Gatto won’t run again for Atlantic County Commissioner

Atlantic County Commissioner Amy Gatto will not seek re-election to a fourth term this year, and at age 43, she’s decided to end a 20-year political career that included becoming the first woman to chair the board.

Hamilton Township Mayor Art Schenker, a labor leader, is the early front-runner to replace Gatto as the Republican candidate for the at-large seat.  Republicans have an 8-1 majority on the county commissioner board.

“It has been a privilege to serve the residents of Atlantic County and to have earned their trust in seven consecutive, successful elections. It has been my mission to serve as an open, fair, and listening ear to anyone needing help or wanting to enhance our area, “explained Gatto. “I’ve dedicated myself to making our community a better place for two decades, and now it’s time to focus on my personal life and my physical and emotional health.”

She pointed to her work in eliminating a $2.4 million structural deficit through economic development and paying down municipal debt without a tax increase.

Gatto began her career as an elected official in 2005 when she won a Hamilton Township school board seat at age 23.  She was elected to the township committee in 2007, and at age 29, she became the youngest and third woman mayor in Hamilton history.

In 2016, Gatto ran for freeholder after incumbent Will Pauls, a Republican, decided not to run again after losing an Assembly race one year earlier.  Hillary Clinton won Atlantic County by eight percentage points that year, but Gatto won the general election by 1,336 votes, 50.6% to 49.4%, against Brenda Braithwaite, a leader of the Atlantic County Education Association.

She was re-elected in 2019 with 59% of the vote and in 2022 with 58%.

Schenker is a member of the United Association of Plumbers Local 322 and a former secretary-treasurer of the Atlantic & Cape May Central Labor Council.

Two other incumbents are seeking re-election this year: Democrat Ernest Coursey, who is running in District 2, and Republican Richard Dase in District 4.