By Donald Wittkowski
City Council incumbents Mary Tighe and Jack Gibson and their running mate J.B. Feeley will face no opposition in Sea Isle City’s municipal election on May 9.
The three announced on Feb. 24 that they had filed petitions to run for three Council seats on a unified ticket featuring the slogan “Committed to Community, Dedicated to Progress.”
On Tuesday, City Clerk Cindy Griffith confirmed that no other candidates had filed petitions by Monday’s deadline, clearing the way for Tighe, Gibson and Feeley to run unchallenged.
“I had a couple of people pick up packets, but they did not return them,” Griffith said of other potential candidates who ultimately did not file any petitions.
Council members serve four-year terms and are chosen at-large in the nonpartisan election. Griffith noted that Sea Isle’s last Council election in 2015 was another uncontested race for the incumbents that year, Frank Edwardi and William Kehner. Mayor Leonard Desiderio also ran unopposed in 2015.
Feeley, a Sea Isle resident for more than 40 years, is stepping in to replace Councilman John Divney, who is not seeking re-election. Divney, a member of Council since 2007, said he felt it was time to give someone else an opportunity to run for city government.
Tighe is one of the five original Council members who were elected when Sea Isle switched from a commission-style form of government to the Mayor-Council format in 2007.
“As I became active in city politics I realized how gratifying it is to serve my community,” Tighe said. “If re-elected, I pledge to continue representing all residents of Sea Isle and give my best effort to lead Sea Isle into the future.”
Gibson, who served in the state Assembly for 12 years but lost his seat when seeking re-election 2005, won his first term on Sea Isle Council in 2013.
“I wish to continue to use my governmental expertise to ensure Sea Isle’s viability as a premier seashore resort,” Gibson said.
Feeley is a newcomer to elected politics but formerly served in a number of appointed positions over the years, including the Sea Isle Planning Board and as chairman of the Cape May County Board of Elections.
“I am ready to put my experience and years of public service to work for Sea Isle City, and I am happy to join the team,” Feeley said.
When it reorganizes after the election, the five-member Council may face a busy agenda for the rest of the year.
Among key issues, Sea Isle is in the midst of a flood-control study to find ways to protect the barrier island from coastal storms, including the construction of road, drainage and pumping projects.
City officials are also debating whether to convert the old public school, now closed, into a community recreation center. Options include renovating the school, possibly adding an indoor pool or demolishing the building to clear room for construction of a new recreation center.
The city is also negotiating an agreement with the state for the town’s affordable housing requirements. Until that deal is wrapped up, the city cannot formally approve its updated master plan, a blueprint for future growth.
Council has been considering ways to fast-track a series of proposed projects recommended in the master plan – for flood control, beach access, recreation and parking – to avoid having them get bogged down during the affordable housing negotiations.
