By John Tredrea, Special Writer
LAMBERTVILLE — The Municipal Court building has been named the Phillip Pittore Justice Center.
Naming the building in honor of Phillip L. Pittore, a former Lambertville mayor, was done via a resolution passed by City Council Jan. 15.
”He’s given his whole life to our community, and I thought this was a fitting tribute to him. I know he’s always been a big help to me,” Mayor David Del Vecchio said of Mr. Pittore.
The mayor said a ceremony at which the court building will be dedicated formally to Mr. Pittore will be scheduled soon.
Mr. Pittore served 18 years, from 1964 to 1982, on the governing body of the City of Lambertville. During that time, the city had a commission form of government and during that era, Mr. Pittore served terms as director of public affairs and public safety, director of revenue and finance and treasurer.
He was elected mayor by his fellow commissioners in 1972.
The resolution states in part, that “Mayor Pittore served during a time when Lambertville was in need of development and renewal and he worked through several emergency situations and helped to obtain HUD (federal Housing and Urban Development) funding to improve the structures and the quality of life in our beautiful city.”
The end of his term with city government marked the end of a commission form of government and the creation of the small municipality form of government in Lambertville.
The resolution also says: “Mayor Pittore’s contributions reached beyond the borders of Lambertville.” He served on various other boards, including the New Jersey State League of Municipalities. He is being honored by having the court building, at 25 S. Union St., named after him “because of his many contributions, his years of service and his continued commitment to our community.”
In a 2004 account about former Mayor Pittore in an area daily, he was quoted as saying that Lambertville was not always the way it is today. Some stores were boarded up. Parts of town were run down.
He said the change began when “we hired Jim Hamilton back in 1979 to give us ideas . . . and a lot of inspiration.”
Mr. Hamilton, he said, came up with ideas, and other people, including former Mayor Tony Nanni, spent their time looking for government grants for work that had to be done.
(Mr. Nanni, who died in 2000, and Mr. Pittore started in politics together in 1964 when they were elected to the City Commission, each serving four consecutive terms until 1972. Mr. Nanni was mayor of Lambertville from 1968 to 1972).
Former Mayor Pittore is quoted as saying: “Things really got started, when Danny Whittaker refurbished the run-down train station, making it into one of the area’s finest restaurants . . . Everything followed after that.”
The son of hard-working immigrant parents who made their home in Lambertville, the former Mayor Pittore is an Army veteran of World War II.
Mr. Pittore and his wife, Bertha (Parsons), were married in 1943. Their children are Phillip Jr., Ronald, Pasquale and Michele. They also have many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
IN OTHER BUSINESS at the Jan.15 meeting, the council passed resolutions on purchasing new radios for the city’s police and public works departments, along with other equipment for the city.
One of the resolutions authorized spending up to $6,512 for the new radios. The purchase will be made under a state contract.
Another resolution authorized paying up to $7,031 to the firm of JWS for new computer equipment for the clerk’s office, construction office, tax office and finance office, all of city government.
A third proposed resolution authorized the purchase of up $3,635 of furniture and other equipment from Staples.
A fourth resolution authorized the city to contract with Otis Elevator for maintenance and inspection of the elevator in City Hall. The maximum amount Otis can be paid under the contract is $2,580.
