LINWOOD — Four members of the seven-member Linwood City Council were sworn-in during the body’s reorganization meeting Jan. 3 — but only one is new.
Blair Albright fills the seat of Ward II Councilman Todd Gordon, who decided not to seek re-election last year after serving since January 2012. She ran unopposed for the three-year term.
Albright will serve on the Planning, Engineering & Development, Shared Services and Administration committees. She also is a member of the Zoning/Planning Board.
Councilwoman June Byrnes took the oath for a second three-year term in Ward I.
Councilman Todd Michael, who was appointed March 19, 2021, to replace Brian Heun, who resigned, was sworn-in to a one-year unexpired term in Ward II. That seat will be up for election in November.
Councilman Matthew Levinson took his seat for his first full term in the at-large position. He was appointed to City Council in 2019 to fill the unexpired term of Darren Matik, who was elected mayor without opposition. In 2020, he ran unopposed for the final year of that term. His term will expire in 2025.
Ward II Councilman Ralph Paolone once again was elected council president. He was last elected to council in 2020 to his sixth consecutive term, which expires in 2023.
Councilman Eric Ford was appointed to City Council in June 2016 to fill an unexpired term in Ward I and won a full three-year term in 2017 and 2020. His term expires in 2023.
Ward I Councilwoman Stacey DeDomenicis has served since 2007, following two years on the Zoning Board.
Mayor Darren Matik was elected to that position in 2020 after former mayor Rick DePamphilis decided not to seek re-election. He had been mayor since 2002. His seat expires in 2023.
BLAIR ALBRIGHT
Albright, 50 and her husband, Bill, have three children: Ashley, 23, Keegan, 10, and Dawson, 9.
She was born and raised in Linwood, where she went through the public school system, graduating from Mainland Regional High School in 1989.
She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina and has worked for her family’s heavy-construction business for the past 25 years. Albright’s family company is Arthur R. Henry Inc.
In May 2019, Albright brought a dump truck from Old Cape Recycling and samples of the many items the company recycles to share with the students during Seaville Elementary School’s Careers on Wheels exposition.
Using her construction knowledge to benefit the community, Albright has served on the Zoning/Planning Board for the past five years.
In May 2019, Albright brought a dump truck from Old Cape Recycling and samples of items the company recycles to show students during Seaville Elementary School’s Careers on Wheels exposition.
“I have been very fortunate to serve with a tremendously talented and informed group on these boards and I am proud of the work we have done,” she said.
Albright also is a member of the board of directors for the Greater Atlantic City Chamber of Commerce.
Albright said she began volunteering with the After Prom Committee at MRHS when their oldest daughter was a freshman and has continued to support the highly popular safe alternative to the alcohol- and drug-centered parties of the past.
“We are in unprecedented times in our state and our nation, and our tight-knit town is not immune from the challenges being faced,” she said. “I hope to help navigate our town through these current challenges and help Linwood continue to be the best place to raise a family and run a business.”
Albright believes open communication is the best way to start finding a solution.
“The importance of listening to and respecting someone’s input, as well as their opinions and their own experiences, cannot be overstated,” she said. “The people of this town are passionate, and I respect that tremendously. I look forward to working with council and this city to propel us past this pandemic and onto a future where Linwood continues to be the strong hometown we are all so impassioned about.”
“I want the residents to know that their city representatives are very knowledgeable individuals who truly put the best interests of this town and its residents first. I look forward to continuing these efforts in representing Ward 2,” she said.
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff