EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP — Voters last year waited days for the presidential election to be called for Joe Biden, with challenges to the result continuing until the inauguration
In Atlantic County’s 3rd District, voters will wait a year for a final decision on their representation on the Board of Commissioners.
On Tuesday, Superior Court Judge Joseph Marczyk ruled that a special election to decide the 2020 race between Republican Andrew Parker of Egg Harbor Township and Democrat Thelma Witherspoon of Hamilton Township will take place Nov. 2, sharing the ballot with the general election.
After the decision, Parker said he would withdraw his name from the ballot for reelection to Egg Harbor Township Committee this year to focus on the county election.
Witherspoon was certified the winner of the 2020 race by a narrow margin, getting 15,034 votes to Parker’s 14,748 — a difference of 286 votes. But Marczyk decertified her win in January after Parker contested the results. The county clerk had sent ballots that did not include the race to 338 voters in the district, which includes enough votes to change the results. That set the stage for a lengthy legal fight over when a special election would take place.
In the meantime, the county government has met with eight members instead of nine, and the 3rd District, which includes most of Egg Harbor Township and a portion of Hamilton, has not been represented on the Board of Commissioners.
“The good news is, now we’re going to get representation for that district,” Parker said after the decision. Still, he said he would have preferred the election take place sooner.
Republicans had sought to hold the election in September. Democrats said that would be more expensive — costing an estimated $100,000 — and would see a lower voter turnout.
“The turnout would be about 10%, and the Republicans would have won,” said Michael Suleiman, the Atlantic County Democratic leader. While Parker argues the seat should be filled as soon as possible, Suleiman accused the GOP of voter suppression to improve their chances.
Parker has been critical of county Clerk Ed McGettigan and the mistake that prevented hundreds of residents from voting. But he said he was happy to have a decision.
“It’s been an unfortunate process,” he said. “We’ve all got to move on.”
The timing added another complication: Parker had already filed to run for reelection to his seat on the Township Committee. Under state law, he would not be able to serve in both positions, but he could have remained on the ballot for both the special election and the township seat.
“From my understanding, legally someone can be on the ballot twice. I just can’t imagine why I would want to do that,” Parker said.
He was set to meet with county GOP leader Keith Davis and the township Republican leader to decide what to do; whether to remain in both slots, or run just for County Commission or just for Township Committee.
By early afternoon Tuesday, Parker had made up his mind.
“In light of today’s decision, I intend to focus on keeping Atlantic County the best run in the state by running for County Commissioner this Nov. 2,” he said in an emailed statement. “Months ago, I suggested to my opponent that we flip a coin to bring these sad events to an end, and she refused. It’s a shame the residents of Egg Harbor and Hamilton townships will not have been represented on the County Commissioner Board for almost a year because of ongoing incompetence in the County Clerk’s office.”
In a statement released after Marczyk’s ruling, Witherspoon said she beat Parker once and will do so again, stating she is looking forward to representing the district at the county level.
“While I am disappointed that the votes Atlantic County residents cast last year will be thrown out, I respect the judge’s decision to schedule a new election,” she said. “I am happy to see us score a major victory in that the special election will be in the November general election. This not only saves taxpayer dollars but it will ensure that voter participation will be as high as possible.”
Lynn Caterson, who heads up the county Board of Elections, said combining the elections will mean less strain on staff.
“Selfishly, it’s better for all of the election officers,” she said.
With a hotly contested presidential race and pandemic-driven mail-in ballots, the 2020 election drew an exceptionally high turnout in Atlantic County and around the country. For 2021, the governor’s race between Democratic incumbent Phil Murphy and GOP challenger Jack Ciattarelli will top the ticket. Suleiman believes that race will also drive high voter turnout.
This year also sees three county commission seats up for a vote, which means voters will decide on four seats on the nine-member board.
Republican Frank Balles will face a challenge from Democrat Celeste Fernandez for an at-large seat, while in the 2nd District, Democrat Jelani Gandy is running against Republican Maureen Kern, the current chairwoman of the board, and Republican James Bertino is running for reelection in the 5th District against Democratic challenger William Beyers.
Fernandez ran last year against incumbent Republican John Risley of Egg Harbor Township, another narrow race that ended up in the courts. In June, a court ordered a full recount of that race.
Contact Bill Barlow:
609-272-7290
Twitter @jerseynews_bill
