Arndt appointed as borough mayor

Assembly member Joseph Delgado and community member Rebecca Skinner also had applied for the position. All three were nominated, with Assembly member Jared Griffin nominating Arndt as mayor and Assembly member Scott Smiley nominating Delgado and Skinner for the position.

Arndt and Delgado did not vote on the appointment due to potential conflicts of interest. Assembly member Geoffrey Smith was not at the meeting.

The vote for borough mayor came after public comments and a hearing, where five out of seven people who spoke were in favor of Arndt as the appointed mayor.

“I have to support Scott Arndt for the position...,” community member Ryan Sharratt said at the meeting. “Based on the applicants and based on my interest in the Assembly, my interest in this political committee, I would say Scott Arndt is probably the best choice for this vacancy.”

“I’m here tonight to support Scott [Arndt]…,” Community member Carlene McChesney said during the meeting. “I like the way he votes, and I like his commentary and the experience all these years and all those insignificant boards that kind of brought him to this culmination. I would really love for him to be the borough mayor.”

Added community member Thomas Schwantes: “I would strongly support Arndt for that position. I’ve been in this community since 1979, and I know that Mr. Arndt has been involved in this community for longer than that. I know he has the experience to fill that position.”

“I would be prejudice if I didn’t tell you that Scott Arndt is my friend," said community member Michael Brecken. "I think he’d make a good candidate... . It seems to me that it would have been a better choice to elect an existing Assembly member than to invite the public for participation. You Assembly members were elected.”

One other community member called in during the meeting to support Arndt.

There were two community members who spoke on the topic but didn’t recommend Arndt. Port Lions City Council member Judith Clayton instead pointed out that all of the candidates had their own benefits, and enjoyed the native perspective of Joseph Delgado.

Community member Paddy O’Donnell called into the meeting and recommended Skinner based on her previous experience.

Williams vacated the borough mayor’s seat on April 30 to take the position of borough manager, to which she was appointed in March. The process for filling such a vacancy depends on when it occurs. If the vacancy occurs within six months of the next scheduled election, the Assembly fills the position by appointment until voters select someone in the next election.

If the vacancy had occurred more than six months before the next election, then a special election would have been scheduled to fill the unexpired term.

Arndt could choose to run for borough mayor this fall and, if elected, he would serve the remainder of Williams’ term, according to borough code.

Also, now that an Assembly member has been appointed mayor, the Assembly will be required to create a process for taking applications for the open Assembly seat.