Somers Point has had a lot of changeover via elections, appointments
SOMERS POINT — City Council will appoint a new member to the governing body for the second time in two years following the resignation of Councilman Joseph McCarrie on Aug. 12.
The at-large seat, a four-year term, expires at the end of the year and the election is scheduled for Nov. 5, but McCarrie, according to City Council President Janice Johnston, has been suffering ill health and decided to resign two and a half months before the vote and four and a half months before the end of his term.
McCarrie, whose home on Broadway sold May 15, did not respond to multiple attempts to reach him for comment.
Johnston confirmed that McCarrie had resigned.
“He has had issues the last couple of months, had surgeries last week, and felt it wasn’t fair for him to try to continue,” she said. “I hate to see him go and am upset that we are going to lose him. He is very dedicated and enthusiastic.”
McCarrie already had decided not to not run for re-election and the Somers Point Republican Club endorsed former councilman Kirk Gerety as its nominee for the at-large seat.
The historian first served on City Council when he was coincidentally appointed in 1995 to an at-large seat, then won re-election in 1996, 2000 and 2004 before resigning at the end of 2005.
Gerety then won another term in the 2014 election and again in 2017 before choosing not to run in 2020.
Johnston said the club and county committee would submit three candidates and City Council would select one of the three.
Jack Shields, president of the Somers Point Republican Club, ignored multiple requests for comment.
Johnston said council would have to approve a resolution accepting McCarrie’s resignation and then vote for one of the contenders.
“We are trying to do it during the first meeting in September,” she said.
It will be the second time in two years that a council member has been appointed rather than elected by voters.
McCarrie won a seat in 2020 when six candidates were vying for three seats. He defeated Democrat Levi Fox for the at-large seat then held by Carl D’Adamo, who was the lone Democrat on the governing body and served for 16 years. He chose not to seek re-election.
Republican Stacy Ferreri defeated Democrat Dan Myers in Ward I for the seat vacated by Gerety.
In the third race, Democrat Karen Bruno defeated James Osler in Ward II for the seat held by James Toto, who ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Atlantic County Board of County Commissioners.
When Ferreri resigned her position in January 2022, one year into her term, City Council unanimously appointed Ken Adams on Jan. 27 to take her place. However, Adams was forced to resign Feb. 3 because it was revealed that his felony conviction in 2004 for theft and misconduct while chief of the Northfield Police Department barred him from serving.
Six of the seven council members — all but Democrat Karen Bruno — admitted they knew about Adams’ felonious past before voting to appoint him.
Council then voted to appoint Richard DePamphilis to the open Ward I seat Feb. 24.
DePamphilis won re-election in 2023, along with Charles Haberkorn, who defeated Bruno, making it a clean sweep for Republicans.
– By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
