REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK
By John Tredrea, Staff Writer
Wit can mean wisdom or it can mean humor. On the other hand, wisdom and humor can seem synonymous. At times they can even seem identical.
I remember very clearly the first time I spoke with David Nettles. It was during the mid-1990s. I phoned him with a few questions because he was running for Hopewell Borough Council.
Things were a little different politically in Hopewell Valley back in those days. Many of the seats on local governments were held by Republicans and had been for a long time.
”I’m the sacrificial Democrat,” Mr. Nettles chuckled that day on the phone by way of explaining his way of candidacy for the Borough Council.
I remember thinking, just before I called him, that it was inconceivable a Democrat could be elected. After talking with him, however, I felt sure he would win. I knew he would take the time to go meet the people of the borough he didn’t already know and explain to them why he was running. And I felt sure they would be very impressed with him. He was, and is, intelligent, prepared and unfailingly amusing in the kindest and most instructive of ways.
The self-deprecating humor of the “sacrificial Democrat” remark was typical of him. Some humor, especially nowadays, seems almost a form of attack. But some humor is a form of enlightened camaraderie. That’s the David Nettles kind.
Sure enough, he was elected and served several terms on council. Then on June 5, 2003, council members unanimously selected Mr. Nettles as mayor, replacing George Padgett (a Republican), whose unexpired term ran through Dec. 31. The now late Mr. Padgett had resigned in early May, because of a move to Florida. In November 2003, Mayor Nettles went for his own term as mayor and won. He ran unopposed.
He decided not to seek another term in the last election and so his 12-year tenure in borough government is over. It ended Dec. 31, 2007.
Whenever I had occasion over the years to speak to David, either as councilman or mayor, I knew he would say something funny enough to make me laugh out loud, then realize his wit had been the vehicle of his wisdom. He is a very clever fellow that way, and his love of Hopewell Borough and dedication to the town couldn’t have been more obvious.
I haven’t covered a Hopewell Borough Council meeting in a long time, but one thing I do know about their form of government is that the mayor only votes to break a tie. I think that can be a pretty daunting thing to have hanging over you. When the town, as embodied by its Borough Council, is absolutely evenly divided, it’s up to you to decide what will happen. There’s no room to run and hide in a scenario like that.
But no matter. Mr. Nettles needing room to run and hide is inconceivable. Anxiety could never prevail against such wit.