Kownacki is Lawrence Township's New Mayor

Jim Kownacki, who was elected to his first term on Lawrence Township Council in the November 2009 election, was sworn in as the township’s new mayor during the council’s reorganization meeting held at the township municipal building at noon on Sunday, Jan. 1.

Kownacki – who, in a departure from years’ past, will serve as mayor for two years instead of one – called it “a great day and a new beginning” for Lawrence Township.  

In November, . The ordinance was proposed by then Councilman Bob Bostock .   

Before Kownacki was administered the oath of mayor by state Assemblyman (and Lawrence Township municipal prosecutor) Reed Gusciora, Councilman Michael Powers was sworn back into office for his third term and new council members Cathleen Lewis and David Maffei were also sworn in.

Administering the oath of office to Powers was Kevin Nerwinski, Lawrence Township’s municipal judge. Lewis was sworn in by Mercer County Freeholder John Cimino and Maffei was sworn in by Mercer County Freeholder Chair (and past Lawrence Township mayor) Pasquale “Pat” Colavita.

, Lawrence Township’s five-person council is now entirely democratic. The last republican on council, Bostock, chose not to seek reelection last year.    

Kownacki was nominated for the mayor’s position by Councilman Greg Puliti, who served as mayor in 2011.

“As we move into a new era of a two-year mayoral term, we need to look at this position differently than we have in the past. And I would like to explain my rationale for selecting the mayor,” Puliti said during the meeting. “It’s not about whose turn it is, but instead who can do the job and do it well for the length of the term. While this position is considered ceremonial, it means much more in how council is viewed by those who it serves. The person that takes this position must be able to speak with not just one voice but the voice of all council members. They must be in constant contact and communicate with the township manager, and must respect the council-manager form of government and the chain-of-command that goes with the administration.

“I would like to place the name of Jim Kownacki for the nomination of mayor. I had the pleasure to campaign with Jim for council in 2009 when Jim knocked on 1,600 doors to ask the township residents for their trust in him to hold the position of councilman. Jim was elected and he won that trust. Jim has earned my trust and kept that trust, which is not easy to do, and in my eyes has earned the opportunity to be mayor for the next two years,” Puliti said.  

Kownacki, who has served on the Lawrence Township Planning Board, has worked for the Ewing Lawrence Sewerage Authority for over 20 years and previously served in the U.S. Marine Corp and Army reserves for two decades. He appeared visibly humbled by his unanimous election as mayor.

He offered these remarks after being sworn in as Lawrence Township mayor:

“I would like to wish all of you a happy New Year and thank you for attending this event… This is a historic day today for our community as we begin the tenure of a two-year mayor. As a military veteran and blue collar worker, I greatly appreciate the faith, the confidence that council has placed in me to represent them during this difficult but promising time ahead.

“As mayor, I will be working with council – individually as needed and certainly as a team. Hopefully this team concept will address the responsibilities that this great township has placed in us.

“My first act as mayor is to direct all monetary income from the next two years for the performance of marriage ceremonies to be deposited into the township’s general fund and earmarked toward the purchase of our July 4th fireworks display.

“With my experience and background in the military and blue collar employment, I bring a strong sense of leadership to Lawrence Township. First and foremost is the oversight of the budget, where our council, as a team, will work diligently to attain a stabile rate.

“Having that additional year will help me to guide our community through this economic period and promote Lawrence Township as a friendly business environment, with employment opportunities, and an outstanding place to raise a family.

“As mayor, I’m looking forward to working with all communities in Lawrence Township."

Kownacki then went straight to work and issued the oath of office to the chiefs of the township’s volunteer fire companies. In attendance were Slackwood Volunteer Fire Co. Chief Michael Oakley and Lawrence Road Volunteer Fire Co. Chief Shaun Dlabik. Chief Gary Wasko from Lawrenceville Volunteer Fire Co. could not attend as he was out of town on vacation.

Less than a minute later, Oakley and Dlabik, together with other volunteer firefighters in the audience and Lawrence Township Police Chief Daniel Posluszny, sprang into action to render emergency care to an elderly audience member who suffered a sudden seizure. Proceedings were delayed for about 10 minutes while the man was cared for and carried away by a township ambulance crew that was summoned to the municipal building.

Once the meeting resumed, the new council approved 22 resolutions (for a list of these resolutions, see the PDF copy of the meeting program in the media box above).

Council members then offered their closing marks, during which they thanked their families for their support and offered their thoughts on the coming year:  

Councilman David Maffei:

“It is both a privilege and an honor to be here today representing the residents of Lawrence, who put their faith and trust in me to come up with ideas that will make our community a thriving workplace with an exceptional family environment. Strong business sense and family values made this community what it is. So as our children grow, so must our ideas and commitments to our community.

"In meetings with our municipal manager, Mr. [Richard] Krawczun, he not only brought up what has been done but emphasized our immediate concerns. This is a challenging time for Lawrence, as it is for the whole State of New Jersey. This economic situation has not been seen in generations and it will be up to council to decide the future of our residents – from the budget to the restoration of Route 1 in South Lawrence, the endeavors of Eldridge Park, our seniors, the completion of the Lawrence Hopewell Trail, and continued sustainability. I will vote my willingness and time. I know the choices will be difficult, but I am here as a commitment to my public service. Thank you.”

Councilman Greg Puliti:

“I would just like to welcome the new council members and old council members back on the dais, and the new mayor. I look forward to 2012."

Councilwoman Cathleen Lewis:

“I want to thank all of you who are here today. I want to thank the voters who have put their faith and trust in me... I think that having this event today here on New Year’s Day is appropriate, because today really is a new start for myself [and] for Lawrence Township. We start a two-year mayor. It creates a new consistency and continuity for the township…

"As we start this new endeavor, I hope to bring you new ideas, new energy and new voices to this body. My colleagues who have served on this dais before me, and with me today, have made Lawrence the great town that it is. And I hope to continue in that tradition. I think the greatest responsibility I have here is to be your advocate, to make sure that the town is serving you well and to ensure that your tax dollars are spent wisely and with great restraint.

"I look forward to hearing from you, whether it’s by phone, by email, on Facebook, on Twitter, or by stopping me on the street. I want to hear about what needs fixing, what isn’t working, your new ideas and, hopefully, a few times you’ll stop to tell me that something’s gone right. But at the end of the day, it is my hope that together we can continue to grow and build our community, that we can encourage businesses to come to Lawrence, to stay in the township and invest in our community.

"I hope together we can encourage our friends and families to invest in our local businesses [and] to utilize all the great programs our township has to offer, whether it’s a hike on the Lawrence Hopewell Trail, a day at the Nature Center, an afternoon at the Senior Center or Saturdays in one of our youth sports programs. We know Lawrence is a great place to live and raise a family. That’s why we’re here today. Now it is our responsibility to make sure it stays that way, by encouraging our friends and our neighbors to be a larger part of our community. I invite you to join me in helping to build this…"

Councilman Michael Powers:

“I would like to congratulate Mayor Kownacki. I know, Jim, you’ll do a great job as mayor. But we would be remiss if we did not acknowledge Councilman Puliti. Greg was mayor in 2011. Let’s give Greg a round of applause....

"Just to echo what’s been talked about for 2012, economic development will be a top priority. Good things will be happening in terms of the short-term improvements to Quaker Bridge Mall, eyesores such as the Craft Cleaners building will be removed and knocked down as part of our continued redevelopment efforts for Brunswick Avenue, the plans for the commercial boulevard continue to move forward, albeit scheduled for 2013… So we have a lot of things to be excited about."

After the reorganization meeting was over, Puliti spent a few minutes talking to Lawrenceville Patch about his time as mayor in 2011. He previously served as mayor in 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2007.

“In this day and age what you have to look at and be mindful of is the biggest job of the council is the budget,” Puliti said. “And that was probably the biggest accomplishment that we had [in 2011]. We tried not to eliminate staff and keep the tax rate stable for the residents. Even though we did have a little tax increase, we were able to keep the services the town provides at the level people are accustomed to.”

He noted that the return of the township’s Independence Weekend fireworks display and concert was another major accomplishment. The July 4th festivities were cancelled in 2010 due to budget reasons, but thanks to a fundraising effort undertaken by the township’s Recreation Department . Puliti helped lead the effort by donating to the fireworks fund all money he would have received for officiating at weddings as mayor during the year.

Puliti said he was also pleased with the success of other township events like the and . “That’s what this community is all about,” he said.