Geiger, Yunghans join VanHeeswyck on dais
CAPE MAY POINT — Cape May Point now has its first all-female Board of Commissioners, featuring incumbent Anita VanHeeswyck along with newcomers Suzanne Yunghans and Elise Geiger.
Former commissioner Catherine Busch was two votes short of retaining her seat in the 2024 election, and former mayor Bob Moffatt did not run for re-election.
“Thank you to everyone for allowing me to do this [job] for the past 12 years,” Moffatt said. “I’m really going to miss everybody.”
During a meeting Jan. 2, VanHeeswyk thanked Moffatt and Busch for all of their work while serving for the past several years.
“It’s been wonderful working with you, Catherine, and sad this era is past,” VanHeeswyk said. “Thank you so much for all you’ve done for us.”
VanHeeswyk presented both Busch and Moffatt with special journals.
“Bob, early on, you gave me a saying from Eleanor Roosevelt, and I think it’s so appropriate, so I want to read it now,” VanHeeswyk said. “It applies to everyone who has been in elected office. ‘Do what you feel in your heart to be right — for you’ll be criticized anyway. You’ll be damned if you do and damned if you don’t. That’s the hard part of the job.”
She said that is the hard part of the job.
“I think in Cape May Point, we all have a sense in our heart of what we’re doing is right,” she said.
Residents also had the opportunity to thank the outgoing mayor and commissioner.
“Thank you, Bob and Catherine, for all the hard work they’ve done over the last few years,” resident Sandy Allison said. “It’s not an easy assignment, but you both have done a great job, and I’m going to miss both of [you].”
Administrator Ed Grant thanked Busch and Moffatt for allowing him to serve during their administration.
“I think both of [you] did an outstanding job and should be congratulated,” he said. “We loved working with you.”
Grant also provided the commission with an update on the Veterans Memorial.
“We are coming up with a different strategy, where we’re going to do the project in phases, as opposed to holistically,” he said. “That way, the first phase can [be completed].”
The other phases will be considered going forward.
By RACHEL SHUBIN/For the Star and Wave