SOMERS POINT — U.S. Air Force veteran Morgan Slaughter appears to have won a seat on City Council, topping Ward 2 incumbent Mike Owen 910-866, according to Election Day results.
Absentee and provisional ballots have yet to be tallied and could change the outcome or lead to a recount. The Atlantic County Board of Elections still has to certify the results.
“There could be a recount because it’s quite close,” Slaughter said. “I’m going to patiently wait and if everything stays the same, I’m excited, and if it doesn’t it doesn’t.”
In Ward 1, longtime incumbent Sean McGuigan beat community activist Levi Fox 1,151-866, or 57 percent to 43 percent of 2,017 votes.
Slaughter, 44, is a lifelong resident of the city, where her parents are longtime residents as well. Her stepfather, John DiMaria, served as mayor for four years and on City Council.
“I’m excited to learn and excited to try to make the best decisions and have the best input toward things pertaining to Somers Point that are best for the community as a whole,” she said. “I don’t think anyone should be self-serving, having their best interests in mind when discussing policies. It really is about the residents, our community, and listening to what they want — not about the seven people sitting up there.”
Slaughter said she would need to get acclimated to council before deciding on her position but definitely wants to explore the possibility of Somers Point having its own ambulance “to provide emergency services without having to contract out to another city.”
Slaughter attended Northwest Florida State College, where she earned an associate degree while actively serving in the U.S. Air Force. After leaving the USAF, she earned a nursing degree from Atlantic Cape Community College and is now seeking a master’s degree in nursing from William Patterson University.
She spent two years in the emergency room at Cooper University Hospital Cape Regional and more than 10 years with AtlantiCare, where she was on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Slaughter currently serves as a nurse case manager at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center.
Slaughter has a 17-year-old son, Ryder, who is a student at Atlantic County Institute of Technology.
She feels being on the ballot during the gubernatorial election helped her cause. Election results statewide for governor and the Assembly sent a clear rebuke to President Donald Trump, as Democratic Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill trounced Republican Jack Ciattarelli in his third try for the job.
Democrats were motivated across the state, giving Sherrill, the former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot, in excess of 450,000 more votes than they gave Gov. Phil Murphy in 2021.
Across this state, Democrats picked up more seats in the Assembly, giving them a supermajority. That appears to be at the expense of District 2 Republican incumbent Claire Swift. That seat flipped Democratic to Maureen Rowan. Incumbent GOP Assemblyman Don Guardian was re-elected.
Slaughter also feels her previous campaigns have paid off, with this being her third run for council.
“My goal has been persistence, getting my name out there and hoping people I have had the pleasure to speak to understand about voting for person over party, voting for the candidate they feel is going to do best for the city as a whole,” she said.
Owen, 58, was elected unopposed in 2019 and defeated former longtime councilman Carl D’Adamo in 2022. He was seeking his third term.
“I didn’t expect the Washington, D.C., backlash to trickle down but it apparently did,” Owen said. “I didn’t know my biggest opponent would be the challenges coming out of D.C.”
He said he wishes Slaughter the best, noting he has a lot of respect for her serving in the military and as a nurse.
“She is just involved with activities and volunteerism as much as I am in town,” he said.
Owen plans to continue volunteering with Lawson’s Pride and the Sons of the American Legion, as well as with Arts Commission events.
McGuigan won his seventh consecutive term after first being elected in 2007. The 62-year-old last ran for re-election in 2022, defeating challenger Dan Meyers.
“I’m as energized as I was when I won my first term and excited to continue to contribute and help my community,” McGuigan said.
The construction manager/estimator moved to Somers Point in 1989 from Upper Darby, Pa., after attending Penn State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He married his wife, Teresa, in 1990 and they have three children.
Fox, 44, a college history professor and small-business owner who serves on a couple of boards in the city, ran unsuccessfully for the at-large seat in 2020, narrowly losing to Republican Joseph McCarrie, 2,739 to 2,693.
Northfield City Council
Councilwoman Renee Carfagno defeated challenger Joan Brennan 943-794, or 54.3 percent to 45.7 percent, in Ward I.
Longtime councilman at-large Greg Dewees and Ward II Councilwoman Cindy Kern both won unopposed.
– By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff