WEST WILDWOOD – Mayor Christopher Fox and fellow West Wildwood Commissioners Scott Golden and Amy Korobellis, during a Dec. 17 Zoom meeting, thanked each other, staff, and supporters and wished the new commissioners, who take over Jan. 1, well.
“I wish them nothing but the best and am sure they will do a great job,” Fox said of Joseph Segrest, Matthew Ksiazek, and John Banning, who won a hotly contested race, in November.
“I’m glad to have been able to have served with two commissioners who were on the same page as me, who cared about the community and had the same family values,” said Golden, who won his seat as commissioner in 2008.
Korobellis thanked Fox, who served as the town’s mayor for the last eight years, and Golden for helping her the past year after she won a special election to fill a seat vacated by a former commissioner’s resignation.
When contacted after the meeting, the incoming commissioners felt the outgoing commissioners’ comments were lip service. They said contracts passed in a “lame duck” session for the police union and the police chief are forcing them to make unexpected adjustments to the budget before taking office.
“Instead of allowing for a new era of confidence and trust, the current commissioners continue to create the appearance of collusion that benefits some and is not in the best interest of the borough,” Banning wrote, in an email to the Herald.
“I appreciate the current commissioners wishing us luck. I would have preferred if the current commissioners had not saddled us with the current contract issues and then we wouldn’t need as much luck,” he added.
A special commission meeting is scheduled to occur via Zoom, at 8 a.m. Dec. 31.
