JACKSON – Ken Bressi will serve as president and Robert Nixon will serve as vice president of the Jackson Township Council during 2018.
Each man held the same position in 2017 and each was re-elected by their fellow council members Ann Updegrave and Barry Calogero during the governing body’s reorganization meeting on Jan. 2. Councilman Scott Martin was absent.
“I really am humbled by having the support again, to repeat this job as council president with my peers, it is truly appreciated, thank you,” Bressi said.
Bressi received a plaque in recognition of his service as council president in 2017. He said the plaque should say “Karen” to honor his wife of 46 years and the support he receives from his family.
“If it was not for the family support, the kids, grandkids and everybody, you really could not move on with this job. You have to have family support for this job, love you, thank you,” Bressi said.
Bressi thanked the township’s staff and Mayor Michael Reina. He said working with them has been a pleasure and said they have been able to get so much done for the town.
“In addition, all the volunteers who serve this township on boards and so forth, who keep everything moving in the right direction, enables us to get our job done and that cannot be forgotten; these volunteers do not get paid.
“The fire department is out there all the time, the police department is out there all the time, first aid is out there all the time, our department heads are out there, it is all a complete community working together, including volunteers,” Bressi said.
Nixon thanked his colleagues for trusting him with the position of vice president and said he was honored to serve in that role. He said Bressi “did a wonderful job as council president last year. He deserved the nomination to come back to the seat again this year.”
Nixon praised municipal employees and the work they do “behind the scenes.”
“We have an amazing group of professionals who work for this community; the staff here that makes this town run and do so mostly behind the scenes and our 56,000-plus residents never see the fine work that they do.
“If you think about it, it has been amazingly cold the last few days, but our police officers have been working every day in this weather, our (public works employees) have been outside every day in this weather and so many of our staff who make sure our lives are comfortable do not get the credit they deserve,” Nixon said.
Reina said there is meaning in what the council members mentioned in their remarks.
“Some people may look at it as us patting each other on the back, but that could not be any further from the truth. To work together with so many different personalities is not as easy as you would think,” the mayor said.
Reina praised municipal clerk Ann Marie Eden who, he said, “is bombarded with public records requests, she is the registrar, she works for the council, speaks for the council … there are days I walk in and she is buried in her computer.”
The mayor also recognized Township Administrator Helene Schlegel, saying, “She runs every department and division in this town, otherwise known as running the day-to-day operations of Jackson. She meets with every single person in this township, not to mention the people who call her for leaf (removal), for snow (removal), for the baseball field, for the soccer field; she works with every single person nonstop.”
The mayor addressed the council and said, “if there is an issue, we discuss it, we work it out and we do what we have to do.”
“Decisions are based off 56,000 people, decisions are not based on any special interests, religion, league or anything of that nature. (Decisions) are for the residents of Jackson and Jackson only, and I have been pretty fortunate over the last nine years to work with a council that understands that, and yes we do disagree, because those are different people with different opinions and different concerns and we work together for you (the public),” Reina said.
Reina thanked the council members for their hard work. He said residents only see their elected officials at council meetings, but “it is a little more than that.”
The mayor commented on “all the people who like to complain (about) and criticize” decisions made by municipal boards and the council.
“Our volunteers have the same vision, the same goals and objectives as the elected officials,” Reina said. “They are dedicating their time to make Jackson a better place and all they do is get yelled at when somebody does not like a decision by a board or a commission.
“So for all the people who like to complain and criticize, you can join us in making Jackson a better place by contributing and getting onto boards and commissions, because we love to hear what you have to say, we would love to work with you, and criticism is appreciated, but if you are going to complain and not participate, (we) cannot help you,” he said.
Reina said there are many residents who appreciate “what we do.”
