Another Hat to Wear: Mayor Desiderio Takes Charge of County Commission

The Desiderio Family (from left) Carmela, Carmel, Len and Carmela 

Same show, bigger stage.

Sea Isle City residents have long been familiar with the leadership of Leonard Desiderio, their mayor since 1993.

Folks in Cape May County have long been aware of his role on the board of commissioners since 2002.

This year, he hit the top of both realms. In January, Desiderio became the director of the Cape May County Board of Commissioners, succeeding Gerald Thornton. Desiderio now approaches the first summer embracing both responsibilities.

The popular mayor, who hasn’t been opposed for office since 2011, represents an extreme rarity. He is grandfathered into New Jersey law enacted in 2007 forbidding dual office-holding.

Desiderio is thus one of the last in a breed.

In Sea Isle City, he begins service decade No. 4 in July after running unopposed in the May 9 election.

Beyond his backyard, he displays a savvy pragmatism for reaching across the aisle. That’s been especially true on the state level, where he diplomatically sought legislation to address massive gatherings of kids under 18 on Sea Isle’s beaches. When he received no help, Desiderio enacted a local solution, with the help of community residents. It takes effect May 15.

In his new role with the county commission, Desiderio presides over a body with a larger geographic scope than a single municipality. That may entail approving use of county parks for high-school baseball teams, directing Cape May County infrastructure improvements, and linking up with the State of New Jersey for grants such as funding for victims of domestic violence.

On a general scale, his oversight duties run the gamut from the departments of finance, public works, emergency management, and public safety training.

Both the city and county jobs require a seasoned approach to area needs. Who would better connect a commissioner and a mayor, one might argue, than someone who is both?

Michael J. Donohue, Esquire administering the Oath of Office to Desiderio.

“As a mayor, I gained insight as to what the director has to do,” Desiderio says. “The first role of this job is to get closer to the community. There are some things going on within every community in which we can help each other.”

Desiderio’s first initiative was inviting all county mayors to four meetings with the commissioners. It might become the start of a thread bonding all 16 Cape May County municipalities.

They may already have a common link on one particular issue recently addressed in Desiderio’s mayoral base: Sea Isle’s new ordinance to combat its mounting youth problem.

Reacting to residents’ concerns over large gatherings of youths on the beach and Promenade, the City Council adopted two significant measures in late March.

Ordinances 1693 and 1694 created new regulations regarding the carrying of backpacks on the Promenade and a curfew for youths.

This is an idea that other communities are considering and some may eventually adopt.

According to the ordinance, the carrying of backpacks will now be prohibited between the hours of 10pm and 1am, from May 15 to Sept. 15 (with certain exceptions); and the new curfew will prohibit anyone under the age of 18 from being in public areas from 10pm to 6am (unless when accompanied by a parent or guardian or when traveling home from a job or sanctioned community event).

Desiderio says the ordinances were written at the request of the administration in response to an outcry from the community over misbehavior involving juveniles in public areas during the past two summers.

“While City Council wants everyone to enjoy their time in Sea Isle City, we remind people of all ages of the importance of following the rules and not interfering with the peaceful enjoyment of others,” he says.

“It’s not only a problem in the county, it’s a problem up our 126, 127 miles of the Jersey coast. A number of years back, the New Jersey attorney general changed the rules on how police can interact with juveniles.

“The police can’t even notify parents about their children being out,” he adds. “You have to stop and have what they call ‘sidewalk chats.’ We have had more than 10,000 in Sea Isle City alone the last couple of years.

“If a juvenile is walking down the street with an open container, you can only talk to him. If that was an adult, that person can get a citation.”

Desiderio says social media platforms enable congregations to form rapidly. In one touch of a phone app, a gathering spot can be determined for crowds to form almost immediately. Many people in it are not from this area.

In a sense, crowds mobilize faster than the mayors of communities. Desiderio says local officials may not even know that someone spotted for underage drinking in one municipality had been seen doing the same thing a couple of nights earlier in a different town.

Commissioner Desiderio making his first public address as director of the Cape May County Commissioners on March 23.

He believes the ordinance will be a preventative tool, balancing Sea Isle City’s destination-resort and safety needs. Desiderio stressed the need for parents to be responsible for their children and know their whereabouts. He also says that while the pendulum must be swung back to help law enforcement, context is critical.

Desiderio does not want to lump all young summer visitors into one category.

“Most of the juveniles we run into are really good kids,” he says. “They are football players, wrestlers, etc. They just want to hang out with their friends. We do not, by any means, want to give these kids a criminal record. They are our future, they are our leaders of tomorrow.

“Unfortunately, there are a few who want to be the leaders and show they can get away with something and they can fire everyone else up.”

He says county leaders staying abreast of developments within each community can be better connected to address situations like this.

The local ordinance and the county commission meetings have gotten his tenure off to an interesting start. This is the latest step in a long journey.

The commission website lists Desiderio’s long string of service:

He is a member of the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization, the Sea Isle City Planning Board, the Sea Isle City Ambulance Corps, Elks Lodge BPOE 1290, the Southern New Jersey Commissioners’ Association, the New Jersey Association of Counties, and past president and current member of the Cape May County League of Municipalities.

And here comes the next chapter.