NORTHFIELD — City Council welcomed its newest member Jan. 3 as educator Renee Carfagno took her seat on the dais for the first time representing Ward 1.
Carfagno’s husband, Len, held the Bible as retired judge Joseph Visalli administered the oath of office.
Carfagno, 48, and her husband have four children, all products of Northfield Community School and Mainland Regional High School.
She is an educator in Vineland, where she teaches civics and world history. Her husband operates SVN Plumbing and Heating.
Carfagno grew up in Washington Township, graduating from Bishop Eustace High School in 1992. She majored in political science at St. Thomas University in Miami, graduating in 1995. In 2016, she was part of an in-depth project on the Holocaust on an Alfred Lerner Fellowship and in 2017 completed her master’s degree in Holocaust studies at Stockton University. She holds a Genocide Prevention Certificate.
Carfagno and her husband, a native of Wildwood Crest, moved to Northfield in 2002. She is part of the Northfield Mothers League, MRHS football boosters and organized the annual Nick Connor Fishing Tournament at Birch Grove Park.
Also sworn in to his first three-year term in Ward 2 was Councilman Eric Leeds, who says he is retired from a federal intelligence agency and contracted to the federal government to perform sensitive investigative work. He said he signed a nondisclosure agreement and cannot name the agency nor say exactly what he does.
Leeds was appointed by resolution in September 2020 as the city’s deputy municipal emergency management coordinator and then appointed to City Council during the annual reorganization meeting in 2022 to take the place of Councilman Greg Dewees, who had won the at-large seat in the previous election.
Dewees held the Bible while Lisa Tilton, business administrator for Buena Vista Township, administered the oath of office.
During the annual reorganization meeting, Council President Tom Polistina was chosen to continue in that role, while Dewees will remain council president pro tempore for the coming year.
Mayor Erland Chau also shared his State of the City Address, saying things are moving in a positive direction.
“I am proud to announce that the city of Northfield started to see what is hopefully a recovery from the lingering economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Chau said. “Due to the hard work of our City Council and employees, in 2022 we saw no increase in the municipal tax rate. By being creative with revenues and sharing services, we continue to uphold the high level of service that our residents expect at a cost of less than 28 cents of every tax dollar.”
Chau said the city also maintained a strong surplus balance and stable financial position. In April, Standard and Poor’s confirmed the city’s AA- credit rating.
“As of today, all tax court appeals matters have been resolved and our tax collection rate is strong at 97.32 percent. Our total assessed value in 2022 was just over $869 million. The housing market made an astonishing rebound and values continue to trend upwards, which supports the current assessed values in the city of Northfield,” he said.
Chau said the commercial sector has rebounded, with no fewer than 21 new businesses opening in 2022.
“Building department revenue was up an astonishing 38 percent over 2021 due to increased commercial development and residential home improvement projects,” Chau said.
He talked about personnel changes, noting the retirement of five employees with a collective 121 years of experience.
“We saw numerous staffing vacancies in 2022, and despite significant challenges in the labor market, we recruited and hired qualified staff for the positions of tax collector, tax assessor, Building Department technical assistant, electrical inspector and housing officer,” Chau said.
The mayor also noted the tragic death of police officer Johnathan Scull, 27, who died Aug. 30 as a result of an accident while working on his car.
Scull was a graduate of Northfield Community School and Mainland Regional High School Class of 2014.
He earned an associate degree in science from Atlantic Cape Community College and Certificate in Mortuary Science from Mercer County Community College.
Later he completed training at the Atlantic County Police Academy and was hired as the Northfield Police Department’s first full-time special law enforcement officer in November 2021. He later took on the role of code inspector and was hired as a full-time patrolman earlier this year.
“It is often the darkest times that bring out the best in people, and the support from the Northfield community was remarkable. For that, we are grateful,” Chau said.
Other key accomplishments Chau noted included:
— The city was awarded $412,000 in grant funding for roadway improvements, public safety, recycling efforts, community education and more.
— Paved 3½ miles of local roadways.
— Used $411,000 in American Rescue Plan funds on one-time expenses for public safety, cyber security and new playground equipment at Birch Grove Park.
— Purchased pagers and radios for the Northfield Volunteer Fire Company and emergency management volunteers to ensure their ability to provide timely responses when needed.
— Made history by joining multiple other Atlantic County municipalities in the creation of a first-of-its-kind Central Municipal Court hosted by the county.
— Saw the financial benefit of the 2021 sanitary sewer slip-lining project in the form of a reduction of about 14 percent in sanitary sewer flows, resulting in significant savings for 2022 that will carry on in years to come.
Projects for 2023 include:
— Phase II of the sanitary sewer slip-lining project
— A newly designed sanitary sewer pump station at Zion and Mill roads
— Paving additional roadways using $545,000 in funding from the New Jersey Department of Transportation
— Implementing digital imaging technology to scan permanent government records
— Several new sets of bleachers at the athletic fields
— Applications for multiple grants for recreation improvements at Birch Grove Park
“I look forward to working together with everyone to continue to provide excellent services to the residents of Northfield,” Chau said.
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff