CAPE MAY – Cape May continues to add new faces to city administration. In the past few months, a series of key positions have turned over, allowing the city to build a new team under City Manager Michael Voll.
Mayor Zack Mullock has been effusive in his comments on the new hires, which mix youth and experience.
In February, the city hired Kevin Hanie as its new chief financial officer (CFO). Hanie replaced Neil Young, who had served as CFO for nine years.
Hanie is an example of youth in the city administration, with his graduation from the Fox School of Business at Temple occurring in 2020. Hanie must pursue state certifications as a municipal finance officer.
At the May 16 Cape May City Council meeting, the chair usually occupied by Deputy City Manager Louis Belasco was conspicuously empty as Belasco moves on from Cape May, accepting a position as executive director of the Wildwoods Convention Center. Voll said he will miss his “buddy and deputy who has moved on to a new career.”
Experience lost with Belasco’s departure led to experience gained as the city announced its new city engineer Paul Dietrich, who comes to the city after 20-plus years as the township engineer in Upper Township.
Mullock said the city will continue its practice of utilizing outside engineering firms on large projects. He added that the city will benefit from an in-house engineer of Dietrich’s experience on many smaller projects.
He also cited areas where Dietrich’s presence will allow the city to consolidate oversight. The areas cited were coordinating the city’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Community Rating System (CRS) participation, floodplain management, and municipal housing management.
Since Belasco has also served as the city’s tax assessor, the council approved the appointment of Marissa McCorkel to a four-year term in the position.
McCorkel is a Rutgers graduate who already holds a New Jersey Certified Tax Assessor certificate in municipal property valuation and property tax assessment, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Contact the author, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.
