New mayor greeted with audience’s ovation
Written by: Audrey Levine Staff Writer for the Princeton Packet
With a standing ovation, about 100 residents and officials welcomed South 18th Avenue resident Lillian Zuza as Manville’s newest mayor at the 79th annual reorganization meeting Saturday.
”Family, friends, fellow councilpersons, honored guests and Manville residents, I stand before you today, so honored that you put your trust in me to lead the Borough of Manville for the next four years,” she said as she stood at the podium in the auditorium of the Manville High School. “I will do everything in my power to keep my promises and to do everything to keep Manville on the right track.”
Mayor Zuza defeated 16-year Democratic Mayor Angelo Corradino in November’s election, with a vote of 1,077 to 972.
The crowd that packed the auditorium also welcomed Councilwoman Sue Asher for her third term, and Councilman Ed Komoroski for his first term.
Ms. Asher, the Republican incumbent, and Democrat Mr. Komoroski won the election against Democratic incumbent Robert Petrone and Republican Steve Rodzinak.”I want to thank everyone for giving me a chance to serve on the council,” Mr. Komoroski said. “I hope to bring new ideas that will satisfy residents.”
Ms. Asher also received, and accepted, a nomination to once again serve as the 2008 council president when Councilman Stephen Szabo was quick to announce his choice for the position.
”I want to thank the residents and I appreciate your confidence in me,” Ms. Asher said. “I will strive to do the best I can for Manville.”
The remaining council members welcomed both Mayor Zuza and Mr. Komoroski, while also extending congratulations to Ms. Asher, and cited a few issues they are looking into for the coming year, including the rebuilding of the Rustic Mall, which Councilman Kenneth Otrimski cited as being of great importance this year.
We have to keep going with the Rustic Mall plans,” he said.
Mr. Otrimski then took a moment to remind residents that both he and Mayor Zuza live on South 18th Avenue.
”South 18th is now bookended, so when people come to me, I’ll send them down to Mayor Zuza,” he said to laughter from the council.
Mayor Zuza, in her address, also cited the Rustic Mall as being one of the major issues the borough needs to focus on in the coming year. She said she is looking to work with developers to create a plan for the site, and later, facilitate construction of the new building.
In addition to the Rustic Mall, Mayor Zuza restated several of her promises from her campaign. For example, she said, she has already begun the process of looking into cleaning the contamination of the property on the corner of South Main Street and Kyle Street, in which the owner has not paid taxes in more than 14 years and owes about $450,000.
”I contacted the Department of Environmental Protection immediately following the election and I will continue to lobby our state senator and Assembly people to assist us in getting the DEP to move forward to clean up this property so that we can recoup those back taxes,” she said.
Also of importance in the coming year, Mayor Zuza said, is to lobby the federal government for flood mitigation funds to continue the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Stony Brook Millstone River Basin project, and begin instituting ways to protect residents from future floods.
Mayor Zuza said that, aside from working on different projects in the town, she is hoping to make sure the concerns of all residents are heard and considered whenever they are presented.
”I look forward to serving as your mayor and promise to not disappoint you,” she said. “I love this town and only want the best for it and all the residents. I will work to bring Manville into the future.”
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