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.
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.
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