SAYREVILLE – Two outgoing members of the Sayreville Borough Council have been recognized for their service to the borough.
The terms of Democratic Councilmen Daniel Buchanan, who was serving as council president in 2019, and Dave McGill officially ended on Dec. 31. Their final meeting as members of the governing body was on Dec. 16 and they were succeeded by Democrat Michele Cassidy Maher and Republican Donna Roberts.
McGill first served on the council from 2013-15 and was reappointed to the governing body in 2018 to fill a vacant seat. He was not re-elected in the 2019 municipal race.
At the Dec. 16 meeting, Mayor Kennedy O’Brien said, “Dave, the legendary Irishman with great renown, and having many service ribbons proving that point. It has been a pleasure working with you. I understand you and I have a great many family members who originated from the same place. So for me, it was like seeing a cousin and I say that in the most positive sense. We have disagreed as I do with all my cousins, but at the end of the day, it was always about Sayreville. I’m proud to have served with you and proud to know you.”
“I came here across the seas and I was welcomed into this town, the place that was just like a town I grew up in 56 years ago,” McGill said. “And I fell in love with it and its people. Good people, good town, good food. I always use that phrase ‘Snapshot of America’ and I know America is changing, but I sure hope you guys [the residents] don’t lose that snapshot because you speak to what America is, was and will be all about. I’m very gratified that I was able to represent you for those years.”
Buchanan, who did not seek re-election, served on the governing body for four non-consecutive terms. He was a member of the council from 2005-07 and rejoined in 2011, making 2019 his 12th year of service on the council. He had the longest current term of all council members before his departure and is the second longest-serving overall behind Councilwoman Mary Novak, who first served from 1995 to 2000 and rejoined in 2012 for 14 years of service.
O’Brien said, “Dan, it has been my pleasure and my honor to have worked with you a very long time. You had no gray when you started, but you seem to be aging with a very distinguished look about you. We have had our conflicts and our resolutions and always, we have taken care of Sayreville and moved it forward. It has been a pleasure and an honor serving with you.”
“The past few weeks, people have asked me how I feel about leaving the council and the last few days I’ve been asked how I feel about this being my last meeting,” Buchanan said. “I tried fooling myself and pretending I wasn’t going to be emotional, but if you do something you love and you put your heart and soul into it when it’s done, you damn well better be emotional. So yes, I’m sad to leave.
“It goes back to when I was a sophomore in high school and one of my friends would put signs up in the high school saying ‘Buchanan for mayor, Buchanan for council,’ and the funny thing is I was the quiet, shy guy who would never imagine running for anything,” he continued. “That rolled into me one day saying I’m going to be on Sayreville council while I was in high school, and that’s an odd goal, but I knew I’d run for council one day. I was very fortunate [to have] a road was already paved with my great-grandfather Charles, who served for 18 years, and my grandfather Ken, who also served for 18 years. My sister and I kept that 18 years intact, as she served six and I served 12 for a total of 18.
“In 2004, I was first elected to office. It was a truly roller coaster of a year. That’s the year my hero Kayla was born. My wife was a real trooper that week because 10 days after she was born and post-surgery, she made sure that Kayla and her were both here for my swearing in. Those three years were such a learning experience. I thought I knew it all, but I found out quickly and harshly that I didn’t and I lost my re-election in 2007. I took a few years off, gathered my thoughts and when I thought the time was right, I ran again. I was successful in 2010, 2013 and 2016. I want to thank the residents and the voters for supporting me in those elections.
“I’ve truly enjoyed being up here, both in nice, easy, quiet meeting where we get out of here in 15-20 minutes, but also in the heated meetings,” he said. “The meetings where camera crews were here, filming us. The meetings where people were yelling and screaming and getting thrown out. Those are the times that I liked because the residents stood up for what they believed in and voiced their opinions. They were up here trying to convince us to vote for their issue. Government works best when the citizens get involved. And during my 12 years on council, I served with many great people who were here for the right reasons.”
After thanking the borough officials he served alongside of, Buchanan concluded his comments by thanking his daughter Kayla and his wife Michelle.
“I’d like to thank my daughter Kayla,” he said. “I always call you my hero, you truly are my hero. Someone’s been through so much, who is such an amazing young woman. Kayla was only 10 days old when I took office. I would never imagined that 15 years later, I’d still be here and now mortifying her talking about her, but thank you.
“To my wife Michelle, I love you. Thank you for all your love and support. Without you, I would have never have had the courage to run for council in the first place. Yes, it’s all Michelle’s fault, she’s the first one to get involved in local community government and talk me into it in 2004. Thank you for all that you have done with and for our family when I couldn’t. Thank you for keeping me grounded and making sure I was there making the right decisions. You always supported my decisions, whether you agreed with it or not, and I appreciate that. Everyone, I want to thank you for this amazing run.”
