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Lawyer Yael Bromberg, representing the South Jersey Progressive Democrats, addresses the judge in state Superior Court in Camden last July as the group fought for the right to name members to the Cherry Hill Democratic Committee. To her right was David Stahl, who now is the chair of the Cherry Hill Democratic Committee and Kate Delany, president of the South Jersey Progressive Democrats.

The new Cherry Hill Democratic Committee, made up of South Jersey Progressive Democrats, has started to fill 71 vacancies on the team that oversees candidates and fills political vacancies in South Jersey’s largest municipality.

Until last Friday, the group was enjoined by the court from filling vacancies — the result of a lawsuit brought last year by the traditional Camden County Democrats, led by George E. Norcross III, and the faction that has held the political power in Cherry Hill for decades.

However, an appellate court decision last week voided the decision by State Superior Court Judge Michael J. Kassel that prevented the Progressives from filling vacancies despite their win in the June primary by a vote of 5,547 to 3,350, or 62% of the votes cast.

The failed contention by the Norcross Democrats was that the three elected under the Progressives slate had to fill vacancies from among the 74 losing candidates who ran with the Norcross group.

Elected were David Stahl, now chair of the Cherry Hill Democratic Committee; Rena Margulis, now vice chair and Susan Druckenbrod, now the treasurer.

"We are thrilled to be able to start the work the voters elected us to accomplish a full 10 months ago," Margulis said in a statement on Friday, naming the first 14 new members of the committee. "We intend to bring to Cherry Hill what every county other than Camden has: representation based on voting district. Instead of a top-down committee dedicated to the interests of the Norcross machine, we will be a bottom-up committee bringing representation to the Democratic voters of Cherry Hill who are tired of living under the thumb of the machine."

The new committee is adhering to Cherry Hill voting districts rather than naming candidates at large, which the group maintains can underrepresent parts of town.

The first 14 filling some of the 71 vacancies and their voting districts are:

  • Kristen Affrime, Cherry Hill Voting District 6. She is a Locustwood resident on the west side of Cherry Hill.
  • Gail Donner, District 16. She has been a resident of the Willowdale section of Cherry Hill since 1978. 
  • Greg Gagarin, District 26. He is a Wexford Leas resident who hopes to bring in young leaders who will run for, lead, and further our values in elected office in Camden County.
  • Marie Henselder Kimmel, District 46.  She is a retired physician who practiced in Camden County for 24 years and has been a Cherry Hill resident since 1990.
  • Mohammed Jawaad Hussain, District 19.  He is a pediatrician who has served Camden County for over a decade and has been a town resident since 2016.
  • Tooba Hussain, District 38.  She is a lawyer and community organizer who was born and raised in New Jersey. 
  • Jess Karpiak, District 35.  She is a Barclay Farms resident and has lived in Camden County for most of her life.
  • Jay Lassiter, District 35. He lives in the Hunt Tract/Barclay neighborhood and is best known for his work legalizing gay marriage and for reforming New Jersey's outdated cannabis laws.
  • Ken Lee, District 25.  He has been a resident in the Windsor Park section of Cherry Hill for about two years.
  • Julius Martinez, District 1. An assistant principal in Philadelphia, he resides with his family in Cherry Hill.
  • Laura Napolitano, District 10. She is a college professor and has resided in Cherry Hill for the last 11 years.
  • Martha Stem, District 26. She has been a resident of the Wexford Leas neighborhood for more than 30 years and is a business development professional and community advocate.
  • Tracey Thomasey, District 35. She is pursuing a doctorate in social work while working as full-time faculty at a liberal arts college in Pennsylvania. 
  • Caroline Wong, District 17. She has been a resident in the Kingston section for more than 30 years.

>> Previous 70and 73 reporting: Power shift: Appellate court rules 3 Cherry Hill Progressive Democrats can fill 71 spots on committee.

Read more complete biographies in the news release here:

14 named to fill vacancies on Cherry Hill Democratic Committee