Voice Your Choice: Virginia Ruiz Betteridge, Camden County Commissioners
Photo of Virginia Ruiz Betteridge courtesy of Camden County Government.
EDITOR’S NOTE: VOICE YOUR CHOICE is an ongoing feature that spotlights political candidates of color who are running for office in South Jersey on Nov. 8. If you have a suggestion for candidates to feature, contact editor Clyde Hughes at clyde.hughes@yahoo.com.
By Clyde Hughes | AC JosepH Media
RUNNEMEDE — History-making elected official Virginia Ruiz Betteridge is seeking to be elected to the Camden County Commissioners seat she was appointed to in June to replace Carmen Rodriguez.
Betteridge, an immigrant of Havana, Cuba with her parents, made history in 2005 when she became the first Latina mayor of any city in New Jersey when she was elected to lead Runnemade, where she served five year.
Betteridge immigrated to Gloucester City with her family as a child and is bilingual in Spanish. She spent more than 16 years of her life in the fields of medicine, human services and local government.
A graduate of Gloucester City High School in 1979, she started volunteering as a candy striper for Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center in Camden. She then went on to serve as a program coordinator and community project coordinator for the medical center from 1989 to 1995.
In 1994, Betteridge set her sights on serving the community by running for and ultimately being elected to serve as a member on the Runnemede Borough Council.
Currently, Betteridge is a licensed realtor employed by Weichert Realtors in Haddonfield.
Being able to serve Camden County as a commissioner has been a dream of Betteridge as she strives to show other women and immigrants that they can make meaningful, impactful and positive contributions to their communities.
Betteridge is an advocate for those who are underrepresented in society and hopes that her accomplishments in local government will blaze a trail for generations to come.
Follow Us Today On:
Subscribe to FRNJ EXTRA premium content newsletter for exclusive information on this event and other premium content, courtesy of Front Runner New Jersey.com.
Note from AC JosepH Media: If you like this story and others posted on Front Runner New Jersey.com, lend us a hand so we can keep producing articles like these for New Jersey and the world to see. Click onSUPPORT FRNJ and make a contribution that will do directly in making more stories like this available. Thank you for reading.
About Author
