STONE HARBOR – Councilman Tim Carney was successful in his bid to win the mayor’s chair, beating rival Robert Ross, a local businessman, by 31 votes in a low-turnout election.
Carney came to the Borough Council when he was elected to the seat previously held by Reese Moore, whom Carney and Councilwoman Robin Casper bested in the Republican primary.
One year later Carney opted to run for the mayor’s office, effectively giving up his vote on the governing body. In Stone Harbor’s form of government, the mayor can only vote to break a tie. Current Mayor Judith Davies-Dunhour announced in February that she would not seek reelection.
Carney, a Stone Harbor resident for 15 years, has a degree in finance from Penn State and has worked in the health-care technology industry. His path to the council included two years of service on the Zoning Board of Adjustment.
As a long-standing volunteer in the borough’s Fire Department, Carney has publicly stated his opposition to any plans to create a shared-service department with neighboring Avalon. The issue of shared services will almost certainly be debated in 2025 as the borough seeks to deal with a tight budget in which the state’s appropriation cap provides it with little flexibility.
In August the borough authorized a study by the state’s Local Assistance Bureau that will look for ways to increase efficiency and lower operating costs. Based on a presentation made to the council, a major focus of the Local Assistance Bureau’s work will be on shared-service arrangements, including those for public safety departments, fire, EMS and police.
Another area of concern for the new mayor will be the studies the council recently approved that focus on the potential establishment of a stormwater utility in the borough. Championed by borough Administrator Manny Parada, the studies could cost as much as the $375,000 set aside for them in the 2024 budget. When the council voted to move ahead with an analysis of the pros and cons of such a utility, Carney was one of two no votes. The other came from Casper.
The election result in the race for mayor came with one of the lowest turnouts in the borough since pre-pandemic days. Unofficial results show 476 votes cast in the mayor’s race compared with 754 in the 2023 General Election and 686 in 2022. Carney defeated Ross, 251 votes to 220. There were five write-in votes.
The Stone Harbor election also saw council members Jennifer Gensemer and Francis Dallahan reelected to their governing body seats. Both ran unopposed.
Dallahan currently serves as the council president, a position for which a council member is selected annually by the full council. Gensemer is the current chair of the council’s Administration and Finance Committee.
Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.
