Neary reflects fondly during final meeting

Longtime mayor thankful to supporters, even critics

BY VINCENT TODARO Staff Writer

After 12 years of countless, often contentious meetings, East Brunswick Mayor William Neary served his last one as head of the township administration last week.

Bill Neary Bill Neary It was a night of accolades for Neary on Dec. 22, his final Township Council meeting after four consecutive four-year terms as mayor. Though many times citizens and officials have used the meetings to issue complaints or engage in heated disputes, the mayor on this night enjoyed hearing plaudits for his accomplishments and dedication to what is technically a part-time job, as well as his honesty and personality. Some of the comments came from fellow Democrats including state legislators, as well as professionals and those who have served as volunteers in town.

The evening kicked off with a reception in Neary’s honor, and continued through much of the meeting as Assemblymen Peter Barnes III and Patrick Diegnan extolled his work as mayor. Among those thanking Neary were township Democratic Party head and PlanningBoardChairman Shawn Taylor, Planning Board Attorney Larry Sachs and Township Historian Estelle Goldsmith.

Neary, who said he will have an easier time remembering the good times and accomplishments from his time as mayor, responded during his speech to what he said are misconceptions about him. He started with the idea that he disliked his critics. In fact, he said, they forced him to better prepare himself for the job and to look at issues from all angles before speaking publicly. He also said they showed courage by directly addressing him rather than taking their complaints to anonymous blogs.

Neary also responded to the claim that he was under “constant stress,” saying that his previous job as owner of a Dairy Queen in order to support his family was much more stressful than being mayor, particularly in the colder months when business was extremely slow. Neary now works as the full-time executive director of Keep Middlesex Moving.

Contrary to what some may think, it was not “lonely at the top,” Neary said, in part because he was surrounded by friends and colleagues. He said it doesn’t take more than an hour of being mayor to realize it is “not the top, nor lonely.”

Claims that his mayor’s job is “thankless” are also off base, he said. He saw the full range of the human experience, from the joy of officiating wedding ceremonies to the pain of those who lost loved ones.

It was gratifying to see children biking on paths he helped create, as well as people shopping in stores for which he helped paved the way, he said.

He also thanked his mayoral assistant, Jacqueline Eaker, for her work, and Councilman Donald Klemp, who served on council the entire time Neary was mayor. Klemp, like Neary, served as a Democrat, but ran as an independent candidate for mayor this year, losing to Democrat David Stahl. Neary and the party as a whole endorsed Stahl, a six-year councilman, in his bid for mayor.

Neary has cited his accomplishments as including the preservation of hundreds of acres of open space, modernizing and adding new township parks, and reversing what he said was a trend of neglect for the township’s roads. When he announced in April that he would not seek re-election to a new term, he said it was because the township needed new leadership, and to relieve stress on his family and allow him to focus more on the challenges his relatively new career with the county transportation organization.

Neary said last week that his only campaign promise was that he would do his best, and he feels that through his 14 years as a mayor and councilman he lived up to that. He said he approaches the next chapter of his life with some “trepidation.”

The council meeting had begun with Neary handing out numerous proclamations, honoring those who have volunteered on the township’s boards and committees.