Corson faces familiar foe
UPPER TOWNSHIP — Incumbent Curtis Corson is facing a challenge for his seat on Township Committee for the second time from independent Jon Grubb in the election Nov. 7.
They last faced off in 2017, when Corson defeated Democrat Kiesha Bond and Grubb for a three-year term. Corson took 2,191 votes to 1,659 for Bond. Grubb was a distant third with 376 votes.
Corson has deep roots in the township and is one of the longest-serving members of Township Committee. He said he is a 13th-generation township resident, his children are 14th-generation and his grandson is the first of a 15th generation in the township.
His middle initial “T” stands for Townsend, his grandmother’s family name, which means he is a descendant of two of the founding families of Cape May County, among the earliest people of European ancestry to live in the northern part of the county, with two local inlets bearing those names.
Corson has served on Township Committee for more than 26 years. He served for 18 years straight until losing re-election in 2013, but then was appointed in 2016 to fill the seat of Jeffrey Pierson when he stepped down to serve on the Cape May County Board of Commissioners.
Local attorney John Amenhauser challenged Corson in 2020, hoping to be the first Democrat to gain a seat on the Republican-only governing body in decades. Corson won again, this time with 4,919 votes to 3,354 for Amenhauser.
Grubb, 48, grew up in Upper Township and is a third-generation resident. He is the owner of KG Property Management and Home Improvement Contracting, as well as Georgie’s Magic Touch Barber and Beauty Salon. He is a member of the Upper Township Business Association and a former commissioner for the South Jersey Storm semiprofessional football team, which is based in Upper Township.
Grubb said he is licensed in security through the New Jersey State Police, holds a certificate in auto mechanics. He is a former public works employee who has a CDL driver’s license and is a certified truck driver and equipment operator.
Board of Education:
5 candidates, 3 seats
The Upper Township Board of Education has three seats up for election in November and five candidates, a mix of incumbents and newcomers, for those positions, according to the official website of the Cape May County Elections Department.
The filing deadline was July 31, when candidates had to hand in a petition with at least 10 qualified voter signatures.
Five people are after three seats on the Upper Township Board of Education.
Incumbent Thomas McQuillen is seeking re-election, while Philip Schaffer chose not to run.
Rachel Mammele had submitted petitions for re-election but has since withdrawn.
The four others who are running are Kelly Ann Emberger, Rebecca Holden, Daniel P. Kilgallon, and Jeffrey Trulli.
Christine Stanford had submitted petitions but has since withdrawn.
Although Kilgallon did not list a slogan, when he ran for office in 2022, he said he and his wife weren’t shy about “speaking up for parents’ rights, medical freedom, age-appropriate content and a return of good nature and common sense to the district.”
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
David Nahan contributed to this report