WEST CAPE MAY — An incumbent and two newcomers swore oaths of office Jan. 5 when the West Cape May Board of Commissioners held its annual reorganization meeting.
According to Star and Wave archives, all three positions were up for grabs in the borough, where Mayor Carol Sabo opted to pose an unsuccessful challenge for the state Assembly with fellow Democrat Carolyn Rush.
George Dick, Susan Hoffman and Ellen McDevitt out-polled their four opponents in the election Nov. 4, winning four-year terms.
Hoffman collected the most votes, 353, followed by Dick with 349 and McDevitt with 334.
Incumbent Jack Antonicello garnered 251 votes, followed by Dawn Vitagliano with 200, Hamilton Wilde with 196 and Joseph Gilmartin with 181.
Dick and Alan Crawford were appointed in early 2023 to replace Dan Kurkowski, who resigned to join the county Superior Court, and Peter Burke. Dick then was elected later that year for the remainder of the unexpired term, serving about three years total.
Dick and his wife, Debbie, have four grown children. He studied economics at Haverford College, then went on to earn a master’s degree from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.
He spent his career working in the chemical industry as a global business manager at the Rohm and Haas Co., where he worked with teams around the world, managed budgets and focused on long-term planning and problem-solving.
“It’s an honor to be up here again with Ellen and Susan,” Dick said. “I enjoyed my three years so far talking to the community, working with our great employees, and the commissioners. I’m looking forward to the next four years with these guys.”
Hoffman and her husband, Wayne Hoffman, are the parents of identical twin daughters and the grandparents of four granddaughters. She was born in Scranton, Pa., but lived in numerous cities in the state because of her father’s career, finally settling in Allentown.
Hoffman earned a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education from Penn State University and started a career as a high school health and physical education teacher and gymnastics coach, but retired from teaching to stay home until her daughters started school.
When she returned to work, she moved into the field of marketing and public affairs, retiring as head of marketing and public affairs for Lehigh Valley Health Network, a multi-hospital system serving eastern Pennsylvania.
McDevitt, a Penn State graduate who worked her first job at KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, later moved to Washington, D.C., where she met her husband, Dave, a Philadelphia native, when they worked in child nutrition programs.
The mother of two daughters earned a master’s degree in adult and community education. The family built a house in West Cape May in 1987.
McDevitt opened Ellie’s Bakery in the borough so that families today could have the same experience as her daughters when they walked to Kokes Bakery on the Washington Street Mall to get sticky buns and snowflake rolls.
The commissioners chose Dick as mayor and Hoffman as deputy mayor. Dick will oversee the
The commissioners chose Dick as mayor and Hoffman as deputy mayor. Dick will oversee the Department of Revenue and Finance, Hoffman the Department of Public Works and McDevitt the Departments of Public Affairs and Public Safety.
Starting this year, the Shade Tree Commission will be under the Department of Revenue and Finance and the Historical Preservation Commission will be under the Department of Public Works.
“We also have a new item that we’re going to implement this year under the Department of Public Works, which is Communication or Public Relations,” Dick said. “We did hear a lot about how we communicate with the borough, and we’re going to make a real effort to make sure that is improved so that everybody feels comfortable with it.”
Hoffman will oversee this new department due to her experience in marketing and public affairs.
During their reports, commissioners expressed gratitude and excitement for their upcoming terms.
“As I looked through this packet of materials this week, there’s a lot that I still need to learn, and so these next 30 days are going to be my time for learning and listening,” McDevitt said. “If anyone has something to share, let me know. I’m looking forward to doing this work.”
Hoffman offered similar sentiments.
“I’m really looking forward to being involved with some of the departments and functions that I enjoy,” she said. “They’re all things that are really important to me and important to our community. It will be enjoyable, maybe frustrating, maybe tough, but it’ll be work I’m really looking forward to.”
Hoffman explained that during campaigning, many residents expressed a need for better communication from the borough. She is looking forward to opening lines of discussion by developing a new plan and ways to keep the public informed and engaged.
By JULIA DIGERONIMO/For the Star and Wave
