SAYREVILLE – Following the retirement of Sayreville’s longtime municipal clerk, a new clerk has been appointed to the office.
At the Borough Council’s annual reorganization meeting on Jan. 1, Jessica Morelos was sworn in as municipal clerk. Prior to the council’s appointment, Morelos was the assistant municipal clerk.
Morelos succeeded Terry Farbaniec, who retired as borough clerk in 2019 and administered the oath of office to Morelos at the reorganization meeting. Farbaniec had served as clerk since 2002, succeeding Gladys Rzepka, and her final meeting on the dais was on Dec. 16.
During the Dec. 16 meeting, Farbaniec received praise for her service from resident Ken Kelly, who is chairman of the Sayreville Veterans Alliance.
“Terry, you’re almost irreplaceable,” Kelly said. “You’re a sweetheart, you’re very professional, always willing to help with a question or to keep the councilmen straightened out, quite frankly sometimes. Terry, sincerely, you’re the best and best of luck to you.”
Daniel Buchanan, who left the Borough Council in 2019, also voiced praise of Farbaniec prior to his own departure from the dais.
“[Farbaniec is] the only clerk that I’ve known,” Buchanan said. “I was there when she got her tenure. Every meeting, I’ve always wanted a camera up here just to focus on her face during those meetings because she does keep us in line and and keeps us from making any missteps that we may or may not be aware of. So she’s there protecting us, protecting this borough and protecting the integrity of our residents and records. Terry, thank you very much for the 12 years I’ve been up here.
“Terry, I think I was sitting in this seat when you got tenure and I was the first vote,” he said. “When the vote came around, I paused and she just looked up, giving us that Terry look. You’re our lifeline. Thank you for everything that you do for us. From day one, you were there to support me and make sure I was prepared for each and every meeting.”
At the reorganization meeting, Mayor Victoria Kilpatrick said, “It’s so sad to see you [Farbaniec] not here, but I know that you’re leaving us in good hands and I thank you once again for your countless years of service here.
“I congratulate you, Jessica, and I look forward to working with you,” Kilpatrick said.
Kilpatrick’s predecessor Kennedy O’Brien praised Morelos before his departure at the Dec. 16 meeting.
“Jessica, I knew you when you were a kid when you started,” O’Brien said. “It’s been a long time. You will be a great successor to Terry, who was a great successor to Gladys Rzepka.”
