Rating Explanation
Yolanda Balicki
Yolanda Garcia Balicki is no stranger to public service or professional leadership. A former Deputy Executive Director of the NJ State Parole Board with over three decades of
government experience, she currently practices immigration law in Vineland and Bridgeton, serves as President of the Cumberland County Bar Association, and has held various
community-facing roles throughout the region.
Which makes it all the more surprising that her current campaign lacks any clear or accessible public-facing materials. As of this writing, there is no campaign website, no
social media outreach, no publicly advertised events, and no updated statements outlining her goals for the Board of Commissioners in 2025.
Despite multiple outreach attempts through known channels, we have received no response from the candidate, and voters have no clear way of learning where she stands on
county-specific issues such as infrastructure development, fiscal priorities, or inter-municipal coordination. The only messaging available comes from her 2021 State Senate
campaign, which, while informative about her character and motivation, cannot be assumed to reflect her current platform for this office.
It’s also important to note: like others in this race, Garcia Balicki works locally and lives within minutes of the communities she would serve. After two years of
systematically trying to gather candidate information from within our own backyard, it should not still be this difficult to hear from those seeking public office.
If a candidate with such a long resume in public systems and community engagement isn’t already proactively informing the public about their vision, it raises concerns about
how seriously they’re taking the responsibility of campaigning in the digital age. As a potential leader, a basic, accessible campaign infrastructure should be a given—not
an afterthought.
That said, this rating is not set in stone. Candidates can improve their transparency score by completing a questionnaire, publishing a campaign site or platform summary, or
agreeing to participate in a recorded interview. This platform exists to inform the public—it is not about chasing scoops or elevating personalities. The goal is simply to
centralize and clarify the information voters deserve.
Speculating that our outreach has ulterior motives misses the mark. It’s 2025, and the burden should not fall on voters or independent platforms to chase down basic
information. The county itself should already have a better process in place for helping residents understand their choices.
For these reasons, Yolanda Garcia Balicki currently receives a below-average rating for transparency and accessibility.
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