PETERSBURG — Mayor Jay Newman and Deputy Mayor Kim Hayes have announced their intent to seek re-election to Township Committee.
The longtime chief of the Marmora Volunteer Fire Company and AtlantiCare nurse filed their petitions with Township Clerk Joanne Herron on March 11, officially launching their campaign.
“We are the right team with the right vision for Upper Township,” Newman stated in a news release. “Kim and I have a strong record of rolling up our sleeves and getting right to the hard work at hand.”
The duo first was elected together in 2021, when they, along with Committeeman Mark Pancoast, topped two other slates seeking the three seats.
Newman first served four terms on Township Committee, winning election in 2002, 2005, 2008 and 2011. He returned to politics in 2021, after longtime mayor Rich Palombo and deputy mayor Ed Barr chose not to seek another term.
Hayes was appointed to her seat in 2020 to fill a vacancy and won her first full term in 2021.
“The goal of our first term in office was to get the township’s fiscal house in order and to restructure and streamline the township government operation,” Newman said. “When we took office three years ago, we were faced with workplace lawsuits that were languishing unsettled and costing hundreds of thousands in legal fees. The taxpayers were on the hook for that money.”
The township also was facing a personnel shortage due to retirements and resignations.
“Employees were not getting clear direction. No one was minding the store,” Newman said.
He said by working with Township Committee, the business administrator and legal team, they were able to resolve most of the lawsuits, cutting legal costs going forward. The engineering department also was restructured, decreasing costs while increasing oversight of finances.
The township was able to see an increase in surplus monies by $1.5 million and had a strong tax-collection rate of 97.4 percent in 2023.
“That has resulted in an AA bond rating for Upper Township,” Hayes said. “Property taxes are stabilizing and property values are rising.”
Newman said now that the fiscal and operational houses are in order, “we can begin to focus on moving the township forward on new goals and new improvements.”
Hayes, who oversees recreation as part of her duties, said the township has inadequate recreational facilities for youth activities and cannot provide many opportunities for seniors.
At the same time, Newman said the township’s mostly volunteer EMS workers “are forced to work in less than favorable facilities.”
One area where they feel the township can make financial gains is through its host community benefit agreements.
“Everything in Cape May County begins in Upper Township,” Hayes said. “Every piece of trash and recycling ends up here. We supply water and electricity to many of our neighboring communities. Upper just wants to be adequately compensated. It’s not fair to taxpayers to foot the bill for other communities.”
The candidates said the township is facing many challenges in the near future, mentioning redevelopment of the former B.L. England Generating Station property, a proposed hotel/apartment complex in Seaville and the fate of the vacant Verizon building at the entrance to the township.
“Because our financial house is in great shape, we are attracting developers who want to invest in bigger projects. Upper Township is a desirable location for residential and commercial development,” Hayes said. “While we encourage new projects, we also recognize that not all proposals are the right fit for Upper Township’s unique environment, residential and economic concerns.
“We want to be sure we enhance the identity of our community, not change Upper into some place we do not recognize. We will not allow that to happen on our watch.”
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff