By Amber Cox
BORDENTOWN CITY After serving nine years on the Environmental Commission Chairman Mike Hunninghake will not be reappointed, and will no longer serve as the representative of the commission on the Planning Board.
Mayor James Lynch said he has elected to appoint some new people to the Environmental Commission.
Mr. Hunninghake’s latest three-year term expired Sunday, as did that of Vice President Ralph Tolomeo, who is being reappointed, and has served nine years.
The term of Daniel Kennedy, who has served three years, also expired and he is not being reappointed.
”It’s a new direction we’re trying to go into,” he said. “This is the first time we’re have any controversy over the mayor reappointments. It’s nothing about Mike’s (Mr. Hunninghake) work.”
Mayor Lynch has been mayor for two years and involved in the city for 22. He said that when he became mayor he didn’t want the same person serving on several committees because he wanted to make room for many people to serve the community.
”That might have been fine for the other administrations but it won’t work for me,” he said. “We’re also appointing two new people (to the Environmental Commission) that have been involved with the commission in the last year.”
The commission has seven members and two alternates.
The mayor plans to make the two new appointments at Monday’s City Commission meeting.
Mayor Lynch said he wants to go in a direction to allow new people to get involved in the city. He said that it is hard to get others involved when the same people are reappointed every year.
The new chairman is tentatively Mr. Tolomeo, the mayor said.
Mr. Hunninghake, on learning of his being dropped from the commission, wrote a letter (see Page 6A) to volunteers and present and former members of the commission thanking them for their efforts.
”While I am deeply saddened to no longer have the opportunity to serve, I can truly say that the past nine years’ work I have done on behalf of out little city’s natural and built environment has been the highest privilege and honor of my adult life,” the letter stated.
”I believe my record speaks for itself,” Mr. Hunninghake said Monday, declining further comment.

