AVALON – Former Avalon Councilman Richard Dean died on Wednesday, Dec. 20. He served on the Avalon governing body from 1987 to 2018. His over 30 years of service as an elected official ran parallel with his lifetime membership in the Avalon Volunteer Fire Department, where he served as chief for over two decades.
He was one with Council members Chuck Covington and Nancy Hudanich, along with former Mayor Martin Pagliughi, who measured their public service in decades.
Dean was a lifelong resident of Cape May County. He lived in Avalon since the age of 4, attending Avalon Elementary School and Middle Township High School.
He was active on various council committees during his long tenure, including public safety, planning and zoning and public works. He traveled to Washington, D.C., several times as part of an Avalon team seeking support for dune and beach projects. He was instrumental in the drafting of the borough’s bulkhead ordinance.
At his retirement for health reasons, effective Nov. 30, 2018, Dean left what Pagliughi called “a legacy of public service in the Borough of Avalon for which the public will benefit for generations to come.”
Contact the author, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.
