Meeting saw the swearing in of new committee member Paul Conda and the appointment of Ernest McGill to the position of mayor
Stephen Finn
The Sun
Cinnaminson Township Committee held its annual reorganization meeting on Jan. 7 at the township municipal building. Incumbent members of the committee Stephanie Kravil and Albert Segrest were sworn in for a new term, along with newcomer Paul Conda.
During the meeting, the committee appointed Committeeman Ernest McGill as the new mayor, and Committeeman Ryan Horner as deputy mayor.
After being sworn in, McGill acknowledged the former mayors of the township present at the meeting including Bradford Smith, Jim Bristow, Bill O’Connor, Ben Young and Howard Evans. McGill then presented outgoing Mayor Donald Brauckmann with a plaque honoring him for his years of service to Cinnaminson.
“Thank you, Don, for your service to this township as a school board member, as a committee member and more importantly as a friend,” said McGill.
After accepting the plaque, Brauckmann delivered a heartfelt address. Voice wavering, he thanked his colleagues and family for their support and bid farewell to his life as a public servant.
“They say all good things must come to an end. Well, today my time has officially come to an end,” said Brauckmann. “I want to thank everyone for all of their support through the years, especially these last two, which have been very trying for me, my family and especially my wife. The overwhelming support is one of the key reasons I’m able to be here today so I can honorably close out this chapter of my life.”
During the final portion of the meeting, committee members offered their comments to the public. Conda addressed the township for the first time.
“I’m honored and humbled to be part of this committee, and I’ll never take it for granted,” said Conda. “I understand that this year is not going to be without its challenges, but I’m looking forward to working as a part of this team to get through them. That being said, I won’t take up any more of your time except to say ‘Let’s get to work.’”
During his comment portion, McGill expressed confidence in the new committee’s ability to work together to achieve a common goal and leave Cinnaminson a better place than they found it.
“I’d like to begin by thanking the residents of Cinnaminson and my fellow committee members for putting their faith in me and allowing me to serve you in the capacity of mayor. It is truly humbling, and we cannot wait to get to work with you and for you to continue the work that the previous committees have undertaken for the betterment of our residents,” said McGill.
The new mayor closed his comments with a quote from President Reagan: “Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly and leave the rest to God.”
Following the meeting, Conda spoke about what he will be looking to accomplish with his new position on committee. One of the first items on his agenda will be to enhance the township’s online presence.
“I am going to look into the feasibility of revamping the site to accomplish a number of things with it, including making it easier to navigate, achieve better integration with other organizations in town, as well as to develop additional online functionality to complement what already exists,” said Conda.
McGill gave a preview of one of the first items the committee will be addressing in the new year, an issue that saw much discussion and has carried over from the previous year.
“One of the things we’re going to be dealing with is the marijuana issue, whether or not the township wants to allow retail. We have a committee going of myself and Stephanie Kravil with some residents. We’re going to talk about it and take it in front of the committee and we’ll do what’s best,” said McGill.
