Ringing in a healthy new year in Millstone Twp. Grbelja to serve as mayor, Kinsey to serve as deputy mayor in 2007 BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP Staff Writer MILLSTONE - Mayor Nancy Grbelja wants to tout the township as a healthy place to be in 2007. Grbelja, who was sworn in to serve another three-year term on the committee during the Jan. 3 reorganization meeting, was also chosen to serve as mayor again - a position she held last year and in 2004, when she made history by becoming the township's first female leader. Grbelja has served on the committee since 2002. Among the mayor's other resolutions for the township in 2007 is her desire to see Millstone run a wellness campaign. With more than 5,000 acres of preserved land, parks, horse and fitness trails, and other recreational opportunities, Grbelja said, "We have a lot of areas residents can go for good, clean, healthy living." Grbelja said she would like to see more recreation and fitness opportunities offered to children, senior citizens and others. She said, "I would like to issue a challenge in the next month about what kind of activities we could provide for people like me and children to develop healthy habits, to keep active and to get away from the computer." Committeeman Elias Abilheira, who has also served on the governing body since 2002 and was re-elected in the last election, was not present at the meeting and was therefore not sworn in that night. In a phone conversation, Abilheira said the township clerk would swear him in during a private ceremony, but that the committee might hold a public swearing-in ceremony for him at the next committee meeting. Abilheira said he couldn't attend the reorganization meeting because of a professional obligation. His law firm was waiting on a conference call about a case it was working on that night, he said. The committee members who attended the reorganization meeting voted to reappoint Committeeman Robert Kinsey to the deputy mayor's position, which he also held last year. Kinsey was elected to the committee in 2004. Kinsey, who nominated Grbelja for the mayoral position this year, gave a short speech prior to doing so, noting that committee members had encouraged him to step up and take the mayor's seat this year. However, Kinsey declined the offer, stating that he would not feel comfortable taking the role due to his personal and professional commitments. "We've accomplished a lot together," Kinsey said. "I thank you for your support, but I gratefully decline." After Grbelja accepted the mayoral position, she said, "Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I'm really happy to be here and to represent the residents." When asked if he agreed with the committee's decision to re-elect Grbelja as mayor and Kinsey as deputy mayor, Abilheira said, "That's fine." He continued, "The mayor has to take phone call complaints from residents at all hours of the day and night, and Nancy [Grbelja] is willing to do that. She does that well." With a nod to the fact that the committee would remain all-Republican again this year, Grbelja said, "There is a misnomer that everything gets rubber-stamped, but there is a lot of yelling, screaming and discussion that takes place for the decisions that we make." Grbelja said the committee prides itself on making each decision jointly for the benefits of the residents of Millstone Township and not based on what the individual needs of a committee person may be. The mayor said she looks forward to continuing work with the township's "booming open space program" and putting a long-term recreation plan together this year. Another of her main priorities, she said, is to further develop the township's line of communication with its residents by improving the information placed on the local cable access channel and the township's Web site. She said the township may even look into televising more community events and township meetings, such as Planning Board and Zoning Board meetings. Grbelja said she also looks forward to working wit the Allentown Garden Club in beautifying some of the center islands on township roads with plants and flowers. In addition, she said she would like the township to look into developing a dog park. Most of all, Grbelja said she would like to see the township work hard in making its position clear to Trenton that places such as Millstone should not have their state aid and services taken away based on what the state considers "Millstone's ability to pay." Noting that last year was a very big transition year for the township, Kinsey said the governing body started a lot of projects in 2006, which included cleaning up the township's finances with long-term bonding, initiating an open space/recreation study and a study of the Route 33 corridor, and improving the township's community center and parks. Since the township is "back on track" with its finances and other programs, Kinsey said officials look forward to being able to put it on autopilot and only having to deal with problems as they pop up. Committeeman Steven Sico, who is serving his second year on the governing body, said he looks forward to the opening of the new middle school, which is being constructed off Waters Lane. "It's going to be a jewel," Sico said of the new school. "I think residents will be very impressed." Committeeman Ramin Dilfanian, who will also be serving the second year of his three-year term in 2007, said he looks forward to continuing work he started last year with the township's Office of Emergency Management, first aid squad and fire department. He hopes to improve the township's newsletter, cable access channel and Web site as well, he said. He encouraged more individuals and groups in town to come forward and share their information and accomplishments with the rest of the township. Along with the initiatives the other committee members spoke about, Abilheira said he looks forward to continuing the solar power initiative he started last year. He also said the committee hopes to keep the municipal tax rate stable and to help stabilize school taxes. During the reorganization meeting, the mayor made various appointments to the township's boards and commissions. Grbelja appointed Barry Frost and Richard Tomer to three-year terms on the Environmental Commission. She also appointed Mary Pinney to that commission to fill Donna Haag's unexpired term, which will end on Dec. 31. Eric Davis, who was vice president of the commission, replaced Haag as the chairperson of that commission, and Philip Brilliant was appointed as an alternate member of that group with a term that expires on Dec. 31, 2008. On the Planning Board, Mike Kuczinski was appointed as a Class II member with a term that expires on Dec. 31, 2009. Daniel Murphy and David Kurzman received appointments to the board as Class IV members, whose terms expire on Dec. 31, 2010. Pinney was appointed to the board to take on Haag's unexpired term until it ends on Dec. 31, while Mark Weintraub was appointed as an Alternate II member whose term expires on Dec. 31, 2008. Thomas Devine, who was an alternate last year, was appointed to the Zoning Board of Adjustment as a regular member whose term will expire in 2011. Frank Cursio, who was also an alternate last year, was appointed as a regular member to fulfill the unexpired term of John Finley until Dec. 31. Robert Bailey was appointed to fulfill Cursio's unexpired alternate term until Dec. 31, with Anthony Consenti appointed as an Alternate II member of the board, a term due to expire in 2008. On the Recreation Commission, Fiore Masci and Gary Dorfman, who served as an alternate member last year, were chosen to serve as regular members whose terms will expire in 2011, and William Hansen was selected as an Alternate I member with a term to expire in 2011. Cheryl Barthelmes was appointed to the Shade Tree Commission, and Walter Adams, Jim Matthews and Elaine Seldner were all appointed to the Historical Preservation Commission. The Township Committee also passed resolutions reappointing all its professionals to the same positions they held last year. The reappointments included Township Attorney Duane Davison, Planner Richard Coppola, Auditor William E. Antonides, Prosecutor Richard Kelly, Public Defender Mark P. Tarantino, Code Enforcement Officer Patrick Hynes and Municipal Court Judge Debra Gelson. Instead of having a deputy chief financial officer as the committee did last year, Annette Murphy, who formerly served in that position, will take the chief financial officer position, for which she became certified. The committee also introduced one ordinance during the reorganization meeting. If passed, the ordinance would amend the number of members on the township's Open Space and Farmland Preservation Council from 11 to nine members. It would further call for seven rather than nine members of the council to be township residents. The ordinance would also delete electronic recordings of executive sessions. Grbelja said the ordinance would better help the council achieve a quorum for meetings, as altering the number of its members would require only five members for a quorum instead of the current six. The committee will hold the second reading and public comment session for the ordinance during its Feb. 7 meeting.