Cape May Voters Shoot Down More Meters

CAPE MAY- Voters here showed their opposition to two ordinances that would have installed more meters in the city and created more parking spaces along the beachfront in a special election Wed. Sept. 8
A question of meters on the east side of town was defeated 462 to 234.
The question of back-in angle parking spaces lost 516-177. Voter turnout citywide was 34 percent.
The ordinances would have expanded existing parking meter zones along both sides of Beach, Wilmington, Madison, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Brooklyn avenues. Back-in angle parking spaces would be created along Beach Avenue to include nine blocks on the west end of town and seven primarily residential blocks in the east side of Cape May.
A total of 54 mail-in ballots were received. The additional parking meters question vote was 33 no with 21 yes on mail in ballots. The back in parking space ordinance question received 30 no votes and 23 yes votes on mail-ins.
Turnout was heavy in Districts 5 and 6. Voter turnout was low in District 3 which included Victorian Towers.
Mayor Edward J, Mahaney Jr. told the Herald it was apparent most of the voters did not feel comfortable extending parking meters into East Cape May.
“It was city council’s intention to install those meters as a sense of fairness since we already had such parking meters throughout Beach Drive in the rest of town,” he said.
The mayor said the idea of back-in angle parking came as a proposal from the county as a measure for the city to gain about 300 additional parking spaces on the beachfront. He said the measure would have lessened traffic congestion.
“It is obvious from the voter turnout that many of our voters felt uncomfortable learning how to park with a 60 degree back-in angle strategy and didn’t want to learn that at this stage of their lives,” said Mahaney.
The meters in East Cape May and additional parking spaces would have brought the city an additional $150,000 in revenue to help the city provide the same level of services in 2011 despite a 2 percent state property tax cap.
Jim Testa, spokesman for Friends and Neighbors of East Cape May, Inc. (FAN-ECM) a group opposed to installing parking meters in a section of the city that has not previously had meters, said he was pleased with the results of the special election. The group held two petition drives that led to the voter referendum and also sued the city.
Testa said it appeared the group clearly explained the ramifications of the ordinances to the town as a whole. He said the results of the election would end FAN-ECM’s lawsuit against the city.
On June 10, Superior Court Judge Valerie Armstrong issued a decision upholding the group’s right to have two Cape May City parking meter ordinances submitted to voter referendum.
Jerry Gaffney, a member of FAN-ECM and a former mayor of the city, said a large part of the defeat of the ordinances could be attributed to a letter sent to voters by the City of Cape May days before the election which he called a political ploy by the council and mayor. He said the letter hurt the city’s cause to install more meters and spaces.