AVALON – Council President John McCorristin announced that the Team Avalon 2021 ticket will include two newcomers to elected office.
According to a release, current Avalon Planning and Zoning Board Chairman Jamie McDermott and Avalon Elementary School Coordinator for Special Education Services Mari Coskey are joining McCorristin on the ticket for three Council seats that are available in the May 11, 2021, municipal election.
“I am privileged to lead Jamie and Mari on this ticket, which continues outstanding, stable leadership for the Borough of Avalon for many years to come,” McCorristin stated. “I was raised in Avalon and extremely fortunate to have my family raised in Avalon and have a successful business. Jamie and Mari have contributed greatly to the standard established in Avalon and I am very excited to have them as running mates for the May municipal election.’
McDermott and Coskey will replace longtime Avalon councilmembers Dr. Nancy Hudanich and James Deever.
Hudanich will retire from Council at the end of June, after 32 years serving on the Council as its past president and valuable member of the Council Finance Committee.
Deever is stepping away from Council, in June, due to numerous obligations with his business that have been exacerbated over the past year, and to spend more time with his family.
“Nancy and Jim are tireless public servants and have made lasting and significant contributions to Avalon,” stated Avalon Mayor Martin Pagliughi. “John, Jamie and Mari have proven leadership and dedication to Avalon, with decades of service in professional and charitable endeavors, and they will provide visionary leadership and a commonsense approach to the challenges today and in the future. John, Jamie, and Mari have pledged to work hard for the betterment of Avalon, and I ask voters to support Team Avalon 2021, on May 11.”
McCorristin joined the Avalon Borough Council in 2017 and currently serves as Council President and is on the Council Finance Committee. His leadership has helped Avalon achieve both short- and long-term financial goals, maintain the borough’s AAA bond rating from Standard and Poor’s, maintain one of the lowest municipal tax rates in the State of New Jersey, and achieve an exemplary Class 3 flood rating from FEMA that results in 35% discounts on flood insurance for Avalon property owners.
McDermott and his family began summering in Avalon in 1964, before making the community their permanent home. He earned a law degree from the Delaware School of Law of Widener University, in 1980, and served as an assistant district attorney for the City of Philadelphia for 10 years.
McDermott also previously served as the executive director of the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority. McDermott is an active member of the Avalon Lions Club and the Avalon Yacht Club.
Coskey currently serves as the coordinator for Special Education Services for the Avalon and Stone Harbor elementary schools and serves as the district’s speech-language pathologist. Coskey has a master’s degree in Communication Disorders, from LaSalle University. She has been a long-time volunteer with Avalon’s Friend in Need Organization and has coordinated school vision screenings for Middle Township with the Avalon Lions Club.
