ALLENTOWN – Thomas Fritts has begun serving his first four-year term as the mayor of Allentown. Municipal clerk Laurie Roth administered the oath of office to Fritts during the Jan. 7 reorganization meeting of the borough’s governing body.
Fritts completed his first three-year term on the Borough Council in December and moved into the mayor’s chair following his victory in the Nov. 5 election.
During the reorganization meeting, Martha Johnson and Dan Payson took the oath of office and began serving their first three-year terms as members of the Borough Council following their victories in November.
Fritts, Johnson and Payson were joined by family members in the municipal meeting room that was filled to capacity with residents and supporters.
Johnson and Payson joined Angela Anthony, Robert Strovinsky, John A. Elder III and Michael Drennan on the council.
In remarks that followed his swearing in, Fritts welcomed Johnson and Payson to the council and said, “My goal as mayor is to support all of the council members regardless of what (political) ticket you ran on. I will be transparent with my views. … We need to work smarter and harder to achieve our desired outcomes.”
Fritts said he plans to address Allentown’s parking issues by seeking to forge agreements that will provide more parking for visitors; he said he hopes to attract new retail businesses to the community; to make use of grants the borough has received from multiple sources; and to address traffic issues (vehicles and pedestrians), among other challenges the town faces.
The mayor announced that construction of Allentown’s new waste water treatment plant infrastructure is expected to begin the week of Jan. 13. The 18-month project that has been in the planning stages for several years is being undertaken to upgrade what borough officials and the borough’s engineer have described as failing facilities.
“Fiscal responsibility has to be our top priority,” Fritts said, adding that large-scale projects come at a cost to residents and that savings must be identified in other areas of the borough’s budget.
“I will build relationships with our neighbors and the county. Thank you so much for this honor you have given me. I will not let you down,” he told those who were assembled at Borough Hall.
Following Fritts’ remarks, Strovinsky was nominated for the position of council president and elected in a 6-0 vote. He said, “For a little town, there’s a lot going on. We (council members) will be supportive of the mayor.”
During the business portion of the meeting, the council members authorized a shared service agreement with Plumsted Township for a chief financial officer; a shared service agreement with Upper Freehold Township for code enforcement, housing inspector and zoning enforcement services; a shared service agreement with Upper Freehold Township for construction code services; and a shared service agreement with Upper Freehold Township for municipal court services.
Greg Cannon, of the firm Sobel Han and Cannon, was reappointed as borough attorney; the Roberts Engineering Group was reappointed as borough engineer; Raymond Raya was appointed as public defender; and Whisper Acres (Jan Bilyk) was awarded a contract for animal control services.