Mayor Leonard Desiderio and City Council members William Kehner Sr. and Frank Edwardi Jr. will face no opposition in a Sea Isle City municipal election devoid of any political drama.
Polls will open Tuesday at 6 a.m. and close 8 p.m. There are 1,840 registered voters in Sea Isle, according to City Clerk Shannon Romano.
This is the second election in a row that Desiderio, Kehner and Edwardi have been unopposed. They also had no challengers the last time they ran in 2015. They are all seeking a new four-year term.
Edwardi said he believes the voters are satisfied with the city’s elected leadership and its tax structure.
“Probably the reason is, we have done a good job and the city hasn’t had a tax increase in five years,” Edwardi said in an interview of why he thinks the incumbents are running unopposed.
Under the 2019 municipal budget approved by Council, the mayor cut the local tax rate by a half-cent and also promised there will be no tax increase in 2020 because of the city’s strong financial standing.
The 62-year-old Desiderio, mayor since 1993, is running for the eighth time. Last year he won re-election as a Cape May County freeholder, the other elected office he holds.
Kehner, 70, has a long history in Sea Isle politics. He served one term from 1977 to 1981 under the city’s old commission style of government. He was first elected to City Council in 2007 and is now seeking his fourth term.
Like Kehner, the 51-year-old Edwardi was first elected to Council in 2007 and is seeking his fourth term.
