PETERSBURG – An Upper Township Committee with three new members took its place on the dais at the committee’s Jan. 3 reorganization meeting and then chose Curtis Corson as the township’s new mayor.
Cousins Sam Palombo and Zach Palombo were sworn in after winning election for full three-year terms in November. They won the nomination of the Republican party in the June primary, besting Mayor Jay Newman and Deputy Mayor Kimberly Hayes.
Joining them was Tyler Casaccio, who was selected by the committee Jan. 3 to fill the seat of Mark Pancoast, who resigned his position.
Victor Nappen II was chosen by the committee as deputy mayor.
Corson’s responsibilities as mayor include revenue and finance, the municipal clerk’s office, construction code, engineering, zoning and planning, personnel, housing and lifeguards.
The new mayor said he looked forward to working with everyone, adding there was going to be a lot of hard work, saying, “We’re going to get through it.”
He highlighted the fight to recover lost state aid both for the township and the school district. He also referred to the yet undetermined redevelopment of Beesley’s Point and the annual beach erosion problem. He said beach replenishment in May often disappears by June.
Nappen will oversee public safety, emergency management, the Division of EMS, information technology and communications.
Zach Palombo will oversee the Department of Public Works, and Sam Palombo will oversee sports and recreation programs and public buildings and grounds.
Casaccio will oversee the municipal court and Animal Control. He will serve the final year of Pancoast’s term and would have to run for reelection in November, if he so chooses.
Attorney John Amenhauser of the DeWeese Law Firm assumed the position of municipal solicitor.
Corson announced that all meetings in 2025 would be held on the second and fourth Mondays beginning at 5:30 p.m. The meetings will be preceded by a 5 p.m. workshop. Nappen said the change was being made in an effort to “keep it simple.”
All of the committee members thanked various people for their success, including family members, party members, residents and voters.
Zach Palombo thanked his mother specifically, and also thanked his father, Richard Palombo, longtime mayor of Upper Township, and his grandfather, longtime mayor of North Wildwood.
Sam Palombo said the idea of being elected, in the beginning, seemed to be a far-off dream. Now, he said, he has big plans for the future.
“We’re going to make the town a great place to live for a long time,” he said.
Casaccio thanked the other committee members and the township’s residents. He told those in attendance he was a fourth-generation township resident.
Corson responded, saying his grandchildren in the audience were 15th generation township residents.
Contact the reporter, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or call 609-886-8600, ext. 128.
