Letter to the Editor: Thank You Tinton Falls

Dear Tinton Falls Friends and Neighbors,

Tuesday, Dec. 20 was my last borough council meeting. I chose not to run for reelection during the recent election in November, and my current term expires at the end of 2011.  I am proud to have served the last three years and one month, since I was elected to the seat vacated by Brendan Tobin.

First and foremost, I really need to thank one person for tolerating my time of service on council, and that is my wife, Lisa. She’s the one that got to hear all about each council meeting when I came home afterwards, and trust me she often got an earful. I also wish to thank my daughters, Nicole and Lauren as well as my sons, Bryan and Alex; they have been great supporters of me throughout this whole endeavor.

Thank you to all the residents of Tinton Falls whom I had the pleasure to represent during my time on council.  It was truly an honor representing the taxpayers and especially all the volunteers in town. These volunteers are truly something amazing; they make Tinton Falls a very special place to live. I hope we can keep up the spirit of volunteerism as we move forward.

This has been tremendous learning experience for me. I think of myself as a life-long learner, I am always trying to learn new things, and there has been a vast amount to learn about various issues and topics while I was on council. I am not simply satisfied with exploring the surface, I need to dig deeper to get the detailed picture. This is just part of who I am.

I have been fortunate enough to have had many outstanding mentors and coaches along the way.  Especially: Pete Maclearie: The former mayor of Tinton Falls. Before I was on council, I would often see Pete stopping for a visit during various committee and commission meetings. I always liked his hands on approach to government. He was always there for the volunteers. Duane Morrill: The former council president. He encouraged and supported me when I expressed interest in running for the vacant seat.  Paul Ford: Former counci lmember. Paul sat next to me when I first started my council position. I was able to gain his advice on procedures when I was still a “wet behind the ears” council member.  Karen Mount-Taylor: Former borough clerk. She provided great guidance to me, especially on matters related to the functioning of our borough government. Maureen Murphy: Current borough clerk. Maureen had huge shoes to fill when Karen retired, and she is following in her footsteps very well.  Stephen Pfeffer: Borough director of finance. Stephen promptly and accurately answered every question I asked of him. He helped me gain a deeper understanding of NJ’s municipal government budget and finance code and procedures.

George Washington had a great farewell address, and I really cannot come close to matching that, but I will borrow a couple things. In his farewell address, George Washington warned of political parties seeking their own elevation “on the ruins of public liberty.” He also advised “avoiding the accumulation of public debt.” In a quote attributed to Cicero in 55 BC:  “The budget should be balanced, the treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled.”

These are all ideals that I take very strongly to heart, particularly during my time of service on the borough council. This is advice that would serve all politicians at all levels government well.

Although I am ending my term on council for now, I will continue to advocate for the people of Tinton Falls. Perhaps I am really more an activist than a politician. There is a popular analogy to describe the difference: “The activist is not the man who says the river is dirty.  The activist is the man who cleans up the river.”  I now find myself wanting to play that role where I can actually “clean up the river” and do more. You will definitely be seeing more from me. 

Thank you, it has been a true pleasure serving the people of Tinton Falls.

With warmest regards,

Andy Mayer
(soon to be former) Deputy Borough Council President

PS: I plan to continue writing and emailing out my Tinton Falls Happenings Newsletter.