Hurricane Sandy’s Ill Wind Pushes Jersey Shore Resident into Politics

Frustration over slow pace of recovery efforts prompts woman to run for township committee seat

Tracey Samuelson | May 23, 2014 | Sandy

Credit: Tracey Samuelson WHYY/NewsWorks
Lisa Stevens greets fellow Democrats at a recent party meeting in Little Egg Harbor.
She doesn’t particularly want to be called a politician. And the only elected office she’s ever held was when she was vice president of her college’s psychology club.

So what’s Lisa Stevens doing running for a seat on the Little Egg Harbor Township Committee?

Blame it on Sandy. The former social worker — like many Shore residents, frustrated by the slow pace of recovery and rebuilding efforts — felt the township committee was being ineffective in its response to the needs of the community.

So she’s taking matters into her own hands, seeking elective office for the first time and using this slogan: “Citizens, not politicians.

Read and listen to the full report by Tracey Samuelson of WHYY/NewsWorks, a partner of NJ Spotlight.

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