SOMERS POINT — City Councilman Rick DePamphilis III is running for another term in the election Nov. 3, but with a different candidate on his ticket.
Councilman Jack Shields, who was appointed Jan. 22 to replace Charlie Haberkorn after his resignation with a year left on his term, has decided not to run this fall.
He has missed several meetings, including the one Aug. 27, due to health reasons, leading to speculation that he had stepped down.
“I did not resign; I will be back,” Shields said Sept. 8, noting he planned to serve through the end of the year but will not seek a three-year term. “I had to step away at the time because I’ve got to concentrate on my health.”
Instead, former councilman Mike Owen is running with DePamphilis on the Republican ticket.
DePamphilis is facing a challenge from Jordan Road School teacher Kim O’Brien in Ward I, while Owen and U.S. Air Force veteran Steven Lamond are vying for the seat in Ward II.
Ward I
DePamphilis, who has served on City Council in both Somers Point and as mayor in Linwood for many years, was appointed in February 2022. He then won re-election in 2023, collecting 746 votes to 516 for challenger AnnMarie Gibbs.
DePamphilis and his wife, Sally, have four children and numerous grandchildren. He was a police officer and beach patrol chief in Longport as well as a security shift manager at Caesars Atlantic City. He was mayor of Linwood for 18 years, during which time he served on the Planning Board and Board of School Estimate.
DePamphilis also was a coach and president of several youth sports associations, including three seasons as coach of Somers Point Sharks pee wee football team.
O’Brien, 53, who is president of the Somers Point Democratic Club, also has experience running for office, having unsuccessfully challenged for a seat on the Atlantic County Board of Commissioners in 2023 and 2024.
The longtime educator and community service volunteer is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and Columbia University Teachers College. Since 2007, O’Brien has worked in the Somers Point School District teaching Spanish and ESL.
She is co-president of the Somers Point Education Association after spending 15 years as the public relations chair. In her spare time, O’Brien is a member of the Somers Point Green Team and volunteers her time for many community events.
Ward II
Owen was elected unopposed in 2019 and defeated former longtime councilman Carl D’Adamo in 2022. He then lost to Councilwoman Morgan Slaughter last November.
Owen works as an environmental engineering technician for Handex at the federal superfund site known as Price’s Pit in Pleasantville.
He and his wife, Darleen, have two daughters, both graduates of Mainland Regional High School. He grew up in Linwood, attended Seaview Elementary School and graduated from MRHS in 1986. After earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Widener University, he got married and moved to Somers Point in 1992.
Lamond said he decided to seek election due to what he said is the current council’s lack of adequate response to questions from the public.
Lamond and his wife, Linda, moved to the city seven years ago from Merchantville, Camden County. They raised four children in Mt. Holly and Audubon, and now are grandparents of five granddaughters.
According to his website, Lamond wants to promote transparency and trust in city government, and believes he has the skills to do so.
He cites years of experience on issues that are directly applicable to small-town government, such as devising and evaluating cost estimates, developing business cases to justify costs, tracking project costs and ensuring budgets are met and communicating to stakeholders in a manner that is clear, concise and respectful.
Lamond worked in civilian technical roles on Department of Defense-related projects then worked as a consulting database programmer for SmithKline Beecham and Merck.
– By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff