The Cape May County Board of Commissioners appears intent on withdrawing from its long-standing agreement with the Delaware River and Bay Authority, the agency that has managed the Cape May County Airport for more than two decades. This move terminates a stable $1-per-year lease and brings in a new contractor to manage the airport.
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This isn’t just poor governance. It’s a breach of trust.
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Worse, the board appears to be contemplating legal steps to suppress dissent from within – particularly from Commissioner Will Morey, whose deep knowledge of the airport could be invaluable. Rather than welcome his insight, the board treats it as a threat. That should concern every resident of Cape May County.
Morey has strongly objected to the board’s direction. He has called for public discussion and negotiation, urging the board to weigh the costs and benefits before severing ties with the DRBA. His proposal: Renegotiate the lease to meet development goals instead of ending it outright – a path that could save taxpayers significant unnecessary costs. If Morey thinks he may have a shot at a deal, why not try?
The board’s response? Silence and legal intimidation.
They recently floated general arguments suggesting Morey has a conflict of interest and should be excluded from deliberations. (See our story on this topic shortly.) If anything, his experience should make his participation essential.
Commissioner Leonard Desiderio, the board’s director, issued a public statement – read aloud by Commissioner Andrew Bulakowski at a recent meeting – defending the board’s posture and warning against Morey’s involvement. Bulakowski’s delivery came across less as argument and more as institutional silencing.
Meanwhile, the public remains in the dark. We are told the county intends to replace the DRBA with a new contractor. But why make such a significant change with almost no open discussion, public input or economic analysis?
These are not the actions of a board committed to transparency and sound stewardship.
If the board believes ending the DRBA lease is the right choice, it must explain better why. It must show the public the benefits, the risks and the projected costs. It must demonstrate how this decision aligns with the county’s development goals.
Until then, this looks less like governance and more like politics at its worst: opaque, vindictive and self-protective.
To date, the board has shared no financial analysis, no comparative options and no explanation of what taxpayers can expect to pay under a new arrangement.
The agency they seek to oust – the DRBA – has invested in infrastructure, supported aviation businesses and improved the airport, to the tune of more than $32 million, which the county would have to repay. Its stewardship has been steady and largely effective.
So, what’s the real motivation?
Major decisions involving tens of millions of dollars demand more clarity and transparency. Instead, residents are kept in the dark while the board strategizes. When challenged, it turns to lawyers, not facts.
Morey has asked the right questions – the ones any responsible official should. He has sought to inform and engage, not inflame. For that, he has faced hostility and suppression.
If the board is confident this move benefits the county, let it say so. Let’s hold public hearings and publish projections, plans and risks, answer questions and face scrutiny.
Because it’s not just Commissioner Morey they’re silencing, it’s the taxpayers.
When one commissioner is silenced, so are the people who elected him. When financial burdens are undertaken without debate, fiscal integrity is lost.
Cape May County deserves a full, transparent debate about its airport’s future. Getting there means letting all commissioners – including Will Morey – speak freely.
The airport is a public asset. It deserves a public process. The public must demand better, and hold its leaders accountable.
Quotes From the Bible
“Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” – Proverbs 11:14
