Guadagno swore in Steve Zeuli as this year’s deputy mayor, with Guadagno also swearing in re-elected Ken D’Andrea and Robert DiEnna.
Evesham Township Council held its normal reorganization meeting on Jan. 9, however, this year’s meeting might stand out slightly more than others thanks to a brief appearance by Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno.
Guadagno swore in Councilmember Steve Zeuli as this year’s deputy mayor, with Guadagno also swearing in recently re-elected council members Ken D’Andrea and Robert DiEnna.
Mayor Randy Brown said council was privileged to have Guadagno at the event as he congratulated Zeuli, DiEnna and D’Andrea.
Speaking about Zeuli’s role as deputy mayor and the position in general, Brown noted every member of council has served as his deputy mayor at least once in the 10 years since he was first elected.
Brown praised his fellow council members for continuing to serve the township, even as their roles on council demand more of their time as the township continues to grow.
“The requirements on our time as a volunteer job get bigger and bigger everyday,” Brown said.
With Zeuli as the township’s next deputy mayor, Brown also thanked D’Andrea for serving as deputy mayor throughout 2016.
“Kenny, every time somebody needed you, you were there,” Brown said.
Keeping on the theme of public service, later in the meeting D’Andrea and DiEnna each commented on their re-election and said they would continue to work for all residents of the township, including those who voted for them in November’s election and those who did not.
“Why do we get involved in public service? For me, it’s about giving back,” D’Andrea said. “It’s about doing what I believe is the right thing to do. It’s about being involved. It’s about providing a voice.”
D’Andrea also made a point to comment on some of the negative aspects of the campaign, in particular comments made by residents on various social media platforms.
With those in mind, D’Andrea said he would continue to educate anyone willing to listen to him about municipal government and the processes elected officials must follow.
“I believe when more people are involved in the process, and have a deeper knowledge and understand, the better off we are as a community and as a society,” D’Andrea said.
DiEnna echoed many of D’Andrea’s thoughts and described his re-election as an honor after having spent so much time and effort reaching out to residents during a long campaign.
“We’ll continue to try to meet the standards the residents have set for us,” DiEnna said.
Like D’Andrea, DiEnna said he would remain available to any residents looking to speak about the issues facing the township.
