MANCHESTER – Robert Arace gave his last statements as mayor, as he will be joining the Board of Commissioners, the five-member body that oversees Ocean County government.
“It has been an absolute honor and privilege to serve as the mayor of Manchester,” Arace said during his farewell and a report “on all the great work that I feel we have done with the township administration and the council.
“I think we have done really tremendous work in the past two years so I’d like to thank the council members and residents for coming here and participating and providing their ideas and coming to my office. You guys really keep the town running and it wouldn’t be possible without all of you.”
The mayor served two of his four years as mayor. His replacement, a member of council, is expected to be named officially at the reorganization meeting in the beginning of the year.
Arace also thanked his mayoral staff, Business Administrator Carl Block, Township Clerk Teri Giercyk, the police department and all the municipal department heads.
“I will say that anyone who serves as mayor is very lucky to walk into the situation you will have with the department heads in Manchester Township. You have phenomenal leadership at all levels. I think the residents of Manchester Township need to know that I have the utmost respect for all of them and they (department heads) have some of the most robust resumes that you will ever come across in the county and we are very lucky to have them. They have been here for many years.”
During that meeting Council Vice President James Vaccaro reported on his attendance at the latest Planning Board meeting as the council’s representative to that body. He once again urged residents to shop locally and support the township’s businesses and municipal economy. “Shopping locally supports the township.”
He also noted a meeting that involved the mayor, Council President Roxy Conniff, Township Business Administrator Block, Township Attorney Lauren Staiger, the township’s consulting engineer and planner. It was the first committee meeting of a panel created to study the feasibility of building a recreational center. “We are on our way.”
Conniff said, “we are just beginning conversations to see if this is something feasible and how we can start this project.”
Vaccaro also noted council member attendance of the Christmas in the Pines event held earlier this month at Harry Wright Lake Park. “This was an amazing, festive, fabulous, incredible event that was organized under the direction of the Director of Recreation Tracey Lynch and her staff and employees and numerous volunteers in town, Department of Public Works employees, Manchester Township Police Department and EMS services, volunteer fire departments and local businesses.”
He mentioned the decorated walking trails that featured the event’s theme this year of “The Grinch That Stole Christmas” and transformed the trail into scenes from Whoville from that popular Dr. Seuss book.
The Council President thanked, “Tracey and all of her team and everyone who contributed to making this such a phenomenal event. It was really beautiful and I hope everyone will come out to see it next year.”
“The event culminated with the lighting of the township Christmas tree,” Vaccaro added. “It was enjoyed by everyone and we all look forward to next year’s event at our Christmas Village in the pines.”
The official reminded those present that Manchester is “the gemstone of the Jersey Shore,” and called for “the senior socialization program conducted by the senior services department be reconsidered and restarted again in the eastern section of the township.”
This program was discontinued earlier in the year due to lack of participation. Vaccaro encouraged the program’s reactivation to provide equality to both sections of the community.
