Friends, family and political supporters of former mayor Letitia G. “Tish” Colombi gathered in front of the Borough Hall on July 4, prior to the parade, to witness the dedication of a sculpture in her honor. Titled “Exuberant Girl,” the sculpture is a tribute to Mayor Colombi’s “long and devoted service to the municipal government and community of Haddonfield.”
She served for a record 28 years as a commissioner, including 12 years as the mayor. The only woman to have served on the board of commissioners, she retired in 2013.
“If just one young woman from our community decides to run for elective office — be it the school board, the Board of Commissioners, the County Board of Freeholders, the State Assembly or Senate, the United States Congress, or — hallelujah! — the office of President of the United States — if just one young woman from our community decides to run for elective office because she saw me as the kind of person she wanted to be, doing the kinds of things with her life she saw me doing, saying and doing the kinds of inspirational things she heard me say and do … that will mean the world to me,” Tish Colombi said, in acknowledging the gift. “Although I am retired from office and although I no longer serve so publicly as the role model I once did, I hope this sculpture at this location, will be a permanent reminder to the youth of our community that public service is an honorable, satisfying and rewarding vocation, a vocation worth pursuing.”
