Ernest Coursey, four-term Atlantic county commissioner, dies at 62

Veteran Atlantic County Commissioner Ernest D. Coursey, Sr., who announced earlier this year that he would not seek re-election to a fifth term because of health issues, died early this morning.  He was 62.

Gov. Phil Murphy said he and First Lady Tammy Murpy are “heartbroken by the loss of our dear friend.”

“Throughout his life, Ernie gave his heart and soul to Atlantic County. As a lifelong resident of Atlantic City, he always fought for the city’s future and, most of all, the future of his neighbors who embodied the community’s spirit and grit,” Murphy said.  “From lowering local taxes to improving public safety to supporting the construction of new community assets — like the National Aerospace Research and Technical Park and Stockton University’s campus in Atlantic City — he worked relentlessly to bring opportunity and prosperity to Atlantic County’s workers, businessowners, and families.”

He has been the lone Democrat in county government.

“I am terribly saddened by the passing of my friend Ernest Coursey. Ernest had a gifted political mind and a solid pragmatism to him that made him an effective public servant. He exemplified Otto von Bismarck’s maxim that ‘politics is the art of the possible,” said Atlantic County Democratic Chairman Michael Suleiman.  “The fact that he earned the respect of Republicans and Democrats alike, despite having strongly-held beliefs, is a testament to his many years of goodwill, constituent service, and dedication to Atlantic County. I will miss Ernest’s sense of humor, political savvy, and friendship. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Leslie and their two sons.”

Coursey served as an Atlantic City councilman from the Third Ward from 1991 to 2002, serving a stint as council president.  He served as an aide to U.S. Senator Bob Torricelli and as a commissioner of the South Jersey Transportation Authority; Coursey was the deputy mayor of Atlantic City while Lorenzo Langford held the post.

He was elected freeholder, the precursor to county commissioner, and was re-elected in 2016, 2019, and 2022

In 2017, he was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for State Assembly in the 2nd legislative district, but finished third in a six-candidate primary with 3,852 votes; he trailed future Assemblyman John Armato (D-Buena) by 1,744 votes.

He announced last year that he would run on gubernatorial candidate Steve Fulop’s ballot slogan and not seek the support of the county organization.

His seat will be filled on an interim basis by the Atlantic County Democrats.

“True to Ernie’s reputation as a ‘people person,’ he was not just an upstanding public servant — he was an outstanding friend. He was a man of deep faith, an avid fisher, and a devoted husband and father,” Murphy stated.  “We will always be grateful for the kindness and generosity that Ernie and his wife Leslie showed us over the years.”