Cinnaminson Township officially swore in new Mayor Ryan Horner, Deputy Mayor Albert Segrest and Committeewoman Stephanie Kravil at the annual reorganization meeting on Jan. 6.
While the long-awaited ceremony was exciting for the township’s newest officials, it was also a humbling experience for Kravil.
“I don’t know if excited is quite the word; for me, it’s more so humbling, honored and privileged,” said Kravil. ”As a Cinnaminson resident my entire life, there’s nothing more powerful than to give back to the community that I love so much. I am just humble to be here.”
“Looking ahead I’m most excited about seeing the progress in the town and helping out the areas that have been neglected,” she noted. “I want to give people a person and a resource to reach out to within the community and also, just overall seeing the seeds that we have planted start to grow.”
For former Deputy Mayor Horner, the accession to mayor of Cinnaminson came with much excitement not only for himself and his family, but also the rest of the township committee. One of the first things Horner did when he got the chance to speak to the audience was thank former Mayor Ernest McGill for his service, leadership and insight.
“[McGill] willingly took the role of mayor last year during a time when the two of us were the senior members of this committee,” Horner acknowledged. “You provided a calming presence to us, many times uttering the phrase, ‘Relax we got this.’
“You have no idea how I personally needed to hear that.”
“Your ability to connect with people, your historical knowledge of the town and ability to think through issues and find solutions that benefit all residents was invaluable to watch and learn from,” Horner added.
“I thank you for being a mentor even when you may not have known you were.”
As for the future of council and his excitement at becoming mayor, Horner shared Kravil’s feelings on the future.
“I’m just looking forward to continuing the work we have done over the last few years quite frankly,” he explained. “Running a government that’s open, transparent and to the benefit of all of the residents, which I think we have done a good job with over the last 24 months.
“I’m looking forward to continuing that over the next 12.”
Again, Horner praised his predecessor.
“McGill is a lifelong resident so he has an institutionalized knowledge of Cinnaminson that you only get by being that type of resident,” he noted. “By being a police officer and serving the community in that capacity and having the passion that he does for all of his neighbors, it’s inspiring.
“Watching that and watching how he engages with residents is something that I took. And I’m hoping to implement that same kind of passion and commitment to everyone.”
