Municipal elections in Cape May and Ocean City on May 9 will bring new faces to those shore town governments.
Overall, combined turnout was an amazing 53.86 percent, or 6,152 votes of 11,422 eligible, according to unofficial figures from the Cape May County Clerk’s office.
In Cape May, newcomer Linda Steenrod, president of the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Cape May, garnered the largest share of votes with 623 or 23 percent of votes cast.
Incumbent Niels Favre was reelected drawing 543 votes.
Newcomer David Kurkowski was elected with 510 votes causing the defeat of incumbent Jerry Gaffney who tallied 390 votes. Gaffney, a former mayor, had served on council since 1990.
Former councilman Harry Stutz drew 288 votes, followed by Vincent Scutti with 190 votes and Frederic Spackman with 133 votes. Write-in candidates received five votes.
A total of 2,682 votes were cast.
In Ocean City, with 5,141, where Mayor Bud Knight did not seek reelection, Salvatore Perillo topped the chart with 2,254 votes. That gave him a clear majority over Joseph J. Alessandrine Jr., with 1,995.
Francis J. McCall came in third with 757 votes. Robert Miller received 133.
For the council at large seat, Michael J. Allegretto won with 2,535 votes. Marvin Scott Ping was second with 2,533.
Keith Hartzell came in third with 2,520. John Flood got 2,448, Lawrence M. Carnuccio got 1,686, and Simmitt John Loeper got 1,105.
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