Friends of Margate, from left, Maury Blumberg, Cathy Horn and Michael Collins, claimed victory in the Board of Commissioners election, Tuesday, May 9, 2023.
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
MARGATE – Voters of the city had their say Tuesday in the election of commissioners who will serve on the governing body for the next four years. They picked friendship, experience and vision for the future over change.
Commissioner Maury Blumberg won his fifth term as commissioner, along with political newcomer Michael Collins, who owns and operates Colmar Home Center. The top vote-getter was Board of Education President Cathy Horn.
The A-column team of Margate Deserves Better took the mail-in ballot count with a 50+ vote lead, while the Friends of Margate slayed their challengers at the polls with a margin of nearly 2-1.
The unofficial vote count is:
| Polls | Mail-ins | Totals | |
| Calvin Tessler | 615 | 283 | 898 |
| Aaron Singer | 595 | 281 | 876 |
| Tish Calvarese | 616 | 277 | 893 |
| Maury Blumberg* | 1016 | 230 | 1246 |
| Cathy Horn* | 1095 | 237 | 1332 |
| Michael Collins* | 1096 | 235 | 1331 |
*Winners
Results are unofficial until they are certified by the County Clerk. The mail-in ballot totals can change somewhat as the last day for the county clerk to receive ballots postmarked by Election Day is Monday, May 15.
“The Margate voters rejected the negative tactics and they are pretty happy with the way things are going in Margate,” Blumberg said as he celebrated the victory with the team at Bocca Coal Fired Bistro.
The campaign was very contentious with mudslinging coming mostly from the Margate Deserves Better team against the Margate establishment and with charges from residents of voter fraud, texts from unidentified callers, and dirty politics.
The negative campaigning included publishing a newspaper with blaring headlines and even a clandestine delivery of campaign literature to the daughter of a popular conservative radio talk show host. The A-column team ran on change for Margate and a promise to stop the building of large homes at higher elevations that have become commonplace since Hurricane Sandy “changed everything” for communities along the Jersey shore.
Tesler did not respond to a request for comment from the Deserves Better team.
The Friends of Margate promised to form a citizens advisory committee to allow residents to have input on important issues.
Certification of the results and a swearing-in ceremony will be held noon Tuesday, May 16 at Historic City Hall, 1 S. Washington Ave.
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