standards they impose on everyone else.
Sources: NJDCA Property Tax Information, 2017–2021; City of Millville, “Tax Rates and Breakdowns”; City of Millville v. Frost Jr., James, et al., In Rem Tax Foreclosure, Superior Court of New Jersey, Chancery Division; City of Millville, “Notice of Lien Sale of Property for Non-Payment of Taxes,” legal notice, The Daily Journal, 8/4/2011, p. C6, ProQuest; City of Millville, “Notice of Lien Sale of Property for Non-Payment of Taxes,” legal notice, The Daily Journal, 7/18/2012, p. C6, ProQuest.
Meet Larae SmithLarae Smith’s answer to Cumberland County’s challenges is simple: ask taxpayers to pay more. As a member of the Commercial Township School Board, Larae voted for a tax increase four times in four years, raising the local levy 15.3%.
But Smith’s own financial record raises a basic question: if she could not balance her own budget, how can voters trust her with Cumberland County’s?
Public records show Larae Smith filed for bankruptcy five times and faced two foreclosures. Those are serious financial problems—and they stand in sharp contrast to her willingness to raise taxes on hardworking families.
Cumberland County needs steady, responsible leadership. It does not need another politician who believes taxpayers should cover the cost of bad decisions.
Families are already paying more for groceries, utilities, housing, and health care. Rather than protect taxpayers, Larae Smith has supported raising taxes.
That may be easy for Smith to say. But for working families, every tax increase means less money for rent, retirement, school supplies, and the weekly grocery bill.
If Larae Smith cannot balance her own budget, she should not control yours.
Sources: Docket, In re Kevin M. Smith and LaRae H. Smith, No. 05-12769 (Bankr. D.N.J. filed 1/31/2005); Docket, In re LaRae H. Smith and Kevin M. Smith, No. 17-12129 (Bankr. D.N.J. filed 2/2/2017); Docket, In re Kevin M. Smith and LaRae H. Smith, No. 19-19266 (Bankr. D.N.J. filed 5/6/2019); Docket, In re Kevin M. Smith and LaRae H. Smith, No. 19-31734 (Bankr. D.N.J. filed 11/19/2019); Docket, In re Kevin M. Smith and LaRae H. Smith, No. 25-17423-JNP (Bankr. D.N.J. filed 7/15/2025); Foreclosure docket, No. F-042202-14 (N.J. Super. Ct. Ch. Div., Cumberland Cnty., filed 10/8/2014), via NJ eCourts Public Access; Foreclosure docket, No. SWC-F-004915-24 (N.J. Super. Ct. Ch. Div., Cumberland Cnty., filed 5/14/2024), via NJ eCourts Public Access; Commercial Township Board of Education, Meeting Minutes, 5/2/2023, p. 3; Commercial Township Board of Education, Meeting Minutes, 5/7/2024, pp. 1–2; Commercial Township Board of Education, Meeting Minutes, 5/6/2025, pp. 1–2; Commercial Township Board of Education, Meeting Minutes, 5/5/2026, pp. 2–3.
Meet Bob Austino: A career politicianRobert “Bob” Austino made promises to voters. Then he broke them.
He said he would serve only three terms. Now he wants a sixth. He said he did not need the full sheriff’s salary because he already had a pension. Once reelected, he took both.
Bob Austino told voters he would serve only three terms. That promise was clear. But now, after years in office, Austino wants another term—and a sixth term overall.
For Austino, term limits were apparently for everyone except Austino.
Austino told voters he did not need the full sheriff’s salary because he already collected a pension. Once back in office, he took both.
That is not public service. That is a career politician looking out for himself.
Bob Austino has had every opportunity to honor his word. Instead, he broke his term-limit promise and collected both a public salary and pension.
Cumberland County deserves a sheriff focused on serving the public—not extending a political career.
Bob Austino is not running to keep a promise. He is running to reclaim power, collect another paycheck, and put himself first.
Sources: The Daily Journal, 4/25/2012; The Daily Journal, 11/4/2011.