UPPER TOWNSHIP – In January 2023, Deputy Mayor Kim Hayes was elected by her peers as the first female deputy mayor in the history of Upper Township, incorporated in 1798.
She was appointed in 2020 to fill a vacancy and was elected to a full term beginning in 2022. She is liaison to the township recreation department.
“I chose to run for office originally because I felt the Township Committee was not doing enough to support the recreation organizations. There were so many promises made and never delivered on. I understand how slow government can move, but 10 years with no movement on projects that are already bonded is unacceptable,” she said.
Born Kimberly Emberger, the baby in a family of five that includes sister Kelly (a member of the Upper Township Board of Education) and brother Jeff, she grew up in Sea Isle City.
She has been married to retired corrections officer Lt. Shaun Hayes for 21 years. They have three children whom they raised in the township. Aidan, 22, is serving in the U.S. Coast Guard. Treasa, 20, is studying animation at Wilmington University. Logan is a sophomore at St. Augustine Preparatory School, where he is involved with Model United Nations.
Hayes graduated from Ocean City High School and then attended Cumberland County College School of Nursing. The registered nurse earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Wilmington University through its RN to MSN Challenge Program, which allowed her to complete her BSN taking MSN-level courses that are now being applied to a master’s degree.
The 46-year-old has a long history of service to the community. Her mother was president of the PTA and later served on the Sea Isle City Board of Education in the 1980s, instilling the commitment in her family.
“I have always enjoyed being involved in the community. Growing up in a beach town gave me a unique perspective on the challenges of balancing a tourism economy while protecting and preserving our beaches,” Hayes said.
In seventh grade, she and friends organized an environmental commission that held beach cleanups and lobbied city officials for support.
“I guess you could say my career in government began at an early age,” she said.
Hayes said she understands the challenges parents face with work/life balance.
“It is one of the many reasons I am so grateful to the families that continue to volunteer their time to make our recreation programs so successful,” she said. “I understand firsthand that serving on a board or volunteering to coach is equal to taking on another full-time job. They make daily sacrifices to support the children in our community. All to the benefit of the taxpayers.”
She said one of her goals when she took office was to repair the “numerous neglected facilities throughout the township.”
“Our facilities had reached the point where Band-Aid fixes weren’t going to cut it anymore. Some of the more pressing projects had become serious safety concerns,” Hayes said. “The long-promised and never-delivered-upon repairs to the community center and the football lights at Caldwell Park are two prime examples.”
She said Township Committee has been able to maximize usage while improving safety. The lights at Caldwell will decrease energy costs by about 75 percent with an expected return on investment in fewer than 5 years, Hayes added.
“I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish with both projects,” she said, noting they now are working on a three-phase project at Amanda’s Field for repairs and improvements.
Hayes was baptized and confirmed as a Roman Catholic at St. Joseph’s Church in Sea Isle City. She now is a member of the St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish, where all three of her children received their confirmation.
“I am not just a Catholic, I was raised an Irish Catholic. That means lots of Rosaries at home as well as other Irish traditions, including a strong sense of duty to God and the well-being of your neighbors,” she said.
While raising her three children, she has volunteered as president of the Wrestling Association, a team mom for the Football Association and a volunteer with the Soccer Association, Baseball Association, Ocean City Crew Boosters and Boy Scout Troop 95.
Hayes believes her career lends itself to critical thinking and anticipation.
“Much like an RN, a Township Committee member must be able to quickly analyze information from multiple sources in order to make an accurate assessment and an informed decision,” she said. “We must use critical thinking to process this information and also consider the voice of the taxpayer to make any decision.”
She said one thing she has brought to Township Committee is anticipating the needs of the township in the future rather than focusing only on the present.
“As an RN care manager, I am always considering not only what my patients need today but what they will likely need in the next five years. We have had a lot of catching up to do over the last three years but have now begun to plan for the future,” Hayes said. “We will not have roads unpaved for 40 years or equipment failing, preventing our employees from doing their jobs because we didn’t anticipate the future.”
She said the township is about to embark on many changes and must be consistent in order to balance growth with traditional pursuits.
“Rising property values make us an attractive community for new residents and investors,” she said. “We need to have the right balance of growth.”
Hayes said a priority is streamlining planning and zoning practices to ensure the township is not allowing growth that will stress its resources beyond capacity.
“We want to encourage new revenue sources in our business community, increase our tourism footprint with smart growth and environmentally sound development,” she said.
Hayes said the township plays a vital role in the county and should be compensated properly for it.
“Upper Township provides water and power to the entire county. Every piece of trash and recycling generated in Cape May County ends up in Upper Township,” she said. “We are actively reviewing old host community benefits agreements that have been stagnant and overlooked for years.”
She said the community needs to determine what it wants for the future.
“Do we want big box stores and high-rise apartments? Do we want to build more schools? What is the trade-off point between progress and loss of our small-town identity?” she said. “The community will have to choose and decide. I believe it should be our decision, not decided by outside influencers or political pressure.”
Hayes said she has supported the business community and has plans to improve it in several ways, noting a partnership with the Upper Township Business Association on the highly anticipated annual Upper Township Guide as well as business milestones and ribbon-cuttings.
Township Committee also has charged the Planning Board with studying the Roosevelt Boulevard and Cedar Square commercial zones for the possibility of redevelopment.
“These are the two main thoroughfares of our township and we are looking to encourage smart growth and opening up opportunities for small-business grants,” she said.
– By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff