PETERSBURG – Upper Township residents will have a choice among three candidates running for two seats on the Township Committee that are up for election Nov. 5.

Zachary Palombo of Seaville and Samuel Palombo of Marmora are cousins who won the Republican primary in June, ousting incumbent Mayor Jay Newman and incumbent Deputy Mayor Kimberly Hayes.

The third candidate, former Committeeman Anthony Inserra, was a Republican but is now running as an independent.

Zachary Palombo, shared superintendent for the Cape May and West Cape May elementary school districts, is the son of former township Mayor Richard Palombo, who is also the uncle of Samuel Palombo, a pharmaceuticals salesman. The Palombos won the June 4 Republican primary by a comfortable margin.

Neither Newman or Hayes opted to run as independents in the General Election. Newman is the longtime fire chief of the Marmora Volunteer Fire Co., and Hayes is a registered nurse.

Newman and Hayes did not receive endorsement from the CapeGOP, allegedly because they did not support the party’s position on offshore wind farms. The party opposed wind farms, saying they would be harmful to Cape May’s tourist trade.

Newman served four terms on the committee, winning his last in 2011. After being out of politics, he opted to return when Rich Palombo decided not to seek another term in 2021. Hayes will finish her first term at the end of the year.

The Upper Township Committee’s other three members, Curtis Corson, Victor Nappen II and Mark Pancoast, are not up for reelection in 2024. At its annual reorganization meeting, the committee selects from its members someone to serve as mayor and deputy mayor.

Contact the reporter, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or 609-886-8600, ext. 128.