The Pennington Council’s 2022 reorganization meeting featured the swearing-in of Mayor James Davy, Councilwoman Deborah Gnatt and Councilwoman Nadine Stern.
At the reorganization meeting on Jan. 5, Davy was sworn-in to complete the two years left of former Mayor Joe Lawver’s unexpired term.
The Democrat and former borough councilman, administrator for Hopewell Township and New Jersey Commissioner of Human Services, received 931 votes in an uncontested race for mayor during the 2021 November General Election.
He was first appointed mayor on June 7 when Lawver resigned during the 2021 summer.
Gnatt and Stern would follow suit and receive their oaths of office to begin serving the three-year terms each secured in uncontested races for the two open seats on the Borough Council.
Gnatt returned to the council after receiving 913 votes and Stern serves her first term on Borough Council since she received 914 votes in the 2021 General Election. The council members are both Democrats.
The Borough Council maintains a Democratic majority.
Following the swearing-in of Davy, Gnatt and Stern, Councilman Charles Marciante nominated Catherine “Kit” Chandler to serve as council president for the 2022 year. She was unanimously re-elected council president at the reorganization meeting.
After the reorganization meeting concluded the Pennington Council convened its regular January meeting.
During the Jan. 5 regular meeting, it was announced that Councilwoman Beverly Mills has resigned from the Borough Council.
“I feel so badly for this. I have given it so much thought and I wish I could clone myself and try and do everything, but everything is just kind of coming down to the wire now with book number two,” Mills said. “I just have a tremendous amount of work ahead of me. Thanks guys for being so kind.”
“We are going to miss you,” Davy responded.
A work session was to also take place as Sanctuary Medicinals, LLC was seeking a resolution of support from council for a medical cannabis dispensary in Pennington, but the work session was removed from the agenda.
“They have since withdrawn their resolution and do not wish to proceed,” Davy said.