Pagliughi, Juzaitis, Wierman Sworn as Avalon Council Reorganizes; Hudanich’s Council President

AVALON – The Borough of Avalon held its annual reorganization meeting July 1 without Richard Dean or Charles “Chuck” Covington, two members of the governing body who spanned three decades of service.
Dean was first elected to council in 1997. Covington served since 1991.
Dean retired in late 2018, and Covington declined to run for another term in May.
History continued its commitment to experience with the swearing-in of Martin Pagliughi. The swearing-in began a new term that will carry him past the 30-year mark. He was first elected mayor in 1991.
Pagliughi thanked the people of Avalon “for the honor of serving as your mayor.” One week prior, Pagliughi posed for photos with the winners of a contest of artwork for the borough’s beach tags. In an aside that day, he noted that he was the only mayor they had ever known.
Council voted to select Nancy Hudanich for a one-year term as council president. Hudanich was first elected to the governing body in 1989, and served as council president in 2016-2017. In the rotation system employed by borough council, Covington would have been elevated to the one-year term as president had he continued on the body.
The council voted John McCorristin as council vice president, a position he held in 2016-2017 when Hudanich was council president.
The ceremony also saw the swearing-in of Barbara Juzaitis, who won her first full term on the governing body after serving six months as an appointed replacement for Dean, following his resignation due to illness in December 2018.
Covington’s seat was filled by Sam Wierman, who won his first term in May. Wierman, previously a member of the borough’s zoning and planning boards, was the leading vote-getter in the municipal election.
The fifth member of the council is James Deever, who stepped down from the position of council president June 30. Deever was appointed to fill a vacancy on council in January 2017 and went on to win his own full term that May.
At the June 26 meeting, his last as president, Deever summed up what he felt were the accomplishments of the previous year.
He noted the “sweeping changes in construction regulations,” which represented a response by the borough to complaints about the intrusion of construction-related noise, pollution, and parking problems into the peak summer period when tourists and homeowners want the enjoyment of their time in Avalon.
He also lauded the passage of a comprehensive ban on single-use plastic bags and related non-biodegradable materials, which pollute the waterways, harm wildlife and endanger sensitive ecosystems.
Deever cited the building of Surf Side Park as a modern recreation area, along with improvements to many of the borough’s other community spaces.
Deever added to his list the backpassing project, which replenished the north-end beaches and provided protection for homes in that area. He followed his discussion of the oceanfront project, with remarks on the dredging project to keep the channels open throughout the back bay waterways.
Noting these accomplishments, Deever reminded residents that council achieved them while maintaining the lowest municipal tax rate in the state, a tax rate that saw no increase during the most recent budget cycle.
Issues remain, including: heavy rain-induced flooding in the north end, federal restrictions on borrowing sand from Hereford Inlet during Seven Mile Island beach replenishments, and continued demand for infrastructure investment in the face of rising sea levels and more frequent storm events.  
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.