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The United States presidential election casts a giant shadow over contests taking place in New Jersey at the state and municipal levels; the outcome of that face-off will have far-reaching consequences for the future of the nation.
But that’s not to say there aren’t interesting — and important — races in the state at governmental levels below the presidency.
The campaign for the U.S. Senate seat once held by Democrat Bob Menendez features a Cape May County businessman, Curtis Bashaw, running against a three-term congressman, Rep. Andy Kim of the 3rd District.
Bashaw, noted for spearheading the restoration of Congress Hall, breaks from the Republican party norm in supporting a national bill to guarantee a woman’s right to an abortion and publicly defended the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision to protect same-sex marriage nationwide. His bid for election was featured in a New York Times article, giving rare national attention to Cape May County.
Kim, who is also a strong supporter of abortion, is keying his campaign on lowering costs for residents. He worked in national security in the State Department during the Obama administration.
In the 2nd Congressional District contest, Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew is opposed by Cape May County businessman Joe Salerno. Van Drew, once a county commissioner and mayor of Dennis Township, is seeking a fourth term. Salerno is a Lower Township resident who defeated three other hopefuls in the Democratic primary even though he did not have party organization backing.
At the county level in Cape May, there are no contested races, but five municipalities will see competition for offices on Nov. 5, set up in most cases by incumbents who decided not to run again. The traditional lack of Democratic nominees in the county has left a handful of municipal races uncontested, with Republican candidates, mostly incumbents, on the ballot.
Additionally, 40 school board seats are up for election across the 17 municipal school districts in the county on Election Day. Seven of the districts – Dennis Township, Lower Township Elementary, Lower Cape May Regional, Middle Township, Stone Harbor, Upper Township and Woodbine – have contested elections. There are two districts without enough candidates for all the seats available.
Perhaps the most interesting of the board of education races are in Middle and Dennis townships, where voters last month overwhelmingly turned back ballot measures to add more funds to the districts’ budgets and raise taxes. There are multiple candidates in each town, with three seats open in each. Four of the six incumbents whose terms are up are running again.
Following are capsules on the contested races for municipal government offices and for school board seats in the county.
MUNICIPAL RACES
Cape May
Mayor Zach Mullock is running unopposed for reelection, but the City Council has one open seat, with four candidates contending for it: Lori Schwartz, a real estate agent; Steve Bodnar, a member of the Zoning Board and of the city’s Municipal Taxation and Revenue Advisory Committee; Joell Perez, who grew up in Cape May because his father was in the Coast Guard and who then returned to the city in 2021, and Mark DiSanto, a vocal advocate for a marina district within city limits.
Cape May Point
All three commission seats are up for grabs, with four hopefuls. The top three vote-getters will get a seat, and the three will then decide who will be mayor. Running for the three posts are Anita VanHeeswyk, the deputy mayor; Catherine Busch, a current commissioner, and challengers Elise Geiger and Susan C. Yunghans.
North Wildwood
Two City Council seats are open, but only one, representing Ward 1, is being contested. In that race incumbent James “Jimmer” Kane is seeking another three-year term. He is being challenged again by Maria Mattera, who ran unsuccessfully against him in 2022.
Stone Harbor
Longtime Mayor Judith Davies-Dunhour announced in February that she would not seek reelection; two candidates are vying for her spot. The mayor does not vote at Borough Council meetings except to break a tie. Running for the seat are council member Tim Carney, a volunteer with the Stone Harbor Fire Company, and Robert Ross, the owner of local construction firm Ross General Construction.
Woodbine
The Borough Council has two spots open for which there are three challengers, in a partisan election. Two Republican incumbents, Barbara Prettyman and Joseph Johnson, are seeking reelection and are being challenged by Democrat Julia Hankerson.
A sixth municipality, Upper Township, originally had three candidates competing for two seats on the Township Committee, but according to a published report one of them, Anthony Inserra, running as an independent in the partisan election, has withdrawn from the race, leaving cousins Zachary and Samuel Palombo, Republicans, unchallenged for the posts. However, the report said, Inserra did not withdraw in time to have his name removed from the ballot.
SCHOOL BOARD RACES
Dennis Township School District
Five candidates running for three spots on the nine-person board, each for a three-year term. Two of the five candidates are incumbents Mariam Khan and Tami Kern; both supported the defeated referendum measure in their district. The seat occupied by Kristi Siekierski is also up, but she is not listed as a candidate on the November ballot. The three others vying for seats on the board are John Costanzo, Steven Gurdgiel and Blaine Paynter.
Lower Township Elementary School District
Four candidates are seeking three seats on the nine-member school board; all terms are three years. Three of the four candidates are incumbents, Monica DeVito, Patricia Smith and Lindsey Selby; the fourth candidate is James “Coach JR” Morris.
Lower Cape May Regional School District
Three candidates are vying for two spots on the board representing Lower Township. There is also one open seat on the board representing Cape May City. In the regional school system, each board seat is elected by voters from the municipality that seat will represent. The overall board has nine members, all serving three-year terms. Seats are based on population, with seven going to Lower Township, one to Cape May City and one to West Cape May. All three municipalities also have their own boards of education for their own school districts.
The seat on the board representing Cape May City has incumbent Harry F. Sundstrom running unopposed. The two seats representing Lower Township are being contested by four candidates, incumbents Roy Abrams Jr. and Kelly Cronin and challengers Violanda (V. Adams) DiRenzo-Adams and Glenn Douglass.
Middle Township School District
Seven candidates are running for three positions on the nine-member board; all seek three-year terms. Two of the candidates are incumbents, Stephanie Thomas, who serves as current board president, and Kathleen Orlando; Thomas supported the rejected referendum measure, Orlando did not. Board member George DeLollis is not seeking reelection. The five other candidates are Samuel Caraballo Jr., Lindsey Tyler DeLollis, Linda George, Krista Ostrander and Lauren Keating Wear.
Stone Harbor Board of Education
The board is part of the jointly administered Avalon Stone Harbor Schools. Stone Harbor has a five-member board with two seats open in the election; there are three candidates. The terms are three years. Incumbent Margaret Day seeks reelection, but Robert A. Ross is not running again. The two others seeking posts are Kara Sweet and Elizabeth Hodges.
Upper Township School District
Five candidates are competing for three seats on the nine-member board. Only one incumbent is seeking reelection, Brian Teeney. Both Frances T. Newman and William M. Holmes are not running again. The four other candidates are Earl “Bud” Smith, Donald J. Polo, Andrew Shawl and Thomas Tyrell, the latter three running as a team.
Woodbine School District
Four candidates are seeking three board seats on the nine-member board; all terms are three years. Two incumbents, Wanda Young and Alicia Larcombe, seek reelection; board member Gregory Hudgins is not seeking another term. The other two candidates are Harold H. Harris and Erica Moffitt.
West Wildwood and Wildwood each have an open seat for which no one filed. In West Wildwood, incumbent Lori Perloff is not seeking reelection. In Wildwood, there are two other three-year seats open; the candidates are both incumbents, Ernie Troiano III and Roberta-Joy M. Taylor. Edward Harshaw did not file for reelection.
This article was written by Collin Hall with assistance from reporters Christopher South and Vince Conti. Contact him at 609-886-8600, ext. 156, or via chall@cmcherald.com
