With a unanimous vote of the Borough Council behind him and a capacity crowd giving him a standing ovation, former councilman Stephen Nolan took his place last night as interim mayor during a special meeting of the council.
Nolan, 45, formerly head of the borough redevelopment agency, pledged to work on ways to foster new businesses along the downtown area while taking a hard look at reining in municipal spending.
“There is no question in my mind that if we all pull together, we will not only survive, we will make Highland Park better,” Nolan said.
Nolan was elected to the Borough Council in 2003, then resigned in 2005 to become deputy director of the state Division of Consumer Affairs. He is currently director of legal management at UMDNJ.
Nolan opened his remarks by praising his predecessor, Meryl Frank, who jokingly presented him with “the keys to the municipality” following his appointment. Nolan remembered his first meeting with Frank a decade earlier, when he encountered “a woman in a sun dress outside the Dish Cafe who said she was running for mayor.”
Frank resigned her post on Jan. 5 to concentrate on her duties a U.S. representative to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.
Nolan was one of only two potential nominees to be screened by the borough Democratic Commitee, and the only candidate presented to the council as a potential appointee. Dominic Cerminaro, an attorney who crossed swords with Frank during the early years of her administration, offered himself as a candidate but his name was not forwarded to the council.
Nolan’s best bet is to distance himself from Frank and her baggage. Highland Park needs someone who won’t just stand around in a sundress smiling; we need someone who will walk the walk of open and good government. Stop forcing businesses to pay an extra $1,000-$2,000 a year for the BID. Carry out the suggestions of the Task Force on Community and Race Relations, which were supposed to be in place by 2004. Spend money on fixing our roads, not on expensive PR “newspapers.” Be a mayor whose first loyalty is to all the people of the borough, not just to personal friends. In short, the best advice to Nolan is, don’t be your predecessor.
Anyone can stand around campaigning outside The Dish in a sundress. It takes a real reformer to stand up for the people, not just in word, but in deeds.