South Main Street resident replaces Democrat Dan Buriak, who resigned Nov. 18.
By: Scott Morgan
HIGHTSTOWN Eugene Sarafin, after receiving three yes votes to two no votes, mused, "Thank you after 38 years, I’ve become what I hate."
What he has become is the borough’s newest councilman, named Monday night as the replacement for Democrat Dan Buriak, who resigned his council position Nov. 18. Mr. Sarafin, also a Democrat, was selected by the Municipal Democratic Committee from among three candidates to assume the seat. The others were residents Phyllis Deal and Marcia Duhart.
Mr. Sarafin, a resident of South Main Street, is slated to occupy the seat until the results of the 2003 general election are certified. He was sworn in Monday after council appointed him; he sat on the dais for the rest of the meeting.
Though some audience members at Monday’s council meeting expressed audible surprise at Mr. Sarafin’s appointment, council members agreed he was an obvious choice.
"He’s the one candidate who could hit the ground running … who doesn’t need a learning curve," said Councilman Mike Vanderbeck, who officially nominated Mr. Sarafin to Borough Council on Monday.
Councilman Richard Pratt, who seconded Mr. Vanderbeck’s motion, said in a Tuesday phone interview that he sided with Mr. Sarafin because, "Of the three candidates, he has the most to contribute to council. He has the ability to process numbers … he has a very quick mind."
Mr. Pratt also cautioned those who only know Mr. Sarafin from his famed public hearing speeches that there is more to the man than meets the eye and ear, as the case may be.
"The public perception of Gene is different from the real Gene," Mr. Pratt said. "He’s an extremely smart person (with) many good ideas."
Mayor-elect Bob Patten, who will begin serving with Mr. Sarafin on Jan. 1, said the presence of Councilman Sarafin "represents a very positive time for Hightstown." Mr. Patten, a former teacher at Hightstown High School who was employed while Mr. Sarafin served three terms on the school board, said he is familiar and comfortable with Mr. Sarafin and looks forward to a mutually beneficial working relationship.
For Mr. Sarafin, the appointment is a nice birthday present (his 66th birthday is today, Friday), but it also is a chance to continue what he considers to be a renaissance for the borough. Though he credits Mayor Amy Aughenbaugh and the Borough Council with successfully undertaking a "horrendous task" in the downtown revitalization, Mr. Sarafin said momentum must continue and he wants to be part of it.
"Now I get to put my money where my mouth is," he said. "I get to put all of Hightstown’s money where my mouth is."
Having served on several boards and committees over the years, including the school board and the Zoning Board of Adjustment, Mr. Sarafin said he is ready to take on borough business. Part of his approach to that business, he said, will be to ensure that people in Hightstown (as many as possible) know what their government is doing.
"People are lacking confidence in government because of secrecy," he said. "Making decisions without people seeing the process is not a good thing."
To help bring government to the people, Mr. Sarafin, who met Tuesday morning with Mr. Patten to discuss ideas for 2003, said next year’s Borough Council meetings likely will be videotaped (by Hightstown High School students) and broadcast on local television so residents can keep up with government.
"I’m a renaissance man," Mr. Sarafin said. "I look forward to other renaissance people on council."