UPPER TOWNSHIP – Mayor John C. “Jay” Newman, longtime chief of the Marmora Volunteer Fire Company, believes his record of improving safety and infrastructure throughout the township speaks for itself.
“Kim and I have a strong record of rolling up our sleeves and getting right to the hard work at hand,” Newman said of he and running mate Deputy Mayor Kim Hayes.
The duo was elected together in 2021, when they, along with Committeeman Mark Pancoast, topped two other slates seeking the three seats.
Newman previously served four terms on Township Committee, winning election in 2002, 2005, 2008 and 2011. He returned to politics in 2021, after longtime mayor Rich Palombo and deputy mayor Ed Barr chose not to seek another term.
Newman, 63, and his wife, Fran, a retired occupational therapist with the Atlantic County Special Services School District and 25-year member of the Upper Township Board of Education, celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary May 12.
They have two sons — U.S. Air Force Maj. John Newman, 35, and special education teacher Mark Newman, 31 — who have followed in their footsteps by giving back to the community.
Newman, who was raised on Maple Shade Lane in Beesleys Point, played on the first Upper Township Indians football team in 1972 and the Marmora Tigers Little League team while attending Upper Township schools.
He is a 1979 graduate of Ocean City High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina in Charleston. Newman is an emergency medical technician who holds a large number of certifications from the state, including Incident Management Level 3 and multiple others related to public safety.
From 1986 to 2019, he was owner and general manager of Seaside Cemetery Co. at 559 South Shore Road.
Newman is a regular attendee of the Second Cape May Baptist Church in Palermo who said the Bible is his world view.
“I believe the United States of America was founded on Judeo-Christian Godly Biblical principles and this is defined in our founding documents, including the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. The Constitution guarantees all the freedom to practice religion, not freedom from religion,” he said.
Newman has been a member of the Marmora Volunteer Fire Company for more than 45 years. He served as a trustee, president, firefighter, captain and deputy chief before donning the chief’s hat 29 years ago.
“With our outstanding leaders and members, we earned ISO 3 designation for the Marmora Volunteer Fire Company, an honor given to less than 10 percent of the fire departments in the United States,” he said, noting it is even less for all-volunteer fire companies.
Other past affiliations in the township include baseball board member and Little League coach, football board member for 10 years (general manager and coach) and Upper Township Business Association member.
On Township Committee, he oversees public safety, the Division of EMS, Office of Emergency Management, Beach Patrol and personnel.
Newman said he enjoys serving on committee and wants to continue doing so out of a duty to serve.
“My entire family and myself are about public service, not self-service. We are totally immersed in the community,” he said. “I believe and continue to believe that Upper Township is a great place to live, work and raise a family.”
He said public safety is the best, the business climate is good, the schools are great and the recreation programs are second to none.
“Our public works staff is a testament to and a bright spot in our fantastic community. Our local purpose tax rate is low and stable,” he said.
Newman believes his 35 years of owning and operating a business has allowed him to develop skills in budgeting, managing personnel and overall business management.
In addition, his more than 40 years as a volunteer firefighter and 25 years as the leader of the Marmora Volunteer Fire Company prove his leadership skills are strong.
“Volunteer leadership, business knowledge and local government are the skills I posses to lead Upper Township into the future,” he said.
Newman said the top issues the township is facing are the redevelopment of the former B.L. England Generating Station site in Beesleys Point, redevelopment of the Marmora Town Center and Seaville Town Center for the business community, fulfilling affordable housing requirements, and maintaining and improving infrastructure and services for the betterment of the community.
The mayor said work already has begun to address every one of the issues he listed.
He said Township Committee has formed subcommittees to address each of the issues and work continues on upgrades to infrastructure through “planning and stabilizing our budget.”
“By planning needed upgrades such as equipment purchases for public works, road paving projects and building upgrades, our budget remains stable,” he said. “Additionally, by using proper planning, we have hired a grant writing team that is currently actively working on over 20 grants (some of which have already been awarded), further advancing projects in Upper Township.”
The township forms shared service agreements with neighboring towns to save money, and Newman said the current 10 are “saving millions of taxpayer dollars over the year.”
Newman feels it is important to preserve the rural character of the township amid a constant drive for development at the shore.
He said part of achieving that goal is to update existing commercial areas to prevent the need for new construction, taking up more forested land.
Township Committee has charged the Planning Board with studying commercial centers in Marmora and Seaville to determine whether they meet the criteria for being designated redevelopment zones.
Newman said Township Committee continues to work on improving the business climate.
“By declaring redevelopment zones, the Township Committee, planning and zoning boards will be able to have more input on what developers are able to build,” he said. “I have in the past and will continue to work with the Upper Township Business Association to promote Upper Township businesses.”
– By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff