Mayor Anthony Minniti will replace John McCarthy for 2017
Cinnaminson Township Committee has selected Anthony Minniti to replace John McCarthy as mayor for 2017.
Minniti has served as mayor in the past, most recently in 2014, and has served on council since 2002. Minniti’s wife, Rose, and his children Claire, John and Christian accompanied him for his swearing in.
“I’m honored to have earned your trust,” Minniti said during the committee comments portion of last week’s annual reorganization meeting.
He took the time to thank the school board, the PTA, the police and fire departments and, of course, the residents, including parents and coaches.
“I have always believed that the true measure of our success as elected representatives is fairly simple — is Cinnaminson a better place because of our efforts?” Minniti said. “Cinnaminson is successful because of the many residents who volunteer to serve in many different capacities.”
Minniti presented outgoing mayor McCarthy with a plaque for his services. McCarthy served as mayor of Cinnaminson for 2015 and 2016.
“John has led this committee over the last two years with exactly the same sort of personality traits that we admire him for,” Minniti said. “He’s calm, he’s steady and he’s even-handed. When [our] passions reached their highest point is when Mayor McCarthy was at his coolest.”
Minniti added while many people think having a five-person committee made up entirely of Republicans would make decision-making easy, this could not be further from the truth, as each individual advocates for his own position passionately.
McCarthy was choked up during his time to speak, saying while he wasn’t perfect, he always did his best.
“To my neighbors and the residents of Cinnaminson, thank you for your support. You are what makes Cinnaminson a great town,” McCarthy said.
Despite stepping down as mayor, McCarthy will continue to serve as a committeeman and will be the liaison for the planning board for 2017.
Cinnaminson also welcomed a new committeeman at the meeting, Howard “Bud” Evans. Evans, who ran unopposed for the only open seat on township committee, is an active member of the United States Air Force and has previous police experience. He has a bachelor’s degree in finance and a master’s degree in business administration.
“I promise to be an unyielding voice of reason who will always challenge the status quo. ‘This is how we’ve always done it,’ is not an appropriate term,” Evans said. “We will work together. We will be better. We will achieve together or we will fail together.”
Evans ended his comments with a thank you to his wife, Stephanie.
“Your willingness to sit in the shadows while I stand in the light is not why I love you. Watching me strive and achieve, that’s not it. It’s watching you strive and achieve while you constantly underestimate your own strength and overvalue mine — that’s why I love you,” Evans said, inspiring Minniti to joke that Evans was getting other committeemen in trouble with their wives.
In welcoming Evans, township committee said goodbye to Committeewoman Kathy Fitzpatrick who served for nine years but did not run for re-election this year. Committeeman Don Brauckmann called Fitzpatrick the “epitome of people before politics.”
“Kathy’s strength was that of a true representative of the people because she knew her residents well and they communicated not only to her, but through her. Her passion to serve the residents and to speak on their behalf was always what guided her,” Brauckmann said.
Other committee members echoed Brauckmann’s sentiments and made it clear Fitzpatrick will be deeply missed on committee.
