New year, new politics in Matawan
Clifton named council president at Jan. 1 meeting
BY ERIN O. STATTEL Staff Writer
At the Jan. 1 Matawan Borough Council reorganization meeting, the borough ushered in the new year with two new council members, a new council president and the return of the former borough attorney.

Pasquale Menna, of Menna, Supko and Nelson, Shrewsbury, was reinstated to his former post as borough attorney by a 3-3 tie vote from the council, which is divided evenly between Republicans and Democrats.

The tie was broken by Republican Mayor Paul Buccellato's vote to retain Menna.

Menna, who is mayor of Red Bank, replaces James Aaron, of Ansell Zaro Grimm and Aaron, Ocean Township, as borough attorney.

Buccellato said that when reviewing résumés, the borough considers experience and past history as key factors.

"With [Menna], all one has to do is look at his experience and history and then look at his involvement with Red Bank and what he has done with his own municipality," Buccellato said in a Jan. 5 interview. "Mr. Aaron was great for us and he is a very competent attorney, but I think for Matawan, Mr. Menna is the better fit. I hope he will help us with our downtown and our transit village."

Menna served as borough attorney until the council decided not to renew his contract at the April 1 meeting, when a vote cast by Republican Councilwoman Linda Clifton was the only vote in favor of retaining his services.

Republican council members Tom Fitzsimmons and Joe Urbano were sworn in at the Jan. 1 meeting and were put to work immediately, voting on agenda items such as awarding a contract for the new heating units at 150 Main St. and the hiring of a part-time assistant for the clerk's office.

"We have some difficult issues facing the borough and I'm looking forward to working with all of my colleagues, both Democrats and Republicans, to address them," Fitzsimmons said of his new post in a Jan. 5 interview. "I plan on keeping the lines of communication open with everyone and I'm hopeful that the people on the council with more experience than me will do the same."

While Fitzsimmons said he was glad to finally take his place on the dais after two months of waiting since the November election, Urbano said he thought the change in perspective was interesting.

"It was my first time sitting up there, looking out through a different perspective and it was interesting," he said. "I am excited and looking forward to everything. I really just want to do what is best for the borough. I am not looking to change the world, just keep our finances in check and look out for our town."

The mayor appointed Clifton to the position of council president, replacing former Councilman Michael Cannon, a Democrat.

"It was an honor to be named council president," Clifton said in a Jan. 5 interview. "I am proud and I plan to take the position seriously and I look forward to working with other constituents. Hopefully, we can reach a consensus on things."

Among some of the larger issues facing the borough in 2009, Clifton said that the downtown revitalization is high on her priority list.

"In addition to being the council president, I am also the council chairperson for the recreation commission and I am hoping that we can work on a busier schedule for recreation and help benefit the downtown businesses with more activities," she said.A

ccording to Municipal Clerk Jean Montfort, at the Jan. 1 meeting the council also awarded a contract to install four new HVAC units at 150 Main St.; authorized the hiring of a temporary, part-time assistant for the clerk's office; approved the hiring of part-time inspectors for the construction office; and extended the costsaving four-day borough workweek until March.

In December, the council adopted a responsible contractor policy ordinance that would require borough contractors to participate in apprenticeship programs, among other requirements.

Buccellato submitted a letter vetoing the ordinance to the clerk's office Dec. 24.

According to Buccellato, the veto was read into the record at the Jan. 1 meeting and a hearing for the veto will be held during the next council meeting.

According to the borough of Matawan Code Book, Chapter Two, Section 2-6.3, an adopted ordinance is presented to the mayor five days after passage, Sundays excluded, and, "If the mayor approves the ordinance, he shall sign it within five days after he receives it, Sundays excepted, and file it with the clerk. If the mayor does not approve the ordinance, he shall return it within five days after he receives it, Sundays excepted, with his objections in writing, to the clerk."

The borough's code book explains that the council may override the veto with a vote.

"If two-thirds of all the councilmen at the next meeting ... or at any subsequent meeting to which they postpone such reconsideration, vote to pass the ordinance or the vetoed part over the veto of the mayor, the ordinance will take effect."

Should there be a lack of a quorum, the veto would stand, Buccellato explained.

The next Borough Council meeting will be held Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m. in the Matawan Municipal Community Center.