WEST CAPE MAY — Carol Sabo has higher aspirations than serving as mayor of the borough, announcing Jan. 20 that she is running for a seat in the state General Assembly.
“Today I took a step of action,” the 61-year-old wrote on Facebook. “I am declaring my candidacy for the New Jersey state Assembly in District 1.”
The wife and mother of a 31-year-old son said running for the state Legislature “seemed like a natural progression.”
She said advocacy is part of being a social worker and that she hopes to take local concerns and the larger geographic area’s concerns and bring them to “where the decision makers are.”
“It’s a job I’m certain I can do, it’s just getting the position,” she said.
Sabo said she wants to make sure the “voice of this area is heard loud and clear in Trenton from someone who can communicate those needs clearly.”
Citing U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew’s stance when he was serving the area as a Democrat, she said the region needs to diversify the economy.
“We focus a lot on tourism in this area, but one of the bigger concerns is affordability,” she said.
Born in Plainfield, she attended Gettysburg College where she earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and German and later eared a master’s degree in social work at Rutgers University-Camden.
Sabo has dedicated her life to helping others, first through her 18 years of work at the Cape May County Special Services School District and later as a commissioner and now mayor of the borough. Former mayor Pam Kaithern appointed her to fill an unexpired term in 2013 and she won re-election in 2014, 2018 and 2022.
She said she continues working toward making the community better because of her joy of living there.
“I am so connected to the town; I have lived here so long that I care about quality of life here, how we can continue to make this a community that people want to make their home,” she said.
Sabo said West Cape May has changed a lot since she moved there in 1987, especially in the recent past.
“We have seen a lot of changes in demographics in the past 10 years. The diverse working-class community that moved into the borough in the 1980s is not here anymore,” she said, adding that it’s an issue of affordability.
She stated that many factors went into her decision.
“The biggest factor for me was, if not now, when?” she stated. “I believe in New Jersey. I believe in creating a sustainable community which addresses the needs of its residents. I believe in strong public schools, reproductive freedom, health care for all and equal rights for all citizens.”
“I believe in a society that is free from harassment, intimidation and bullying. I believe in community and sustaining the most vulnerable around us,” Sabo wrote.
In describing her philosophy, she quoted chef Jose Andres.
“It’s time to build longer tables, not higher walls,” she said.
Sabo said she is still organizing key staff positions, focusing on everybody who has offered support and delegating responsibilities, noting that she needs to spend time in Cumberland County where she is not well known.
Sabo is the third Democratic candidate to announce their run for office. She joins Carolyn Rush of Sea Isle City and fourth-generation U.S. Coast Guard veteran Brandon Saffold.
The filing deadline for the primary election is March 24 and the election is scheduled for June 10.
The two primary winners will face off against incumbent Republicans Erik Simonsen of Lower Township and Antwan McClellan of Ocean City in the heavily Republican District 1, which includes all of Cape May and Cumberland counties and part of Atlantic County.
Democrats hold a 50-28 advantage in the Assembly with two vacancies.
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Cape May Star and Wave
