Here is the mayor’s reorganization day address
By Mayor Angelo Corradino
Mayor pledges focus on mall site
Saturday marked a milestone for Angelo Corradino as he was sworn in as mayor for a fifth four-year term. Mr. Corradino was mayor for 16 years before losing to Lillian Zuza four years ago.
Here is Mayor Corradino’s address to residents at Saturday’s annual reorganization meeting.
”Good morning. I would like to start by thanking the residents of Manville for giving me the opportunity to once again lead this great community for the next four years. There is a tremendous amount of work to be done in order to restore Manville to the upbeat and prosperous borough we once were. Having the citizens of this great community place their confidence in me to achieve this goal is overwhelming. For that confidence, I am truly grateful.
”I want to congratulate all those who have been sworn in to serve on various committees and the recipients of the awards presented today. Thank you for your service to Manville. I know I can count on you in the future if the need arises. I also want to thank former Mayor Zuza and former Councilman Lou Fischer for their service to our borough. It is not easy sitting in those seats and making decisions that we know will affect everyone living in Manville and for that reason I want to commend them for the job they did while in office.”
”I would also like to congratulate those who won Council seats this year. Whether Republican or Democrat, I extend my hand to each of you and pledge my cooperation as we set out together to help lead this great community to the position we were in previous years being innovators not followers.”
”My friends, each of us knows that Manville’s history is colored with challenges, adversity and successes. From the asbestos-related problems created by the former Johns Manville Corp.;
To the $250 million dollar creosote clean-up in Claremont;
To the numerous floods that we have suffered through, to the aftermaths of hurricanes Floyd and Irene;
To the building of our new municipal and public safety complexes;
To the jobs created by bringing Wal-Mart and Adesa to town;
To the entertainment that Reading Cinema brings… one thing has always been constant, the desire of our residents to come together to make Manville an even better place to live, work and raise a family.
”The residents of this borough are living proof that ‘When the going gets tough the tough get going.’ That’s our community, and that’s what makes us so great. Manville has always been a community of neighbor helping neighbor. There’s not enough we can do for each other to help survive the hardships or celebrate the successes. It’s just who we are. And for that I applaud you and that is the reason I asked you for the honor you bestowed upon me once again; to be called the mayor of Manville.
”One of the questions that I have been asked many times since Election Day is “What will be the most important program on my agenda?
”My friends, in these difficult economic times, and as we try and recover from the devastation of Hurricane Irene, there is no simple answer to that question or single program that is more important than another. However, in order for us to be successful as a community, we must set an agenda that is both aggressive and goal driven. And although we may respectfully disagree on what path we take, we each can agree that the journey must lead us to an even better Manville.
”So to reach that goal, we will get back to basics in running our government. We will work harder and search for even better ways to deliver the most effective and cost efficient services to our residents. Manville has always been an innovative borough. We have led the county in many shared service categories, and we researched and instituted policies years before they became buzz words. My friends, it makes no difference what other towns are doing or not doing, if it is right for Manville then it must be the way for us to proceed. Together, we must strive to once again be leaders and innovators in Somerset County and the State of New Jersey.
”We will focus our attention on the future of the Rustic Mall and work to redevelop it into a ratable that is deserving of Manville. Because of that, I will be unrelenting in my resolve to get this done.
”Leading the redevelopment committee, our first task will be to meet with the present owners of the Rustic Mall to determine what their current intentions are for the property. If their plans meet our expectations, we will work with them to expedite the process. If we find we cannot reach a mutual agreement as to what is best for our borough, I will petition the Council to once again declare this a redevelopment zone. By doing so, we can then find a developer who is willing to work hand in hand with us in developing this piece of property in a way that meets our specifications.
”It is only through mutual cooperation that we can create a new, clean ratable; help the South Side Business District prosper; and bring new businesses into the vacant stores on South Main Street.
”Friends, we need to once again make South Main Street pedestrian friendly. To that end, I am going to meet with business owners to see what more we can do to help them succeed. I am going to ask our police chief to increase the police presence on Main Street. Our police force does an excellent job in safely securing our town but we need to do more. We need to create an even safer atmosphere along South Main Street that will allow residents to shop, take a walk with their families and friends or just sit and have a cup of coffee on a sunny day.
”But it is not only the police that will take part in helping us achieve this goal. I will also direct our public works director to make sure we keep the streets of Manville even cleaner and I will instruct our property maintenance officer to make sure all property maintenance ordinances are enforced. Together with our borough prosecutor, we will make sure that any violators are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
”My friends, unfortunately for us here in Manville, there is a $6 million dollar flood study which is over one-third completed sitting somewhere on a desk at the offices of the Army Corps of Engineers awaiting funding in order to be completed. Together, we must petition our Congressmen to help secure the funds needed to finish this flood study.
”As many of you know, this study encompasses a mitigation program for both Manville and Millstone. I believe it is imperative for our two communities to see to it that this study gets done so the construction of a flood mitigation project can take place.
”In conjunction with this we will also be concentrating on a flood commission for the rest of the areas on the Millstone and Raritan rivers. We have to protect the homeowners who either do not qualify for a buyout, or have not taken one offered by FEMA. It is only through a flood mitigation program that we can protect our residents from experiencing any more hardship and uncertainty every time we get a significant amount of rain.
”As you can see we have a lot of work to do and not much time to get it done. I am asking the Council to join me in working together in a bipartisan manner for the sake of our community. It is time for all of us to stop bickering, shed our political labels and roll up our sleeves for Manville and its residents. They deserve no less.
”I thank you for the trust you have placed in me, I wish everyone a very happy, healthy and prosperous new year and I ask that God bless you and this great borough. Thank you for listening.”