PETERSBURG – Upper Township Engineer Paul Dietrich is heading to the City of Cape May to become the city’s director of land use, a new position that places him over the construction office, planning and zoning, and other areas of engineering, Cape May Mayor Zach Mullock confirmed.
Dietrich is expected to be confirmed as the new director by Cape May City Council May 16. He will remain on staff in Upper Township until the end of June.
Upper Township Mayor Jay Newman complimented Dietrich on his many years of service to the township.
“Paul was great to us for many, many years. He did a great job, but it’s time to move on and he’s heading to the City of Cape May,” Newman said.
Mullock, speaking by phone May 12, said the city was eager to be able to hire Dietrich with all he brings to the table.
“We jumped at the chance to have someone with the depth of knowledge and experience that Paul brings with him,” Mullock said.
Mullock said the council members discussed how best to fill a void by departing Deputy City Manager Lou Belasco, who is leaving to take a position at the Wildwoods Convention Center.
Belasco, whom Mullock described as “our everything,” also served as the city’s tax assessor. Mullock said Dietrich would handle a lot of matters that Belasco handled as deputy city manager.
He said he was very pleased to meet with Dietrich and sees him as a good fit in the city and who would be a positive presence in the construction office.
City Manager Mike Voll said Dietrich will be working with Public Works and the Water and Sewer departments and on the city’s flood management plan. He was pleased that Dietrich had experience with beach maintenance, as well.
“And he seems very anxious to get to know the community,” Voll said.
Mullock said Dietrich would not be replacing the contracted engineers in that he would not be designing buildings and such projects but would be an asset to the city in the role of a construction manager.
As a municipal engineer who is a city employee, Dietrich was something of a rarity in Cape May County, where most towns hire an engineering firm as a consultant.
“That’s true – there are not many in Cape May County,” Dietrich said.
Dietrich said there were few towns in neighboring Atlantic County that have an engineer on staff. Dietrich said he was appointed Upper Township’s engineer in April 1999 before being hired as a full-time employee.
He said he would remain a public employee and will be able to retire in another five years. He said he sees value in the township having its own staff engineer.
“It’s doing work for the township but it’s also being a resource for the community – being available to answer questions five days a week,” he said.
Newman said over the next few weeks, the township would define what it wants out of the next engineer and determine if it would hire a replacement or go with a firm, as most towns do.
Dietrich raised his family in Dennis Township before moving back to Ocean City about six years ago. He said his daughter wanted to graduate from Ocean City High School (OCHS). Dietrich is a 1987 graduate of OCHS. His father also graduated from there.
Contact the author, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or 609-886-8600, ext. 128.
