EDITORIAL
By Ruth Luse
On Monday, officials of our three towns will be meeting to reorganize their governments for the new year.
We will see two new faces, renew our acquaintance with a former official and bid farewell to three current community servants.
New on Monday will be David Sandahl, who will take a three-year term on the Hopewell Township Committee. A Democrat, he will replace Francesca Bartlett, who served as mayor this year. Ms. Bartlett said she got tired of all the infighting and tension that characterized Hopewell Township government this past year, decided she had had enough and did not seek re-election.
We thank outgoing Mayor Bartlett for her three years of service on the Hopewell Township Committee and wish her well in her future endeavors. We also wish Mr. Sandahl, who exhibited his ability to deal with problems while working with the Dublin Road task force, a successful term of service to the township.
Also new is Rebecca Palder, a Democrat, who will become a Pennington councilwoman on Monday. She will take the place of outgoing Councilman Robert Di Falco, who deserves thanks for his efforts as council president for the past two years and for his service on council since 1999. A former member of the Pennington Planning Board, Mr. Di Falco also is a former Pennington fire commissioner.
Ms. Palder, a 10-year resident of the borough, has been active in numerous volunteer organizations and has served as a county committeewoman for the Democratic Party. We wish her well as she begins official service to Pennington Borough.
A former Hopewell Borough servant will return to Hopewell Borough Council on Monday. Republican Mark J. Samse, who sat on the council from 1990 to 1997, will begin another three-year term. He takes the place of Republican Judy Jengo, who agreed to be appointed to the council in August and has filled the vacancy created by the resignation of Republican Mark Moran, who served the borough briefly in July. Mr. Moran was appointed to the seat vacated by David Nettles, who was tapped as mayor after former Mayor George Padgett left Hopewell for Florida in May.
We wish Mr. Samse, who has been serving on the Planning Board, well as he resumes his council service. We thank Ms. Jengo for stepping up to the plate when someone was needed to serve Hopewell.
We also extend best wishes to Democrat David Nettles, now officially Hopewell mayor in his own right, who will begin a four-year term as Hopewell’s leader Monday. Good wishes to Republican James Loper, who was elected to a four-year term as Pennington’s mayor in November, enabling him to continue the work he already started. And good wishes, too, to Democrat Nancy Ross of Pennington Council and Republican David Knights of Hopewell Council, who will begin new three-year terms Monday, after having been re-elected in November.
These are difficult times for all officials because of tight budgets, citizens with big ideas about what they want from government, and extreme pressures not only from within our nation’s borders, but from those outside our borders who do not wish our nation well.
May we all work together for a peaceful and prosperous 2004!