SEA ISLE CITY – Sea Isle City will have a contested municipal election this year: Two incumbents, joined by a former city official, will face off against a slate of two candidates running under the slogan “Fresh Faces – Fresh Ideas.”
Incumbents Mary Tighe and J.B. Feeley, who are seeking new terms, are teaming with Michael Jargowsky, who is running for the seat being vacated by incumbent Jack Gibson, who is not seeking reelection.
Their opposition in the May 13 election is real estate professional Ian Ciseck and retired teacher and coach Steven Cossaboon. No other candidates filed to run by the petition deadline.
Jargowsky, a Sea Isle native, has served as the city’s emergency management coordinator, a position from which he stepped down in 2024. He is also a retired Sea Isle police captain.
Ciseck and his family have been permanent residents of Sea Isle for more than 20 years. His wife Lauren is a member of the school board. Sea Isle is a non-operating school district whose students go to Ocean City schools as part of an arrangement between the municipalities.
Cossaboon and his family were summer visitors to the city for more than a decade before committing to full-time residence three years ago. He spent his years as an educator at Haddon Township High School in Camden County. His wife Michelle is a teacher in the Margate City School District.
Tighe is seeking her fifth consecutive four-year term; she also served two years on the governing body prior to its change from the commission form of government to the mayor-council form in 2007. Feeley is seeking his third term.
Feeley said that he, Tighe and Jargowsky are running under the banner “Committed to Community. Dedicated to Progress.”
Uncontested previous elections have resulted in small turnout at the polls: In 2021, when Tighe and Feeley last ran for reelection, only 14% of eligible voters cast ballots.
In the city’s mayor-council form of government, the mayor is the chief executive and the council serves as the legislative body for the municipality. Sea Isle City has a permanent population of just over 2,000 but has as many as 40,000 visitors in the summer season.
Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.
