CAPE MAY CITY – Stephen Bodnar is moving up from his position on the Zoning Board of Adjustment to the Cape May City governing body: He won easily in a field of four candidates seeking the council seat being vacated by Michael Yeager, who decided not to seek reelection.

Bodnar billed himself as the only candidate for the position who could “hit the ground running.” As well as serving on the Zoning Board, he is a member of the influential Municipal Taxation and Revenue Advisory Committee, a volunteer citizen-based group that was formed by the council to advise on taxation and revenue issues. The group has had significant success in getting several of its proposals enacted by the council.

Bodnar received 53% of the vote even with four candidates running. His closest competitor was Lori Schwartz, a local real estate agent, who garnered 23% of the vote. Mark “The Captain” DeSanto got 12% in his third attempt to gain a seat on the council. Joell Perez, whose initial introduction to Cape May was as the child of a Coast Guard member deployed to the training center, finished last with 12%, four votes behind DeSanto. Cape May elections are nonpartisan.

Bodnar will join a council that faces some significant challenges even in financially strong Cape May. The city must complete a land swap with the state’s Green Acres Program in order to take ownership of a parcel on which the town intends to build a new police station. It also is actively seeking funding for two major, expensive projects: to extend its sea wall and build a new water desalination plant. The city’s track record at winning needed grant funding is strong.

Mayor Zach Mullock easily won reelection running unopposed for a second term. Mullock had been a member of council in 2020 when he challenged then-mayor Clarence Lear for the mayor’s chair. He won that initial term with 60% of the vote. A major issue in the election involved Lear’s plan for a combined fire and police public safety building, which was countered by Mullock as too expensive.

Mullock’s plan for separate facilities has since seen the construction of a new firehouse on the site of the previous one on Franklin Street and plans for a separate police station on Lafayette Street once the land swap with the state is complete. The land swap and construction of the police station would represent the fulfillment of a promise from Mullock’s 2020 campaign.

Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.