Even though many events and activities were canceled this year because of the pandemic – including our annual Halloween Parade – a number of enjoyable Halloween activities will take place in Sea Isle City, including a virtual Pet Costume Contest, a Halloween Movie Night on October 30 at Excursion Park, and door-to-door Trick-or-Treating on October 31 from 4 to 7 p.m.
Please see the special section of this week’s newsletter to learn how your family can have a “spook-tacular” Halloween and safely enjoy the holiday.
No doubt you are aware that Governor Murphy announced that voting in New Jersey during this year’s General Election will take place using vote-by-mail ballots. To ensure that voters in Cape May County are fully informed about the changes to this year’s voting procedures, the County Clerk’s Office has provided us with several resources that outline the voting process and will take the guess work out of casting your ballot.
You can find links to those resources in this week’s newsletter – and we encourage everyone to take the time to review those procedures and to carefully complete your vote-by-mail ballot as soon as possible. To make it easier to return your completed ballot, a secure ballot drop-box has been installed near the main entrance of the Sea Isle City Library at 4800 Central Avenue – or you can simply place your completed ballot in the U.S. Mail.
Don’t forget that no matter how you return your ballot to the County – and no matter which candidates you endorse – it’s important that we all take the time to vote. By doing so, we honor the countless American lives that were lost to preserve our nation’s democracy and our right to freely support the candidates of our choice. So please be sure to vote!
Last week, after speaking with his wife, Barbara, and after asking City Council for their support, I announced that we intend to dedicate Sea Isle City’s future Fishing Pier and Kayak Launch at Dealy Field to the memory of former commissioner Jim Iannone, who sadly passed way earlier this year. As many of you know, Jim was a long-time community servant who cared deeply about Sea Isle City, which is evident by his many years as a commissioner, the decades he spent on the Tourism Commission, and his unending commitment to upholding the highest standards for our recreation programs.
That’s why I feel naming our newest public facility in Jim’s honor is very appropriate. When construction of the Fishing Pier and Kayak Launch finally got underway earlier this year, we had hoped that it would be completed before the cold weather sets in. Unfortunately, due to some unforeseen delays that have slowed the construction process, it will take slightly longer to complete this project than we originally hoped.
However, we still expect our Fishing Pier and Kayak Launch to be completed by the end of 2020; and then we will have a celebratory ribbon-cutting dedication in Jim Iannone’s honor in 2021.
As I mentioned last week, I have been in contact with County officials and asked them to address the debris and trash that has accumulated along Sea Isle City’s causeway, which is a County road. Today, I am happy to report that the clean-up has already begun on one side of the causeway, and that the County is creating a plan for ongoing maintenance along that well-used stretch of road so travelers can notice our beautiful wetlands and welcoming skyline as they enter Sea Isle City rather than stray pieces of trash. In the meantime, I am very grateful for everyone’s patience as we address and correct this issue.
Because our annual Veterans Day Ceremony on November 11 is always very well attended, we decided to cancel this year’s gathering at Veterans Park because it simply would not be safe to assemble a large crowd of patriots together – even on such an important day. However, in lieu of this year’s Veterans Day Ceremony, the City’s Tourism Office is creating a virtual tribute to our nation’s veterans that we will share with everyone on Veterans Day.
In the meantime, please remember to take a moment and thank every veteran you encounter for his or her service, because here in Sea Isle City we don’t simply honor the men and women who served our country in uniform on November 11, we try to honor them every day of the year.
The holidays are just around the corner and the busiest shopping season of the year is about to begin. With that in mind, please remember to “shop local” as you compile your holiday shopping list, because Sea Isle City’s retailers have had a challenging year and they greatly appreciate your patronage during these difficult times.
Smile … You’re in Sea Isle!
Mayor Leonard C. Desiderio
