PLUMSTED — A handful of changes came to the Plumsted Township Committee on Nov. 5 as a new mayor was appointed and a new member joined the governing body.
Several weeks after Committeeman David Leutwyler, who was serving as Plumsted’s mayor in 2014, resigned from the committee, the remaining members of the governing body voted to appoint Committeeman Jack Trotta to the mayor’s position.
Trotta will serve as mayor through the end of the year.
“I am honored at the trust my fellow committeemen put in me and I will work hard to serve them and the township well,” he said.
Trotta said he will help Plumsted “stay the course” through the end of the year, but he noted some changes need to be made.
“We are going to work toward having better communication in the township, as far as the municipal building and the community at large is concerned,” Trotta said.
To that end, the committee has hired Leutwyler to serve as Plumsted’s community development coordinator. This is a new full-time position that seeks to improve communication among municipal departments, the governing body and residents. The position carries a salary of $45,000.
Trotta said the new position was what Leutwyler was referring to several weeks ago when he said he had to leave public office in order to pursue a particular opportunity.
“We knew we needed some help and, having been the mayor, Dave said, ‘I want that position,’ ” Trotta said. “Honestly, nobody else had the qualifications we were looking for. Nobody else understood or served in municipal government who applied.”
With a vacancy on the committee, Plumsted Republican leaders submitted the names of Vince Lotito, Fran Grilletto and Pastor Dominick Cuozzo to replace Leutwyler.
The committee members appointed Lotito to the governing body. Lotito has served on the Planning and Land Use Board, the Municipal Alliance Against Drug and Alcohol Abuse, the Economic Development Authority, the New Egypt Main Street Executive Board and as chairman of the Main Street Organization Committee, according to municipal officials.
“[Lotito] has worked with the township for a while, and we are looking forward to working with him on the committee itself,” Trotta said. “Vince is a great asset who will bring new things to the table.”
Lotito will serve on the committee in 2015. If he wants to retain the seat in 2016, he will have to run in the November 2015 election.
On Election Day, Nov. 4, incumbent Republican Mike Wysong was re-elected to the committee for a three-year term that will run from Jan. 1, 2015 through Dec. 31, 2017. Wysong, who ran unopposed, received 1,466 votes.