Forty-one of the state’s 564 municipalities hold their municipal elections in the spring despite changes in state law that allow them to switch to the general election in November. This year Sea Isle City and Avalon will hold elections May 13 for seats on the municipal governing bodies.
In Sea Isle City, five candidates will vie for three open seats on the City Council. It represents the first time in over a year that Sea Isle will see a contested local election.
In Avalon, three incumbents are seeking reelection to new terms on the Borough Council. They are all running unopposed.
Both towns have nonpartisan local governments. Ocean City also holds its municipal elections in the spring every two years, in the off year from Avalon and Sea Isle City.
Sea Isle City
In Sea Isle’s contested election, two incumbents, joined by a former city official, are facing a challenge from two new candidates running together under the slogan “Fresh Faces – Fresh Ideas.”
The incumbents, Mary Tighe and J.B. Feeley, have teamed with former police Capt. Michael Jargowsky, who is running for the seat being vacated by Jack Gipson, who is not seeking reelection.
The opposition comes from real estate professional Ian Ciseck and retired teacher and coach Steven Cossaboon.
Uncontested previous elections have had low voter turnout. In 2021, when Tighe and Feeley last won reelection to the council, only 14% of the eligible voters cast ballots. The November elections generally see more than 40% of voters casting ballots. In the 2021 November elections, which included the race for governor, the turnout was 63%.
Avalon
The three incumbent council members seeking reelection unopposed are Mari Coskey, Greg Johnson and Jamie McDermott, who are running together.
Coskey, currently council president, has been a member of the governing body since 2021. Outside of her role as an elected official, she serves as a coordinator for special education services in the borough school district and as the district’s speech language pathologist.
Johnson came to the council from the Planning and Zoning Board in 2023. He was appointed to fill the vacancy created when John McCorristin stepped down to successfully run for mayor.
McDermott, like Coskey, came to the council in 2021. He holds a law degree from Widener University and served as an assistant district attorney for the City of Philadelphia. Like Johnson, McDermott began his public service in Avalon on the Planning and Zoning Board.
The turnout among registered voters for the May elections in Avalon in 2023 was 28%, while the turnout for the general election in November that year was more than 40%.
Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.
