To the Editor:
I am truly baffled by the process of selecting a new mayor. If I am understanding this correctly, the Council President Carol Jean Doyle serves as (acting) mayor until the Democratic County Committee picks three candidates, the council (eight people) then vote for one. This selection should be done by the July 11 council meeting making the vote part of the July 11 meeting.
What I want to know is does the public get a chance to talk at that council meeting before the vote? Do they follow normal procedure with the caucus meeting first, the public portion and then the actual votes like other meetings or will they go out of order?
Isn’t it important for the council members to know the opinions and thoughts of the public before deciding on our behalf?
It is my understanding whomever the council selects will serve until the special election is held in November and the winner of that election would be sworn in to serve the remainder of Former Mayor Al Santos’s term, which ends Dec. 31, 2025.
I do not understand the need to appoint an interim mayor for four months/ seven meetings, when over the last 27 years, the council president has run the meetings at least that many times, while the mayor was not present.
What is the purpose of having a council president and a deputy mayor if not to handle these times?
I cannot imagine that Carol Jean Doyle, Barbara Sherry or Susan McCurrie want anything more than to see the town continue to operate in an efficient, cohesive manner.
Ann Rodrigues
Kearny
Learn more about the writer ...
Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.