Connolly Resigns Township Committee Seat

Township Committeeman Dave Connolly, a six-year veteran of the governing body, has resigned his seat.

With regret, the four remaining members of the committee voted to accept Connolly's resignation at its work session Tuesday.

"It has been my pleasure serving the employees and taxpayers of the township of Wyckoff," Connolly wrote.

"I want to thank all the citizens of Wyckoff for their trust in my ability to make correct decisions on behalf of all Wyckoff taxpayers... for those in our volunteer fire and ambulance departments, I can't thank you enough for the time given to Wyckoff and the time we've enjoyed together. The pleasure has been all mine," Connolly wrote in a letter dated Sunday that was submitted to the township clerk's office on Monday.

Connolly's reason for stepping down from his post was not immediately clear Tuesday night, and he couldn't be immediately reached for comment.

"Dave served the township well," said Mayor Rudy Boonstra. "He will be missed."

The four members of the committee all lauded Connolly's work ethic, enthusiasm for Wyckoff and humorous personality before accepting his resignation.

"It was an honor to serve with Dave," said first-year Committeeman Chris DePhillips, who noted that Connolly was "known for expressing his enthusiasm about the township.

"He certainly loves the township."

Committeeman Kevin Rooney, also a first-year member, said he "wished he could have stayed on longer" and noted Connolly's "invaluable contributions" to the budgeting process as chair of the governing body's Finance Committee.

Committeeman Brian Scanlan also recalled Connolly's history of serving the township, saying he first got to know Connolly's interest in service years before they were colleagues, as volunteers within the recreation leagues.

Connolly was appointed in 2004 to fill the unexpired term of Committeeman Hank Shotmeyer and had since won election twice.

He most recently led the committee's work on the municipal budget, working with his colleagues and administration to keep taxes down while dealing with declining state aid and tighter spending caps.

Connolly's resignation creates a vacancy on the five-member governing body that will ultimately be filled by the committee itself.

Boonstra said the Republican County Committee has 15 days to forward the names of three possible replacements to the Township Committee, which then has 15 days from that point to vet the candidates and select a colleague who will serve the remainder of Connolly's term, through November 2011.