Three new commissioners take office in Ventnor; Kelly named mayor
By MARTIN DeANGELIS Staff Writer, 609-272-7237
Published: Wednesday, May 21, 2008
VENTNOR - The city clerk called the roll for a City Commission vote shortly after noon Tuesday:
"Commissioner Piatt. ... Commissioner Weintrob. ... Commissioner Kelly."
It wasn't necessarily news that John Piatt, Stephen Weintrob and Theresa Kelly each voted yes on the matter. But it was a big local development that for the first time in 16 years, Tim Kreischer wasn't one of the three commissioners sitting in front of the meeting. For the first time in 12 years, there wasn't a Commissioner Sandy Vespertino, and for the first time since 2000, there was no Commissioner Joe Schafer.
Kelly, who easily led the voting in the election last week that swept the incumbents out of office, was formally and unanimously voted in Tuesday as the new mayor.
"I am honored to be Ventnor's first female mayor," said Kelly, 69, a former president of the city's school board who retired from a career in Atlantic City's school district. But Kelly added that she'd always figured that the first woman in the mayor's chair would be "my friend, Sandra Biagi," the veteran city clerk.
"Remember, the people are the government," said Kelly, who will also be public safety commissioner. "This City Hall is your City Hall. Stay involved, because we will not be successful without you."
Piatt, a 62-year-old management specialist in the office of the Atlantic County clerk, will be in charge of revenue and finance.
"The change begins right now," he told a packed meeting room of friends, supporters and political officials from around Atlantic County. "We really grew to know the real meaning of teamwork in this campaign, and we hope to keep it alive in our administration."
Weintrob, 65, who works in commercial real estate, was sworn in with help from three generations of his family, including his wife, two daughters and two granddaughters. He will be public works commissioner.
"We're going to have a sense of community," he predicted in his talk, but then quickly warned that can't be a government-created commodity.
"The sense of community is because you're out there, and you're going to help, and you're going to volunteer," Weintrob said, before asking people again for "your help, your patience, and if we make a mistake or two, your forgiveness."
In an interview later, Weintrob said the new government plans to start a series of committees with volunteer members, for example a Ventnor beautification and environment committee.
"There's no reason why this city can't sparkle," he said, adding that another priority will be encouraging young families with children to move back to Ventnor - which would buck a trend from recent years in many beach towns that have seen year-round residents move to the mainland after selling their houses to people buying them as summer vacation places.
In one of its first official acts, the new government also sent out an announcement inviting "the entire community" to a celebration on Memorial Day at St. James Church's Memorial Hall. The "very relaxed" event is set to run from 3 to 7 p.m. Monday at the church hall, on South Newport Avenue, and dress is "very casual," the announcement says.
To e-mail Martin DeAngelis at The Press:
MDeangelis@pressofac.com
|
05-20-2008, 08:38 PM
MEDIA COVERAGE: Swearing in
More news coverage
Linear Mode
