Council Appoints New City Historian

NORTH WILDWOOD – “Short and sweet,” was the phrase used by attendees and council members alike at the North Wildwood City Council meeting Feb. 17 – snowy conditions and winter chill could not dilute the warmth and well wishes expressed inside.
After the municipal courtroom doors opened, council proceeded with matters at hand.
Council presented 18 resolutions for approval in looking forward to the upcoming 2015 summer season and to keep North Wildwood in “top condition” in the meantime.
Permission to advertise a public bid for bulkhead replacement on Second Avenue was submitted along with ADA beach access improvements. The fourth resolution concerned a bid for a contract for the provision of concrete.
A contract for a beach umbrella stand concession was awarded to Sunbrella for the 2015 summer season and the city also awarded a lease for city-owned property at 24th and Boardwalk.
Two property owners will receive tax refunds for overpayment of their property taxes. The city will take part in the sale of surplus property on an online auction website. “The city has had a boom,” said Salvatore Zampirri, council president. Council hopes that North Wildwood will continue to profit from the website and gain additional revenue.
Another resolution also included approval of an ABC place-to-place transfer on behalf of the Morey Organization. Council member Rollo abstained from the vote, but the other matters passed unanimously.
Jett Named City Historian
Zampirri presented the matter of North Wildwood appointing William Scott Jett, city clerk, as the new city historian. “For those of you who don’t know, the city clerk’s office is the hub of the municipality. Scott has taken on this official task; as you all know, he has recorded – handsomely, effortlessly, the city’s history.”
Mayor Patrick Rosenello was unable to attend, and Zampirri expressed the mayor’s disappointment at not being able to present the appointment himself.
“This appointment is well deserved,” Zampirri went on to say. “He (Jett) puts forth a great deal of effort, not only in his duties but also in this official capacity.”
The position of city historian, as delineated in the New Jersey Local Historians Act, involves three key aspects: (1) to “carry out a historical program … collecting, preserving, and making available materials relating to the history of the county;” (2) the historian may “research, write, and cause to have published county or municipal history; (3) the historian also “may assist in a landmark commission.”
Jett is taking the role of historian previously held by Steve MacDonald. Even as the city looks forward to a promising summer season, it also desires to preserve the heritage and history of what was Anglesea and North Wildwood.
In an interview after the meeting, Jett said, “I grew up in North Wildwood. My mother’s side has been here for a hundred years. My father’s family came in 1953.” Both sides of Jett’s family participated in the fishing industry, which led them from their homes along the Eastern Shore in Maryland and Virginia.
When asked what his new duties will mean for him, Jett replied, “I was doing it already – the mayor made it official.” Throughout his term, Jett has collected and preserved documents, some of which were in “deplorable condition.”
In the city’s collection resides the first ordinances and recorded minutes from 1885, when the Borough of Anglesea came to life. Jett described his new role in the community as a “good fit.” His father was a policeman in North Wildwood and his mother also worked for the department.
To contact Rachel Rogish, email rrogish@cmcherald.com.