Humorous and serious take on appointment
SOMERS POINT — Frowzy 40-year-old Levi Fox provided some humor to an otherwise-serious City Council meeting Feb. 24, when a new member was chosen from among four nominees.
Sporting long hair and a bushy beard, the Democrat is highly educated, having earned a bachelor’s degree in history and anthropology from the University of Virginia (2003), a master’s degree in American studies from the University of Iowa (2006) and a doctorate in history from Temple University (2018).
Fox has been involved in community service in the city, having served for years on the Somers Point Historical Preservation Commission, Economic Development Advisory Commission, Somers Point Historical Museum, Atlantic County Cultural and Heritage Advisory Board and The Patriots for the Somers Mansion. He works as an adjunct professor at Stockton University and teaches at Monmouth, Temple and LaSalle universities.
Fox ran for City Council in 2020, narrowly losing to Republican City Councilman Joseph McCarrie, 2,739 to 2,693. The same year, running mate Dan Meyers lost to Stacy Ferreri, 1,491 to 1,351. She has since resigned.
So, during public comment Feb. 24, it was clear he would be supporting Democrat Lisa Bender for the appointment.
“I do not have a prepared speech but will try to keep to 3 minutes,” Fox said.
City resident Theresa Dougherty, speaking two people ahead of Fox, had exceeded the time limit by nearly 2 minutes so someone started setting a timer. The woman who followed Dougherty spoke very briefly.
Then it was Fox’s turn.
“Really, guys? The mayor of Linwood. You gave us the police chief from Northfield, and that was OK. I met the guy, but that didn’t work out,” he said, before being interrupted as the timer began beeping after 20 seconds and the room erupted in laughter.
“The Republicans in this town are controlling the laws of physics, the laws of time and space,” Fox exclaimed. “I have not been up here for 3 minutes, and I will be heard.”
Turning serious again, he questioned the Republicans on their nominees.
“I understand there are four candidates currently being considered. None of them were on the short list prior,” he said, referring to three names the Somers Point Republican Club provided as choices to replace Councilwoman Ferreri, who resigned in January.
The three names were Ken Adams, Patrick Sean Rowan and Annmarie Luchessi. City Council unanimously appointed Adams, who it was revealed less than a week later was barred from serving due to his felony conviction for theft while chief of the Northfield Police Department.
“Why not? If those were the three best candidates, the best that you had, how come none of them made this list and how come none of these folks were on the prior list?” Fox said.
“That seems odd to me. It seems like you were trying to find anybody with an R next their name no matter how long they’ve been living in Somers Point,” he continued. “No matter how much of a big game you each individually talk about bipartisanship and working across party lines, as I do with many of you in clubs across the city, as does Lisa Bender, whom I am speaking in favor of now.
“Do I really expect that you will take a nonpartisan process at this point? You went through the process of having people send in resumes and stating that you would consider people regardless of their party background, and yet here we are, and it’s already predetermined. We know who we are going to get,” he said. “If we’re going to jump right in to appointing someone else who is going to have control of the city, maybe it should be somebody from Somers Point,” Fox said.
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff