Rick DePamphilis
SOMERS POINT — Now back in Somers Point, longtime Linwood mayor Rick DePamphilis is facing a challenge from Lisa Bender for the final year of an unexpired term in Ward 1.
DePamphilis, 72, served as mayor of Linwood from 2002 through 2019, when he decided not to seek re-election. He served on the Board of School Estimate, the Redevelopment Committee and the Planning Board and was recognized in the New Jersey State League of Municipalities Mayors Hall of Fame.
Before moving to Linwood, DePamphilis lived in the city with his wife, Sally, where they started their family. They returned to the city is the past couple of years. Married for a half-century, the couple has four children and nine grandchildren. He is retired but still works part time for Thomas United Inc. in Egg Harbor Township. The U.S. Navy veteran earned a bachelor’s degree in historical studies from Stockton University and teacher certification.
He was appointed in February.
DePamphilis said he comes from a long line of public servants.
“In my family, public service was always of high priority. My grandfather served Longport as police chief for 47 years, followed by my father who served for 37 years.”
He said his public service began at age 15 as a lifeguard on the Longport Beach Patrol.
“After serving in the U.S. Navy for three years, I became chief of the Beach Patrol in 1972 and held that position until becoming a Longport police officer,” he said.
DePamphilis has a long history of community service as well. He served as a coach and officer of many sports organizations, first in Somers Point and then in Linwood.
“When my coaching career ended, I became involved in politics, first as president of the Linwood Republican Club and then as mayor of Linwood for 18 years,” he said.
After being retired from politics for a couple of years, he said he got the itch again when he and his wife moved back to Somers Point.
“We joined the Republican Club and slowly I began to feel the urge to serve once again,” he said. “It was a great honor for me to become a councilman in Somers Point.”
DePamphilis said he has experience in all phases of city government, having supervised public safety, appointed residents to boards and committees, selected judges and served as chairman of the Board of School Estimate and the city redevelopment committee.
He said he also has been a member of the Atlantic County Mayors Association and represented Linwood at all holiday celebrations and special events.
DePamphilis said he believes property taxes is the issue on the top of most residents’ list. “Somers Point is lucky to have a great balance between residential and commercial ratables but every year everything costs more,” he said. “Everyone, including City Council, would love to see a zero budget every year. However, that is not always practical.”
He said he knows what it takes to create a budget with no tax increase.
“Weeks of hard work, a lot of moving funds around, projects put off till next year and a ton of creativity on part of council — then hope it doesn’t snow too much,” he said.
Other issues he cited include building a new City Hall, parking, short-term rentals and pickleball courts, adding “more activities for our young seniors are being looked at and revisited.”
DePamphilis said the city needs to increase its revenue from sources other than taxpayers. “We need to create an even better revenue balance by increasing the commercial ratables — income that does not come with the cost of residential services such as trash collection and school participation,” he said.
That can be done, he said, through continuing the city’s redevelopment process. “Increased redevelopment zones would create steady PILOT income to the city for years to come and would go a long way in keeping taxes low,” he said.
DePamphilis envisions enhancement of the city’s historic Bay Avenue area, including elimination of the paid parking at city-owned lots and creation of a transit system down Bay Avenue and Shore Road.
He said given that Somers Point residents voted overwhelmingly to legalize cannabis (about 2-1, similar to the statewide margin), the city should move forward with approval of cannabis sales. “Now the city has an opportunity to allow the sale of cannabis and create a considerable new revenue flow. I believe we should take advantage,” he said.
Lisa Bender
SOMERS POINT — Lisa Bender, an environmental activist, community volunteer and small-business woman, is challenging longtime Linwood mayor Rick DePamphilis III for the final year in an unexpired term in Ward 1.
Bender, 46, wants to improve communication and the relationship between the residents and City Council.
She and her husband, Ocean City firefighter Bob Bender, have two teen sons. She earned a bachelor’s degree in geology from Vanderbilt University and a master’s degree in oceanography from University of South Florida, College of Marine Science. She owns a marketing and photography business and is a licensed real estate agent.
Her service in AmeriCorps led to professional positions as Atlantic County recycling coordinator, grant writer and project lead, municipal environmental specialist and sustainability/marketing consultant.
She wants to “work toward matching government decisions with the needs of residents and businesses.”
Since 2002, starting as an Americorps volunteer and now chairwoman of the city’s Green Advisory Committee and Environmental Commission, she has worked to protect the area’s land, water and health “with the goal of making Somers Point’s greatness sustainable into the future.”
Bender said she wants the city to be more inclusive of its broad range of residents.
“I want to build a sense of community for everyone in Somers Point, not the select few,” she said.
Bender said she would improve communication and transparency with the public about what’s happening behind closed doors.
“We deserve to know what developments are planned and how they impact us; we shouldn’t have to search for answers,” she said.
Bender said her professional experiences in marketing, communication and event planning have involved collaborating with multiple city governments in southern New Jersey.
“I know what it takes to be an effective city leader,” she said. “I am a mother of two teenage boys, so I also understand the community through the lens of youth sports and Boy Scouts. I’ve organized dozens of community events and always seek input from citizens when doing so. As a councilwoman, I’ll continue to listen and promise to communicate with transparency and openness.”
Bender said the current City Council has missed opportunities to potentially cut costs and boost revenue, citing the city declining to join the county’s consolidated court system and inaction on cannabis sales, as well as the “parking meter fiasco” in which it was decided to charge for parking at three city-owned lots.
Bender said designating the entire city in need of redevelopment “means that attorneys for developers and the Planning Board can communicate behind closed doors, getting projects to approval without public input.”
Bender said the city should be more transparent about public business, including rebuilding its website.
Bender said the city needs to rebuild its website with a user-friendly interface. “I build websites as part of my marketing work and we need to do much better,” she said. “I would like to see full copies of resolutions and bullet points of ordinance changes easily available to the public.”
She favors allowing cannabis sales, saying the industry is well-regulated and would “bring in significant money for the city that we need. Cannabis is legal now whether we like it or not. People can even get it delivered here to Somers Point. I think it is unwise to miss the opportunity to earn income from those in Somers Point, whether residents or visitors, who will purchase it here no matter what.”
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
