STONE HARBOR – Stone Harbor Borough Council had a short set of routine resolutions to deal with Dec. 19. The council then turned its attention to honoring outgoing Council member Barry Mastrangelo and long-time Mayor Suzanne Walters.
Both Mastrangelo and Walters lost their bids for reelection this year in the Republican primary when they were attacked by some residents as having failed to prevent the installation of the large steel power poles that became a part of Atlantic City Electric’s project to implement a more resilient higher capacity electric service to Seven Mile Island.
Mastrangelo, who served on council for 15 years, choked up as he said his goodbye to a job he said was “quite an education.”
Over the period of his tenure, Mastrangelo often was a force in the borough’s finances, working on its bond issues and capital projects, providing oversight for its budget process, and negotiating its health benefits.
“I came to this job with no axe to grind,” he said. “My goal was always to do what was right for the residents of Stone Harbor.”
Mastrangelo recounted some of the moments that were most vivid in his mind from his decade and a half of service on the council. He spoke of being the shelter coordinator and never being able to forget the days and nights of effort to ensure the well-being of residents during a prolonged period without power in the borough.
Speaking of a point when he had to assume the duties of acting mayor, Mastrangelo said the brief tenure in that role gave him an appreciation for the “heavy burden that falls on the shoulders of anyone who assumes that role.”
His remarks both served as appreciation for the work of Walters, who sat on his left and as a caution for in-coming mayor Judith Davies-Dunhour, who occupied the chair on his right.
It was an emotional moment for a man who felt he had worked hard in the interests of the borough and who was stepping away from involvement in so many matters where his participation had almost become a habit over years of service.
Walters spoke next and began by thanking the borough’s employees, “The absolute best;” its volunteers, “who do so much in selfless service,” and the voters “who provide me with the opportunity and honor to serve in a job I truly enjoyed.”
Mayor Walters
Walters noted that her daughter had been a freshman in college when mom first assumed the burden of the mayor’s office in 1996.
“She is now a wife and mother, but I will always remember the efforts to have family events fit into the schedule of the work as mayor.
“I will not miss the meetings, the trips to Trenton or the time commitments, but I will miss the people,” she said.
With grace and the elegance that comes from a long period in leadership, Walters took the assembled audience back to when she was first approached about running for mayor in 1995.
“They told me there was a lot that needed to be done and they thought I was the person to get it done,” she said. “We did get a lot done,” she added with emphasis.
Walters spoke of people still investing in the borough citing the Mall, the new Harbor Theater, and The Reeds at Shelter Haven as examples of the commitment many are making to the community.
Formal acknowledgments of the long service by both Walters and Mastrangelo were not in short supply.
Solicitor Marcus Karavan, who also is the chairman of the county Republican organization, was asked to present a plaque and congressional proclamation arranged for by Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-2nd) who could not attend.
A representative from Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D-1st) brought a resolution passed by both houses of the state Legislature.
“No one is better respected around the state than Mayor Walters,” he said. “When you call, we always take the call.”
That remark highlights the challenge facing the new administration.
Both Mastrangelo and Walters said they felt the borough was better off than when they began their service, a combined 35 years of effort.
The public appeared to agree as they stood in applause at points in the meeting.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.
Cape May – Governor Murphy says he doesn't know anything about the drones and doesn't know what they are doing but he does know that they are not dangerous. Does anyone feel better now?
