RED BANK – Angela Mirandi has been appointed to serve on the Red Bank Borough Council.
The members of the governing body appointed Mirandi to a seat on the dais during their Feb. 9 meeting in a 3-1 vote. Council members Michael Ballard, Jacqueline Sturdivant and Ed Zipprich voted “yes” on a motion to appoint Mirandi. Councilwoman Kathy Horgan voted “no.”
Borough Council President Kate Triggiano abstained on the vote.
The appointment of Mirandi followed the resignation of Councilman Erik Yngstrom on Jan. 19. Yngstrom had served on the governing body since 2017.
“I have truly enjoyed serving Red Bank, the local businesses and, most of all, its great residents over the past five years,” Yngstrom wrote in his resignation letter. “However, I believe we have strayed far from this collaborative mindset and seem more focused on political gains and people trying to keep their perceived political power. I want to thank all of the residents of this great town for the opportunity to serve them over the past five years. It was truly an honor.”
Because Yngstrom is a Democrat, the leaders of the Red Bank Democratic Party provided the council members with the names of three candidates to succeed him on the Borough Council.
Mayor Pasquale Menna said the three candidates selected by the Democrats were Mirandi, Stephen Hecht and John Jackson.
Menna, who can only vote on council business to break a tie, requested that Hecht be nominated to fill the vacancy on the governing body.
Horgan made a motion to appoint Hecht to the open seat, but her motion did not receive a second and was not voted upon.
Ballard then made a motion to appoint Mirandi to the open seat. His motion was seconded by Sturdivant and affirmed in the “yes” votes cast by Ballard, Sturdivant and Zipprich.
In supporting Mirandi’s nomination, Ballard noted she would succeed Yngstrom as the chair of the Finance Committee.
“I saw the resumes (of the candidates) and I thought Angela’s very strong financial background is what this council needs,” Ballard said. “We really need to take a strong, hard look at our finances, our tax structure and everything financial going on in the borough. I have great admiration and respect for Mr. Hecht and it was just my personal opinion that this (Mirandi) is what this governing body needed.”
Mirandi’s appointment is for the remainder of 2022.
Because the term that was previously being served by Yngstrom was due to expire at the end of the year, the opening will appear on the Nov. 8 general election ballot as a full three-year term.
Democrats hold all six council seats and the mayor’s office in Red Bank.