The theme of the Township Committee’s annual reorganization meeting held on Jan. 2 at town hall in Millstone Township could have been “All Together Now.”
After all, Nancy A. Grbelja was unanimously elected mayor by her fellow committee members for an eighth consecutive one-year term and for the ninth time in the 10 years she has been on the governing body.
The five-member committee is composed of all Republicans who voted unanimously all night long, harmoniously.
In Millstone’s form of government, the mayor runs the Township Committee meetings and votes on all municipal business.
Grbelja said she is ready to work with the committee members to continue pursuing their shared goals for the community.
“All of the members of the Township Committee, the volunteers on our local boards and commissions, and our employees are professional,” the mayor said. “We all have the same common goal, which is to preserve the rural character of Millstone and its quality of life. That is the most important thing.”
During the meeting, Gary Dorfman and Grbelja were sworn in to begin serving new three-year terms after winning those seats in the Nov. 6 election. They rejoined committee members Bob Kinsey, Fiore Masci and Michael Kuczinski.
Kuczinski will serve as deputy mayor for 2013.
Each committee member thanked those in the audience for their support.
Grbelja expressed her appreciation to her fellow committee members, the township’s staff and residents for coming together to work hard, especially in light of what she called some extraordinary challenges encountered in 2012.
She said the committee grappled with economics last year since “it was important to financially remain within Gov. Chris Christie’s 2 percent (tax levy) cap.”
In addition, the cleanup costs in the aftermath of post-Tropical Storm Sandy and a significant snowstorm that followed a week later caused damages that rang in at about $500,000 in unanticipated fees, according to Grbelja.
“It is paramount to provide services to residents while not giving them an economic burden,” she said. “With Sandy, we were concerned about keeping costs down and cleaning up. We have a once-a-year cleanup, usually, but the downed trees (from Sandy) meant there was an unanticipated cost.”
Monmouth County Republican Freeholder Lillian G. Burry represented the Board of Freeholders and made brief remarks during the public comment portion of the meeting. Burry, who is a resident of Colts Neck, said she believes Millstone is a wonderful, beautiful area. She praised the committee members for their work on behalf of residents.