September 21, 2023
Source/CIty of Wildwood
Wildwood Mayor Pete Byron, who faces a state indictment on allegations that he submitted fraudulent paperwork to qualify for state health benefits, resigned from office on Thursday.
Wildwood Mayor Pete Byron has resigned. Deputy Mayor Krista Fitzsimons will take over Byron's responsibilities, officials said Thursday morning.
Last month, Byron, a Democrat, was sentenced to three years probation and fined $20,000 after pleading guilty to federal tax fraud. He had not disclosed more than $40,000 in income earned from a second job with a consulting firm.
In a separate case, Byron has been indicted by the New Jersey Attorney General's Office for falsifying records to receive state health care benefits.
Byron, originally from Northeast Philly, joined the Wildwood Board of Commissioners in 2011 and was sworn in as mayor of the Jersey Shore city in 2020. Despite legal troubles, many of Byron's constituents have rallied around him and encouraged him not to resign from his office, the Press of Atlantic City reported earlier this year.
"I have held the honor and pleasure of serving my community as Commissioner for the past 12 years," Byron said in his resignation announcement. "Though I may not be at City Hall, I am still available to help with issues and will be happy to continue to assist my hometown of Wildwood in any way possible."
Byron, former Wildwood Mayor Ernest Troiano Jr. and City Commissioner Steve Mikulski all face a state grand jury indictment for allegedly filing false paperwork to qualify for state health benefits. Attorney General Matthew Platkin re-indicted all three on charges of misconduct, theft by unlawful taking and tampering with public records in August after a Superior Court judge dismissed the case in July.
Byron told NBC10 that, unlike in his federal tax fraud case, he does intend to plead guilty, calling the state's case a "waste of taxpayers' money."
In his resignation statement, Byron touted growth in beach revenue under his leadership and projects he spearheaded, like the Pacific Avenue revitalization project, remediation of the Back Bay landfill and renovations to the Wildwood boardwalk.
