With the passing last week of the deadline for candidates for municipal offices to get onto the Nov. 5 general election ballot, those ballots have rounded into shape in Cape May County.
At the top is the presidential race, with tickets headed by Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris. There are nine other candidates who have qualified to be on the county ballot, including representatives of parties as diverse as the Green Party, the Socialist Workers Party and the Libertarian Party. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a presidential candidate for a time, has dropped out of the race. In 2020 Donald Trump carried Cape May County with 57% of the vote compared to 41% for Joe Biden.
In the election for U.S. Senate, Democrat Andy Kim and Republican Curtis Bashaw are seeking to replace Bob Menendez, who stepped down from the Senate last week following his conviction for bribery and acting as a foreign agent for Egypt. Kim, D-3, bested Tammy Murphy, Gov. Phil Murphy’s wife, in a struggle for his party’s nomination. Bashaw is a Cape May County businessman and hotelier. The race also includes four third-party candidates.
The race for the Second District seat in the House of Representatives offers a choice between two candidates who call Cape May County home. Incumbent Republican Jeff Van Drew is seeking reelection to a seat he first won in 2018 when long-serving Rep. Frank LoBiondo stepped down after 25 years of service. Van Drew is a resident of Dennis Township.
He is opposed by Democrat Joseph Salerno, a businessman from Lower Township who narrowly defeated Tim Alexander in the primary. Alexander had been the Democrats’ candidate who lost to Van Drew two years ago. Salerno was helped in the primary battle by a strong showing among Cape May County Democratic voters. The race also includes a third-party candidate.
As to county offices, one seat is open on the Board of County Commissioners. Commissioner Director Leonard Desiderio, a Republican who holds that seat, is running unopposed for reelection. Desiderio, who is also the mayor of Sea Isle City, is grandfathered under the 2007 New Jersey law that otherwise would forbid dual office-holding. He was first elected mayor of Sea Isle in 1993 and joined the county commission in 2002.
Six municipalities will have contested elections on Nov. 5, set up in most cases by incumbents who decided not to run again. The traditional lack of Democratic nominees has left a handful of municipal races uncontested, with Republican candidates, mostly incumbents, on the ballot.
Cape May City — The City Council seat left open by Michael Yeager’s decision to step down has drawn four candidates vying for the position. The four candidates are Stephen Bodnar, a Zoning Board member; Mark DiSanto, an unsuccessful candidate for council on three previous attempts; Joell Perez, who grew up in the city as part of a Coast Guard family; and Lori Schwartz, a real estate agent. Mayor Zachary Mullock is running for reelection unopposed. Cape May City elections are nonpartisan.
Cape May Point — The retirement of current Mayor Robert Moffatt has led to a four-person race for the three seats on the Board of Commissioners. Incumbents Anita VanHeeswyk and Catherine Busch are seeking reelection. The two other candidates are Elise Geiger, president of the Cape May Point Taxpayers Association, and Suzanne Yunghans, a longtime borough resident of the borough. The three winners then select a mayor from among themselves. Cape May Point elections are nonpartisan.
North Wildwood — The First Ward seat on the City Council is being contested by Republican incumbent James Kane and challenger Maria Mattera, who ran unsuccessfully for the council in 2022. In the Second Ward, Republican incumbent Joseph Rullo is running unopposed for reelection.
Stone Harbor — The mayor’s job is up for grabs and being contested, as current Mayor Judith Davies-Dunhour is not seeking reelection. Borough Council member Tim Carney, a Republican, is opposed by independent Robert Ross, a local business owner. Also, council incumbents Bernadette “Bunny” Parzych and council President Frank Dallahan, both Republicans, are running unopposed for reelection.
Upper Township — Cousins Zachary Palombo and Samuel Palombo are the Republican candidates for two open seats on the Township Committee after defeating Mayor Jay Newman and Deputy Mayor Kim Hayes in the Republican primary in June. They are opposed by Anthony Inserra, a past member of the committee, who is running as an independent. Inserra has run as a Republican in the past.
Woodbine Borough — Two open seats on the Borough Council are being contested. Republican incumbent Joseph E. Johnson III and Barbara Prettyman are opposed by Democrat Julia Hankerson. Hankerson is a licensed clinical social worker in Woodbine who ran unsuccessfully for county commissioner in 2022.
Dennis Township — Republican incumbent Frank L. Germanio Jr. is running unopposed for reelection to the Township Committee.
Middle Township — Republican Deputy Mayor Theron “Ike” Gandy is unopposed seeking reelection to the Township Committee.
Lower Township — Mayor Frank Sippel and Second Ward Councilman Kevin Coombs, both Republicans, are seeking reelection without opposition to the Township Council.
West Wildwood — Commissioner John Banning is not seeking reelection. All three seats on the Borough Commission are open; the election is uncontested. Two incumbents, Mayor Matthew Ksiazek and Joseph Segrest Jr., are joined by Jane DeMattia in seeking the seats. West Wildwood elections are nonpartisan.
Three Cape May County municipalities do not have offices up for election in November because they elect their officials in May. The three are Ocean City, Sea Isle City and Avalon.
Three other towns could have offices on the ballot in the General Election but this year do not. They are Wildwood, Wildwood Crest and West Cape May.
When the general election includes the selection of the next president, there is usually a strong voter turnout. In 2020, Cape May County saw 78% of eligible voters cast ballots. A high turnout is expected again this year.
A complete list of all candidates for all positions is available on the Cape May County Votes website.
Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.
