Egg Harbor Township gets second female mayor


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EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP — A new mayor has taken her place in the township.

The Township Committee voted to appoint Laura Pfrommer mayor at the Egg Harbor Township reorganization meeting Jan. 4. Pfrommer had served as deputy mayor for the last four years, and this is her 12th year as a member of the Township Committee.

Pfrommer said she was humbled by the opportunity.

“It’s a true honor and a privilege to be selected by my fellow committee members,” Pfrommer said.

Paul Hodson had been the mayor of Egg Harbor Township since 2019 and served as deputy mayor from 2013 to 2018. He remains a member of the Township Committee, which he has served on for 17 years.

Hodson said Pfrommer had expressed interest in being mayor. He said she had done well in her job as deputy mayor and thought she was prepared for the new office.

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“Laura wanted to try it this year, so she’s the mayor,” Hodson said. “She’ll do a fine job.”

Hodson said he thought there would be considerable continuity between mayoralties as well. He noted that under the township system, all members of the governing body have equal say in legislation and policy, with the mayor simply presiding over meetings.

“We’re all equal as committee people,” Hodson said.

Joe Cafero was appointed to fill Pfrommer’s place as deputy mayor. Heading into his 14th year on the Township Committee, Cafero is second in seniority on the governing body, behind only Hodson. He said that Hodson “did a great job” with his four-year mayoralty and that he was privileged to serve as Pfrommer’s deputy mayor.

“I was honored that all my colleagues were in favor of it,” said Cafero, who was reelected in the general election in November.

The votes to appoint Pfrommer and Cafero to their new positions were unanimous. Township Committeeman Joe O’Donoghue, who was elected to the body in 2021, called Pfrommer exceedingly qualified for the position due to her experience. He added that he thought it was important to promote female leadership and set an example for gender equality.

“It’s a round table,” O’Donoghue said.

Pfrommer is just the second female mayor in the history of the township. She is preceded only by Maria Bohle, who became the township’s first female committee member in the 1985 and served one term as mayor in 1993, according to township records.

Bohle also served six years as deputy mayor during her nine years on the governing body. She then served as an Atlantic County freeholder in 1994.

The rest of the Township Committee consists of men. Jokingly asked at a committee meeting Wednesday how she would interact with her all-male colleagues, Pfrommer cited her time growing up with four brothers. She made the same remark when she first jointed the Township Committee in 2012.

Pfrommer said she has been living in the township for 40 years and mentioned it is where her children went to school. She has an extensive background in accounting, which she says has helped during the township budgeting process over the last decade, helping her to “always keep an eye on the bottom line.”

Politics, Prfommer said, has been her calling. She said she has always been civically minded and that small-town politics typically are not as bogged down with the partisan battles in Trenton and Washington, D.C.

“I’ve always loved it, local politics especially,” Pfrommer said. “Locally, you can help people and do what you can to make things better.”

Pfrommer said she had “big shoes to fill,” praising Hodson for what she considered the success of his time as mayor. She mentioned inheriting the legacies left by Hodson, as well as that of James “Sonny” McCullough, who served on the Township Committee from 1986 to 2018 and spent 29 years as mayor. She said while there were benefits to long-term leadership, there was also value to be had in incorporating new perspectives into township government.

“Different people bring different visions, sometimes a different mindset and different ideas,” Pfrommer said.

In a recent interview, McCullough said he was confident Pfrommer would be able to take over the role. He said her accounting background qualified for the role and he was impressed by her insight on development matters when he served with her for six years.

“Laura is dynamic and I believe a born leader,” McCullough said. “And the rest of the Township Committee really respects her and that’s what’s important.”

As mayor, Pfrommer will have to lead the township through some challenges. Pfrommer said the township is facing new financial difficulties that will have to be addressed during the budget process, with rising costs related to health insurance, pensions and the high inflation rate over the last two years.

“This year is trying to find a way to do more with less and find a way to keep the tax rate as stable as possible,” Pfrommer said.

Pfrommer will have help navigating these challenges. She said the continued service of Hodson on the Township Committee and his experience are assets from which she could draw as she leads the township.

“The good thing is that Mayor Hodson is (still on Township Committee),” Pfrommer said. “He still brings all the wisdom he gained in this position and is going to be one of my strongest resources.”

Asked whether there was anything he could tell Pfommer to prepare her for her mayoralty, McCullough said, “I don’t think she needs advice.”

“She knows what she’s doing,” McCullough said.

There will be more continuity as well to ease the transition between mayors. The Township Committee, which consists entirely of Republicans, returned much of the township’s professionals at the reorganization meeting. Harvey Cocozza Jr., of Ford Scott & Associates in Ocean City, was appointed township auditor; state Sen. Vince Polistina, R-Atlantic, was appointed the township planner; James Mott was appointed township engineer; Marc Friedman, a lawyer from Linwood, was appointed township solicitor; and Avalon attorney William Blaney was appointed labor relations counsel.

Contact Chris Doyle

cdoyle@pressofac.com


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