Democratic Councilman George Walling surprised political allies and opponents alike by resigning from the Keyport Borough Council on Jan. 20.
George Walling Walling, a three-term councilman known for his fiery denouncements of Mayor Robert Bergen’s administration, said he was leaving office because he was tired of his frequent clashes with Bergen.
“It’s time. I’m tired of the bickering and the arguing. It’s time for me to step down and let Bergen have his way,” Walling said in a phone interview Jan. 21.
Walling thanked the people who voted for him and said it was an honor to serve his community.
“I’m sorry I won’t be finishing my term, but I honestly can’t deal with sitting up there with Bergen anymore,” he said. He added that he would still go to the council meetings.
In the last six months, a town meeting rarely went by without ugly verbal sparring between the two. Walling would often accuse the mayor of withholding information and lying at the meetings.
“He really wouldn’t know the truth if he tripped over it,” Walling said of Bergen during the interview.
Bergen wasn’t Walling’s only target at meetings. He accused Councilwoman Christian Bolte of leaving a finance committee meeting early to watch television during the prolonged budget debate last year.
At the Jan. 19 meeting, Walling called council President Joseph Sheridan a puppet of Bergen. When Sheridan responded, Walling held his hand above Sheridan’s head and moved it as if he was operating a marionette.
Walling’s resignation came as a surprise to other borough officials.
Bergen said he was not expecting Walling to step down, but thanked him for his service to the borough.
“It’s a very tough job and a lot of hard work. Sometimes emotions can run very high,” Bergen said.
Bergen said he and Walling probably agreed more than they disagreed in their time in government together, but a rift developed in the last few years.
“George’s agenda has been more against me and not necessarily about a certain agenda. It became more of a personal thing,” he said.
Republican Councilman John Kovacs, whom Walling often voted with, said he did not know about Walling’s decision until after he had filed his resignation at Borough Hall.
“He never said anything to me about it. It’s a surprise to me, I’ll tell you that much,” Kovacs said.
Walling’s resignation came at a time when opposition to the Bergen administration appeared to be strengthening. Republican Councilman Steve Gross took office Jan. 1. Though the Democrats outnumbered the Republicans, Walling often voted with the minority, which would split the council 3-3. Bergen casts the swing vote in the event of a tie.
The Democratic Party will submit the names of three candidates to the Borough Council to finish out Walling’s term. The council as a whole will then vote for one of them to complete the term, which ends Dec. 31.
Bergen said he expects a replacement to be appointed to the council by Feb. 16 at the latest.
Walling’s resignation leaves questions looming over the November 2010 elections. Kovacs, who is also serving his third term on the council, said he will not seek re-election when his term ends this year. Bergen’s term as mayor also ends this year.
In other council news, Bolte was sworn in for her second term on Jan. 19. Assemblyman John Wisniewski, who is also the borough attorney, swore Bolte in.