SOUTH RIVER Striving to reactivate the borough’s Human Relations Commission, South River Mayor John Krenzel appointed seven new members to the organization.
The newly appointed members Anita Chadha, Zorina Muhammed, Irina DeSilva, Colleen Toole, Angela Cadenas, Orly Tomayo and Sue Olsen were welcomed on Jan. 1 during the borough’s reorganization meeting.
“Each appointee approached me with ideas to make South River a more fun and interesting place to live and I want to see those ideas blossom. And I want to thank the mayor for following through,” said Councilman Ryan Jones, who spearheaded the campaign to revitalize the commission.
The commission was established in 1992 to foster good will and cooperation among the community, according to Borough Administrator Jack Layne Jr. He said the commission’s duties include making recommendations to the governing body for the development of policies and procedures in general and for programs of formal and informal education that will aid in eliminating all types of discrimination based on race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, affectional or sexual orientation, familial status, disability, nationality or sex.
“The Human Relations Commission has laid defunct for years, but played an important role that I’d like to see restored,” Jones said.
“It is unfortunate that we live in a society where a Human Relations Commission is even necessary. Despite this fact, I am optimistic that the commission will provide positive and beneficial advice and recommendations to our council to help to improve our community,” Layne said.
Jones said that the borough is diverse, housing organizations such as the Hibernians and Saraswati Cultural Association.
“There’s folks from Eastern Europe and others from South and Latin America. I could go on and on. As I talk to these communities, they ask me the same thing: how can we show our pride for South River by sharing our traditions?” Jones said. “I asked the mayor to appoint a number of outstanding candidates. My hope is to reactivate their goals of fostering community and good will, along with celebration of the shared values of our differing cultural backgrounds.”
Krenzel has scheduled a meeting of the commission at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 15 at the municipal building, located at 48 Washington St., according to Borough Clerk Patricia O’Connor.
Residents can show their support toward the commission by attending the commission’s meetings or contacting the commission members directly, according to Layne.
Contact Vashti Harris at vharris@newspapermediagroup.com.
