JACKSON — Township Council members and Mayor Mike Reina recently recognizedHoward Tilis for his service to Jackson.
Tilis served on the council in 2008 and 2009. He is currently the chair of the Jackson Planning Board. He was saluted during the council’s Jan. 6 meeting.
Council President Mike Kafton said he can call Tilis when he needs another view of an issue or when he wants to bounce an idea or thought off another person.
“I really enjoy my friendship with Howard,” Kafton said. “He and his wife moved into town about three years ago and have become very active members of the Jackson community, becoming involved in many programs, including the food pantry and Reading Buddies in our schools. They are really an incredible asset to our town.”
Kafton said he hopes Tilis will return to the council in the future. He presented a plaque to the former councilman.
In his remarks, Tilis said, “I ought to be giving each of you a plaque. I believe every one of you was a mentor to me. Every one of you was a support system to me, and each of you gave me something that allowed me to do whatever job that I did. It was my honor to serve with each of you because I know that service for all of you is a very important thing, and you have all done a terrific job.”
Tilis thanked his wife of 45 years, Sandy, for her support. The couple has three children and six grandchildren, and Tilis said his wife is still his inspiration.
“She’s one of the nicest people you can run across,” he said. “She is extremely bright and beautiful, both inside and out, and has always been there for advice, and I thank you for putting up with all the things that I’ve done and all of the nights that I’ve been out.”
Addressing Councilman Ken Bressi, Tilis said that when he was appointed to the PlanningBoard, Bressi was a mentor who told him he could learn what was needed to do the job, meeting with him for hours at a time and giving him information relating to applications.
“Ken, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for leading the way in a [manner that was] nonpartisan,” said Tilis, who is a former resident of Marlboro.
He thanked residents who come to municipal meetings and speak up. He said they inspire the people who serve on the council, boards and committees to do a better job.
“When there is input and dialogue going on, you come to better conclusions,” said Tilis. “Sometimes the dialogue was strained, sometimes it was at a high level, but I believe it has always produced good results. For the most part, about 95 percent of the time based on the information before us and based upon our research, we came to the same conclusions. There were very few times there was disagreement.”
— Dave Benjamin